What do hip hop group Run-DMC, Bright Horizons and Princeton Review have in common?
A vested interest in a newly launched therapy startup, UWill.
Founded by veteran edtech entrepreneur Michael London, who formerly founded and headed online proctoring platform provider Examity, Uwill enables college students to connect with mental health professionals on demand.
UWill launched Thursday, backed by a $3.25 million seed round led by Darryl McDaniels of Run-DMC. Bright Horizons CEO Stephen Kramer and Princeton Review founder John Katzman also joined the round.
UWill is designed like a gig-economy teletherapy platform that allows students to evaluate and match with mental health professionals of their choosing. Students can talk to therapists via video, text, phone, email and chat.
The demand for mental health services on campus was already high, but the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated the need for students. Recent research suggests that eight in 10 students have seen their mental health negatively affected by the pandemic.
“College campuses are facing a mental health crisis. We’re trying to further remove the stigma of counseling and put students in the driver's seat, by connecting them with mental health professionals that they can get comfortable with and relate to,” London said in a statement. “As many colleges prepare to conduct the next semester -- or even year -- entirely online, providing remote access to therapy and counseling while maintaining privacy will be a critical element of their efforts to drive persistence and student success.”
