Being is a personalized self-healing app. Varun Gandhi is the co-founder and CEO of being an app, Varun’s goal is to create a world where each of us can have access to a personalized doctor at all times. The premise is Varun’s personal struggle with mental health. A passionate cricketer, chartered accountant, and self-taught design professional, Varun put on his entrepreneurial cap early in life. After having limited success with two of his startups, he turned to therapy to help with his mental health during these challenging times. Through Being, they aim to help 1 billion with their mental health needs globally by 2030, through the power of individual self-healing.
How was it to be included in Google Play’s Best of 2021 list in India?
It was an incredible feeling to see our app appear on the list. Though it has been an interesting journey, we were in a very difficult position in the beginning, to the extent that we were almost short of funds. We could not hire engineers or psychologists. But we kept on going. Over time, our engagement counts increased, reaching ratings of around 5, and positive reviews. Google Play noticed our work and helped us increase our engagement count. We went from 500 new users a week to 500 new users during breakfast. It’s all organic, thanks to Google Play. Eventually, investors took note, and we closed our seed round in less than 10 days.
What do you think is the USP of your app that helped you get here?
We are making mental health very relevant and problem driven. We think like a user. One of the most common feedback we get from our users is that it seems so relatable – as if it was made especially for me. my co-founder, Coronation, and I’ve spent a lot of time dealing with my mental health issues. We’ve been there ourselves and know how it feels.
Most importantly, we understand deeply that no two concerns are the same. Each person will have a different problem that they will be facing, and hence, it needs to be addressed in a customized manner. This is our core belief and difference in Being.
How has the pandemic changed things for you, what has been the biggest learning in 2021?
The pandemic has certainly given a boost to mental health apps and services. Mental health has never been discussed more. Usually a taboo, today every household is discussing mental health, whether through acceptance or denial.
In March 2021, we transitioned our offerings from spiritual enlightenment to more personalized mental health services. As part of this, we are working on key aspects such as anxiety and stress, relationships, focus and productivity, and much more. And we have seen great success. We have added almost 60K users in last 6 months and have seen amazing weekly growth rate on Play Store. All this through zero marketing spend. We are seeing great diversity in our user base. While 50% of our users are Gen-Z or women, today 40% of our users are outside India, mainly in the US.
Our biggest lesson has been that all 8 billion of us around the world need help. Issues may vary. Intensity may vary. The type of help we need may be different. But we need help.
What are your plans for the app for the next year?
Mental health is one of the most complex problems of the modern world. This is an issue that will always be around, and we need to do whatever it takes to find a suitable solution. Our mission is to help one billion people by 2030. And 2022 is an important year for us. From a product standpoint, we want to lay a strong foundation for: creating the most diverse (and perhaps the largest) network of mental health professionals worldwide; Designing the ‘most humane’ mini-therapy experience; And finally, create the most personalized (and non-linear) A to B mental health journey for each user.
We want to go a little deeper into markets like the US and Canada, do some initial experiments in G7 countries, reach our first million users, and successfully raise even more Series A funding in the second half of 2022 want to collect.
Do you have a message for users of your app?
We just want to say that with Being, you won’t find an app that tells, but a friend that helps.
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