INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Spill, the London-based startup that offers a message-based therapy app to help improve workplace well-being, has picked up £650,000 in
The round is backed by Passion Capital, Seedcamp and a number of angel investors, including Made.com founder Julien Callede and Urban
co-founder Jack Tang.Founded a little over a year ago by Calvin Benton and Gavin Dhesi, Spill aims to reduce the barriers associated with
accessing mental health and well-being services, which it says typically leaves people in the U.K
with two choices: facing long wait times via the National Health Service or paying for expensive private therapy sessions
Instead, Spill is designed as a consumer-styled app that provides access to qualified therapists via text messaging, paid for by
employers.“At the moment, if someone is going through a tricky time, the choices for accessing counselling are between either a
months-long NHS waiting list to see a counsellor or forking out upwards of £60 a session to see a private psychotherapist,” Spill’s
“Both come with the baggage of an inflexible time commitment and the issue of stigma
We want to make another way possible; available whenever you need it, free at the point of use, and approachable rather than
intimidating.”Counsellors on the Spill app are BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy) registered “or equivalent”
and communicate using anonymous written therapeutic communication
The startup works with employers, workplaces or universities to make its app available to employees, individuals and students for free and
as a workplace or student benefit
Customers include Hargreaves Landsown, Rightmove and Monzo Bank.“Our typical business customers are progressive organisations of all
sizes, from small startups with as few as only 10 employees to larger fast-growing companies,” adds Dhesi
“Typical users are those who are dealing with life’s daily problems and who often think that their problems are ‘too small’ to speak
In fact, 84 percent of existing Spill users have not previously accessed any kind of mental health guidance or counselling before.”But can
text-based therapy really be effective I suggest to Dhesi that message-based delivery might feel a bit like a poor person’s talking
Naturally, the Spill co-founder pushes back
“If face-to-face counselling could be easily accessed by everyone who needed it, we wouldn’t need to exist,” he says
“By working via text, rather than the traditional method of face to face, we hope that we can reach a lot more people.”On the Spill app,
you start by answering a few questions about who you are
This includes things like “Who are the most important people in your life” and “How important is work to you” Then, Spill will match
you with your own designated Spill therapist
“You’ll be able to message them whenever you want, and they’ll reply with support, guidance and exercises,” explains the Spill
co-founder.Meanwhile, Spill says the app also provides benefits to counsellors and professionals who want to have a greater impact on more
Co-founder Benton’s mother is a counsellor and his father is a clinical psychologist, arguably giving the team first-hand experience of
the “supply side” of Spill’s solution.Adds Dhesi: “For businesses, our main direct competitors are conventional EAPs (Employee
These often are phone lines that have very low usage and designed to help those with severe mental health issues
Spill, on the other hand, is a more preventative measure aiming its service towards life’s everyday problems.”
