INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Francisco, Youper was co-founded in 2016 by Dr
For a decade, Hamilton worked as a psychiatrist in clinical settings, seeing more than 3,000 patients
While talking to them, he realized that a handful of barriers kept many people from seeking help earlier, even if they had dealt with
The second barrier is cost, of course
officer, and Thiago Marafon, its CTO, to create an app that would make mental healthcare less intimidating and more accessible
They originally created an app that did not have a conversational interface
Instead, Hamilton says it took a similar approach to Calm and Headspace
But that resulted in a very low user engagement rate and, after a year, the team realized Youper needed to provide a more personalized
experience, matching users to the right psychological techniques, including cognitive behavioral techniques and mindfulness, for their
needs.Youper is part of a growing roster of apps that use AI-based chatbots to help users improve their emotional health, including Woebot,
Hamilton says Youper wants to differentiate with its focus on personalization, combining mental health research and user data to match the
right psychological techniques with users.Screenshots from Youper, an app for emotional well-being.The startup claims Youper has been
downloaded more than one million times so far
in our society by conquering new spaces and assuming new roles, and that poses an emotional toll
gentle introduction to the types of questions and exercises they might experience in therapy
causing those feelings and track their mood
Users are also given options for mindfulness exercises and journaling prompts.Hamilton says that the average time users spend during each
session with its chatbot is about seven minutes, with 80% reporting a reduction in negative moods after one conversation
The startup also claims that after 30 days, a quarter of people who signed up for Youper are still active users.Youper is currently free,
though the company may test a freemium model in the future with premium features
It uses anonymized user data in its own research to improve Youper, but keeps it private and does not share or sell user data or
information.Of course, an app is not a replacement for seeing a therapist or psychiatrist, but Youper presents a much lower barrier to entry
for people who worried about the stigma of seeing a professional
Hamilton says he hopes using Youper will encourage more people to seek medical treatment sooner if they need it by making them more
