inc. entrepreneur to help tackle mental health crisis

Entrepreneurs, Dan Willis from Bournemouth and Adam McNichol from Yorkshire have co-founded, Well Good to provide preventative, personalised digital care and to educate organisations to look after and improve their employees’ mental health

Dan, a Mind charity ambassador and mental health campaigner, and Adam, has spent the past 15 years working at some of the most innovative creative tech agencies and are now part of a social enterprise development programme from housing association Aster Group. 

By using state of the art artificial intelligence technology and implementing best-practice intervention strategies, Well Good is a unique tool that looks at employee engagement through data collected across an organisation. It can provide insights, signposting and recommendations where additional support may be needed around issues such as anxiety, stress, and inclusivity.

The social enterprise scheme, inc., is being delivered by the Aster Foundation, a part of the housing association that invests in projects that improve lives and removes barriers to opportunity in local communities. It is also the first scheme of its kind to be created by a housing association in the UK.

Dan and Adam are now part of Aster’s ten-month business development programme designed to bring their ideas to market and connect them with potential partners and investors.

Dan Willis, co-founder from Well Good, said: “The UK is in a mental health crisis. Unfortunately, this is now a fact. Your family, your friends, your colleagues, every layer of society is affected by struggles with mental health which have been exacerbated by the pandemic.

“But huge numbers of people are not getting the help they need to live healthy lives driven by a global shortage of psychiatric professionals.

“Our enterprise, Well Good, is rising to meet this challenge through technology; transforming how treatment is delivered and accessed, with apps emerging as powerful tools to bridge the treatment gap.”

Cam Kinsella, director of the Aster Foundation, said: “There are choppy waters ahead for the UK and, as we work our way out of what could be one of the worst economic crises in our history, the need for innovative solutions to the challenges facing society will only increase.

“Aster launched inc. to find the people dedicated to developing innovative and sustainable ways to drive change across our communities and to give them the support and mentoring they need in order to make a change.”

If you’re an entrepreneur or a start-up business dedicated to solving social issues, register your interest for Aster’s 2021/22 inc. development programme here: https://www.aster.co.uk/foundation/inc.