Intellect, the Singapore-based mental health platform that now serves more than three million users in 20 countries, is gearing up for a new phase of growth after establishing a strategic partnership with IHH Healthcare, the largest private healthcare group. asian big. IHH Healthcare will work with Intellect to develop and customize digital mental health programs for its patients, corporate clients and staff.
IHH Healthcare also invested in the startup, without disclosing the amount. IHH Healthcare is the first strategic investor in Intellect. His other backers include Tiger Global, Y Combinator, and Insignia Ventures.
Founded in 2019, Intellect’s markets now include Malaysia, Singapore, India and Hong Kong. Their platform offers telehealth counseling, services like therapy or psychiatry, and mental health exams that can be done online or in person at an Intellect clinic. It also has self-directed programs based on cognitive behavioral therapy. Intellect does have a consumer app, but it primarily focuses on enterprise customers who offer their platform to their employees as a wellness benefit.
IHH Healthcare’s Ashok Pandit with Intellect founder Theodoric Chew
Intellect CEO and founder Theodoric Chew told TechCrunch that the startup has been in touch with IHH Healthcare for a while due to their leadership position in their markets and began exploring partnership opportunities over the past year. One of the goals is to offer a broader continuum of care, from preventative to specialty care in all regions the companies serve. Chew said that IHH Healthcare and Intellect will focus on APAC first, but other regions as well.
IHH Healthcare’s work with Intellect so far has included a pilot initiative with maternity patients at Gleneagles Hospital in Singapore and plans to offer the platform to corporate clients of IHH Singapore’s iXchange and IHH employees.
In a statement, IHH Healthcare group director of strategy and business development, Ashok Pandit, said: “Mental health issues affect one in four people. We are pleased to invest in Intellect, a market leader in this fast-growing category, to fuel its growth and improve access for millions more people who require support, care or treatment.”
