The online psychotherapy platform Hedepy, which already brings together hundreds of therapists around the world, completed at the end of last year its largest investment yet. The Czech startup announced that in December it received €1.75 million in funding, closing 2023 with a total of €3.9 million raised, through both existing and new foreign investors.
Fund Nation 1 and angel investor Leoš Navrátil have invested in Hedepy, which managed to double its valuation compared to the last investment round, for the third time. The Hungarian Impact Ventures fund, which led the round, is also newly investing. One of the platform’s current corporate clients, AspectWorks Group, completes the quartet of investors. The platform plans to use the funding not only to develop its app used for preventative mental healthcare but also to extend support for corporate clients who use Hedepy for their employees.
Hedepy has been operating in the Czech market since 2020, but in four years the platform has managed to expand to ten other European markets, including Poland, Romania, Ukraine, Greece or Finland. In five of these markets, Hedepy is the number one player in its field and currently provides more than 60 % of its therapies abroad. The fact that mental health care is an increasingly crucial topic among people is evidenced also by the fact that the platform has grown by more than 200% year-on-year, with more than 100,000 therapy sessions last year.
“Hedepy is exceptional in that it has not only managed to expand into eleven global markets in a short period but has also succeeded in them and continued to develop. The way they combine quality therapists with a self-help app is unique in Europe and because of this, we believe they can soon become a regional leader,” said Gergő Iváncsics, Partner at Impact Ventures.
In addition to online therapy sessions, Hedepy now offers its clients an advanced self-help zone, which aims to provide a space where people can focus not only on solving acute problems, but also on prevention. In addition to educational video content, clients can take indicative tests that give them a clue as to where their problem or insecurity may stem from, or they can chat with their chosen psychotherapist. Hedepy thus offers people the opportunity to comprehensively care for their mental well-being in one place, at any time and from basically anywhere in the world. Prevention is a key factor in mental health, as early intervention can either prevent the problem directly or at least significantly speed up its resolution.
“The market is changing, we no longer have to explain as much why it is important to take care of our mental health, instead we can focus on getting help to everyone who needs it. We are contacted by insurance providers, companies, and even schools that care about the well-being of their employees and at the same time realize that prevention is the key to success,” added Lukáš Krčil, CEO and co-founder of Hedepy.
In addition to therapy for individuals, the platform also provides therapy in the form of benefits to companies. The number of these corporate clients has practically doubled in the last year, with companies such as Havel and Partners, Ford, Multisport, Oktagon or Unicredit Bank using Hedepy’s services.
Last year, the platform also newly launched online psychiatric services, which it provides through verified and qualified psychiatrists in collaboration with Unicare Medical. Each connected professional, whether therapists or psychiatrists, must meet the required standards, but there is still no shortage of applicants – Hedepy currently has more than 1,500 on its waiting list across the countries where it operates. Thus, online therapy is not only popular among clients, but also among therapists. It offers them time flexibility, the possibility to work from almost anywhere and the opportunity to address different issues with clients than they deal with in their regular practice.
