Dabur’s Gaurav Burman Acquires Strategic Stake in Mitsu
A Mental Health tech start-up
In a first for the company and perhaps a visionary step, Director of Dabur International Gaurav Burman, a member of the Burman family, has acquired a strategic 7.5% stake in healthcare start-up Mitsu. Mitsu is a mental health tech start-up offering a convenient and scientific self-therapy program that helps individuals who feel anxious or depressed build skills for lifelong emotional well-being.
Gaurav Burman, now a Member of the Board at Mitsu said of this move- “I am delighted to be a part of this healthcare revolution called Mitsu. Mental Health is an extremely important issue and affects most of us at some stage in our lives. Mitsu has developed a science-based approach to helping those who feel anxious or depressed in a novel, confidential, and affordable manner. I have been a firm believer in Mitsu from the very beginning, as early as its concept stage. This investment is part of my mission to invest in companies that are shaping the future of healthcare through innovative and people-centered solutions. I am confident that Mitsu will continue to take this fast-growing business to even greater heights”.
The app “Mitsu.care, is a guided self-therapy app for anyone feeling anxious or depressed.” was launched in May 2023 on both iOS and Android platforms. Users enrol in Mitsu’s 8-week program to learn and practice skills that are scientifically proven to improve mood and build life-long emotional well-being. These skills are drawn from evidence-based approaches such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
“We are thrilled to welcome Mr. Gaurav Burman as an investor in Mitsu. His support and guidance will help us move ahead with our strategy to create an accessible, convenient, and scalable solution for mental healthcare that can benefit over 40% of the adult population,” said Mitsu founder Amit Singh.
The company also has as angel investors which include successful entrepreneurs Shivashish Chatterjee and Yuvraj Singh (founders of DMI Finance) and Harpreet Singh Grover (who founded and exited CoCubes).
The app has inbuilt features for convenience of use and flexibility hence users can work on the app any time in a day at their convenience, which makes it easy to fit it into busy schedules.On an average, as per the company, they spend between 25-30 minutes every week on the Mitsu.care app, by logging in 2-3 times in a week. A typical day’s work involves self-reflection, learning concepts from videos guided by Mitsu’s chief clinical psychologist, and practicing therapeutic skills in related activities.
Mitsu’s in-house therapists via the in-app chat feature provide continuous support unlike in conventional in-person therapy. This means help is quick and timely, and there is no need to schedule and wait for the next appointment. The program is available at one-third the cost of in-person therapy, thus making it affordable and accessible to a much broader section of the population, including students.
Whilst the upsides maybe many, one wonders about the quality control when it comes to therapists, the client-therapist confidentiality and the handling of delicate and emergency issues in a mental health crises situation.
Mitsu is the brand name of the company registered as Metacog Health Private Limited.