AI platform for mental health Wysa raises $20 million in funding

Existing investors W Health Ventures, Kae Capital, pi Ventures, and Google Assistant Investments also participated in the funding round.

The company will use the capital to expand into the United States, UK, India and other global markets, and improve wider usability through multi-lingual support and easier access though instant messaging platform WhatsApp.

Wysa is an app that offers mental health support through its eponymous free AI chatbot, as well as self-help resources on the app and paid access to therapists.

It has facilitated over 400 million conversations with 4.5 million users in 65 countries, the company said.

Wysa’s customers include Accenture Global, Aetna International, NHS, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Centre, and the Ministry of Health in Singapore.

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“Wysa has not only been extremely successful as a consumer well-being platform but has also developed into a clinically validated, powerful tool to proactively manage mental health and well-being,” said Ramakant Vempati, co-founder, Wysa.

“Wysa meets people where they are, whether that means a little help with occasional workplace stress, right up to coping with debilitating pain, depression and anxiety. With this funding, we look forward to scaling-up further and helping millions of more people.”

Co-founder Jo Aggarwal was nominated for the ET Startup Awards in the “Woman Ahead” category last year.

“Wysa is developed in India and is marketed globally. The needs for Wysa are present all across, from high income to low-income countries,” said Charles Antoine-Janssen, chief investment officer, HealthQuad in a statement. “Mental health triaging of patients using AI which is fast, effective and non-stigmatising for patients living in unaccepting societies answers a huge need in India, the rest of low-income Asia, Africa as well as the wealthiest countries of the world.”