GoHealthy & Co ready for market entry with its digital toolbox for mental health

In recent years, mental health awareness has grown significantly, prompting global recognition of its importance, and earning a place among the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Innovation can also contribute to finding new solutions to address mental health issues, and GoHealthy & Co, a Ticino-based startup founded by Joy Bordini, is one of the innovative companies trying to make its contribution to this important mission. The company has developed a digital toolbox consisting of a mobile app for patients and a dashboard for psychotherapists, serving as a support for the anamnesis, diagnosis, and identification of the most effective therapy.

GoHealthy is currently in the beta testing phase: “We are excited to see our vision come to life and make a tangible impact on mental health care,” says co-founder Joy Bordini. “Beta testing is allowing us to fine-tune our solution to meet the needs of therapists and patients alike.”

Pre-seed round

To secure medical device certification and prepare for market entry, GoHealthy recently initiated a convertible loan funding round, aiming to raise 200,000 Swiss francs. The round attracted its first investment from Dr. Katherine Schlatter, a distinguished academic in Behavioural Therapy based in the United States. Bordini highlights, “We are thrilled to have Katherine on board; her expertise and connections will be invaluable as we expand our reach and impact.”

Scientific validation as a competitive advantage

What sets GoHealthy apart from its competitors is its strong academic-scientific foundation, providing credibility and a significant competitive advantage. The company plans to obtain medical device software certification. The startup's commitment to scientific validation was already reaffirmed by a groundbreaking clinical trial conducted in 2023 in collaboration with leading academic institutions such as USI, SUPSI, and several Italian universities. Involving over 500 participants, the trial generated extensive data, scientifically validating the startup’s approach. By integrating surveys on mental well-being with exercises aimed at enhancing awareness and fostering healthier habits, the trial confirmed the positive impact of the startup's interventions. The extensive dataset also allowed GoHealthy to apply and win an Innocheque with the renowned AI research institute IDSIA, allowing the startup to shape its content profiling and recommendation model.

A cornerstone of GoHealthy's expertise lies in digital phenotyping, the ability to define a user's digital twin through smartphone-generated data. Leveraging a multidisciplinary team of psychologists, software developers, and bioinformaticians, the startup can extract and correlate nuanced information: for instance, it can infer users’ stress levels from typing speed and intensity. Bordini underscores, “Advancements in technologies such as GenAI and Deep Learning have unlocked unprecedented possibilities, and thanks to our team’s expertise, we can harness them effectively. Our focus on digital phenotyping enables us to deliver detailed data-driven insights to psychotherapists, enhancing treatment quality and setting us apart in the market.”

Soon ready for market entry

GoHealthy is running beta tests, and has planned a strategic approach to market entry, starting in the summer of 2024. Initially targeting Switzerland and Italy, where it possesses extensive healthcare landscape knowledge and established collaborations with stakeholders, the startup aims to forge partnerships with individual therapists, clinics, universities, and insurance providers, as well as create new job positions in Switzerland. Operating on a B2B model, GoHealthy prioritizes empowering therapists rather than directly targeting end-users. “Our focus is on building strong partnerships with therapists and healthcare providers,” explains Bordini. “By empowering therapists with innovative digital tools, we aim to enhance the quality and accessibility of mental health care. The digital mental health industry is rapidly growing, and major players will emerge in the next 5-10 years. Our vision is to position ourselves among these players and have a lasting impact on global well-being.”

(Luca Calderara)
Picture: GoHealthy Founder Joy Bordini