Cody Semrau has been there.
The Buffalo-based founder of BetterMynd endured serious mental health issues as a student at Colgate University, where he grappled with anxiety and depression and struggled to come to terms with being gay.
But it wasn’t just that. Semrau also dealt with the stigma of seeking help – the mere act of walking past his peers to the on-campus counseling center was a disincentive.
That experience was the basis of BetterMynd, which partners with colleges and counseling centers to provide students with access to confidential online video-therapy sessions.
Semrau moved from hometown Rochester to Buffalo in October 2020, attracted by the budding startup scene here, and now leads a staff of five from its home base in Seneca One Tower. The firm, which raised seed funds last year from Launch NY and Z80 Labs, works with about 50 campuses and is seeking to grow that number going into the fall 2021 semester.
Once a college adopts the BetterMynd platform, the service expands through on-campus marketing efforts and word-of-mouth.
It’s a growth-stage startup, but it’s also a deeply personal mission for Semrau.
“These are common issues people struggle with and we need to put more attention and resources into helping people and preventing them from crises,” Semrau said. “Making a difference in these students’ lives is what keeps me going.”
The issues that plagued Semrau have only been exacerbated by the stress and social isolation of the pandemic. The BetterMynd team has curated a nationwide network of counselors that are diverse in their geography, ethnicity, gender and sexuality, part of the goal to pare struggling college students with professionals best-suited to help them.
Doing that successfully will lead to expansive business growth, Semrau said. It will also do a lot of good in the process.
“My own experiences made me realize how hard it is to ask for help,” he said. “My goal is to use online therapy to make counseling resources more accessible for students.”
