Innerhour, Online Counselling Startup Raise $450K

By Shariq Hussain

Posted on February 8, 2017

Innerhour is an online counselling startup which provides psychological wellness. The startup bagged $450 K in its first round of funding from investors like VenturWorks, Karani Security, Bativala Financial Advisors and many others.

The Mumbai-based startup was founded in 2015 by Amit Malik and Shefali Bhatra. Innerhour is a healthcare technology start-up looking to improvise the psychological wellness and mental health provision.

Two factors that led to the creation of Innerhour are- a)there is a stigma attached to seeking mental health in our country and b) the need for mental health awareness is massive – says Amit Malik, founder and chief executive of InnerHour.

Amit Malik is a Psychiatrist. He is a specialist in geriatric medicine and also holds a degree in MBA from London School of Business.

Dr. Shefali Bhatra is not only a Psychiatrist, but she’s also a Counsellor, Cognitive therapists, and a Wellness Consultant. Dr. Shefali is also Co-founder of Mindframes which is a wellness clinic and a psychological testing center.

Mr.Malik says: “Tech confers a degree of anonymity, so those worried about stigma feel more confident in seeking support. We are very heavily focused on creating content and programs around mental health and our plan is to also create anonymous communities where people can get “peer support.”

Since it went online last year, the startup got 65,000 visits so far and 30,000 active customers.

In the population of 1.3 Billion, around 150 Million Indians need mental care assistance. According to Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW), only 30 Million families have access to mental health facilities. World Health Organization claimed that for every 1,00,000 Indians there are only 0.301 psychiatrists available in the Country.

Keshav Sanghi, Founder of Venturworks says “Innerhour is not a traditional health care company. What differentiates it from others is that the two founders have many years of experience. Most startup founders are tech savvy but may not know the core business. I was keen on the founders.”

Recently, several healthcare startups got their funding raised. In September 2016, AlternaCare which is an online doctor consultation platform raised $500 K of seed funding from Eros Labs; In July 2016 healthcare startup SeeDoc raised around $1 Million in its pre-series A funding round; Curefit which provides mental health solutions has raised $15 Million of Series-A funding from Accel Partners, IDG Ventures, and Kalaari Capital. Read more Startup news.

Innerhour, Online Counselling Startup Raise $450K