In the bustling world of mental health startups, Ariba Khan, an alumna of IIM Bangalore, stands out as the visionary founder and CEO of Jumping Minds.
Recently recognized with Google Play’s Best of 2021 Award in the Hidden Gems category, Ariba’s story is a testament to resilience, innovation, and a deep commitment to transforming mental health care.
Ariba’s foray into the mental health space began in late 2020 when she witnessed the toll of the COVID-19 pandemic on the well-being of her family, friends, colleagues, and peers.
With eight years of experience in the health tech industry, Ariba recognized the pressing challenges in accessing mental healthcare in India and set out to create a solution that would be both innovative and accessible.
Jumping Minds, conceived amid the pandemic, faced its fair share of challenges in a mental health landscape that was still developing in India.
Ariba, along with co-founder Piyush Gupta, recognized the traditional approach might not work due to cost and accessibility issues. Undeterred, they embarked on a journey to create a comprehensive mental health and wellness solution.
The platform, launched in 2021, offers an easy onboarding process and a profile matching algorithm connecting users to empathetic peers or professional experts.
Jumping Minds goes beyond facilitating conversations; it provides self-care tools, including yoga, meditation, engaging content, humor therapy, and soothing soundscapes.
The 24/7 AI friend, Snuggles, tends to users’ mental health needs, ensuring a personalized and affordable solution.
Despite hurdles in a market where paying for mental healthcare was a challenge, Ariba focused on conveying the value of mental health care as essential for holistic well-being.
Leveraging AI and Google technologies, Jumping Minds saw unprecedented user engagement, with daily usage times far exceeding industry averages.
Participating in the Google for Startups Accelerator: Women Founders program was a pivotal moment for Ariba and her team. The technical expertise gained from Google’s experts helped enhance their AI algorithms, redesign the product UI/UX, and optimize the user journey.
As Jumping Minds looks ahead, Ariba envisions being more predictive about mental health and expanding to new regions. The company aims to develop an AI dashboard for users to track and improve their mental health actively.
The journey has been marked by achievements, including being named the Most Inspiring App of the Year by Google Play, a UI/UX redesign, and the launch of a B2B2C offering.
Ariba’s advice to fellow women founders emphasizes the importance of investor alignment with the mission and finding patient supporters.
Despite the challenges in fundraising, Ariba’s dedication to Jumping Minds has created a platform where people not only feel better but also contribute to the well-being of others.
In just a short time, Ariba Khan and Jumping Minds have become pioneers in revolutionizing mental healthcare in India and beyond. Their story is an inspiring narrative of using technology, innovation, and a user-centric approach to make a meaningful impact on mental health—one smile at a time.
