The isolation caused due to the COVID-19 lockdown caused a steep increase in mental health issues across the world. Coupled with the remote working set up, the situation escalated from bad to worse quickly. Addressing the mental health wellbeing of employees who are remotely working is a London-based mental health startup called Spill. It offers remote mental health support for companies via Slack, a well-known workplace messaging tool.
Investment from Ada Ventures
In a recent move, Spill raised £2M (nearly €2.25M) funding from Ada Ventures along with Seedcamp and the government’s Future Fund initiative. Also, Francesca Warner, partner at Ada Ventures joins the Spill board. The fresh fund will be used to develop proactive tools that will help the company create a more psychologically considerate workplace. It will also focus on the prevention of mental health issues instead of treatment. This funding round follows the nearly €750K investment it secured from Passion Capital back in 2019.
Calvin Benton, Founder at Spill, says: “It’s vital that, in today’s knowledge-driven economy, workers have access to high-quality mental health support that’s barrier-free, stigma-free, and free at the point of use. And that’s exactly what Spill will be able to deliver dramatically more of with the help of this latest funding round, led by Ada Ventures.”
Francesca Warner, Founding Partner at Ada Ventures, says, “We’ve been looking to invest in a company tackling the mental health crisis our society faces for some time. We’ve struggled to find products that are accessible, affordable, effective, and used regularly. Spill’s product is all of these things. We’re pleased to have the opportunity to invest in this exceptional team and look forward to the product being available to millions of people in the years to come.”
All-in-one mental health support
London-based startup Spill offers all-in-one mental health support through a Slack app, which lets employees speak with qualified therapists over video, phone or message. Previously, the company offered a message-based therapy app for iOS and Android. Spill relaunched in January last year to provide all-in-one mental health support through Slack. It is also possible to message a therapist and receive a reply by the next day or browse mental health tools and content, all via Slack.
Spill employs over 30 therapists around the U.K., working remotely over video, phone or message. All these therapists are registered with the BACP, NCS, or an equivalent professional body and have at least 200 hours of clinical experience and a minimum three-year relevant degree. As per the company, it claims to be more effective at reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety than an NHS therapy or a course of antidepressants.
Rapid growth in 2020
As per recent research by London mental health startup Spill and Censuswide, 38 per cent of the tech sector workers have considered therapy for the first time. Since it launched its service on Slack, there is a need for psychological support among employees of both smaller and larger companies. As per the data, 44 per cent or those at smaller companies (10-99 people) therapy and 31 per cent in larger companies (100+ people) considered the therapy for the first time. Also, it shows that 26 per cent of tech workers feel that their company failed to support their mental well-being.
As there is a high demand for employee mental health support, Spill witnessed a rapid growth in 2020. After launching its Slack app last January, Spill grew from 0 to 100+ paying companies in less than 12 months. Its clientele includes Typeform, Bulb and Depop.
