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An innovative solution for young people

Mindsum CIC is  a ground-breaking start-up that supports children and young people’s mental health needs. Mindsum connects children and young  people with therapists in real time and at scale using an innovative digital platform. This subsidises the cost of therapy for those unable to afford it. It also offers information, resources and support on mental health conditions through its library, webinars and an AI powered chatbot. It has recently launched its Beat The Stigma platform where people can ask mental health questions anonymously, and get answers from qualified professionals for free. Mindsum is the brainchild of Fareed Baloch, a tech start-up consultant of 10 years with a former career in aviation.

Mindsum used funding from The Fore to expand its capacity and extend its services. One year later, Mindsum had done just that: having grown to a team of 9, they launched the matching platform. It had provided free therapy sessions to 126 children, young people and their parents and carers and have filled their advisory board. In 2021, Mindsum offered free therapy and support sessions to 564 children. As part of The Fore community, Fareed has acted as a charity representative at funding panels and mentored recent grantees.

It’s not just about the money

Our funding panels also identified a pro bono support need for Mindsum. Mark Livesey, a Partner at LGT Vestra and one of our corporate member volunteers, was on that decision panel.  Mark was very impressed by Mindsum and the impact it had already achieved, despite being a start-up. After an introduction to Fareed, Mark and his wife Natalie went on to become advisory board members of Mindsum and have taken on a very hands-on role. Mark has accompanied Fareed to meetings with new partners including Lancaster University, and has written articles promoting the organisation. Meanwhile, Natalie, an experienced mental health professional, is a training advisor.

Through The Fore’s pro bono support, Mindsum received help from Manish Binukrishnan, a Business Analyst at McKinsey & Company and University of Oxford graduate. Manish contributed to research understanding the mental health challenges of young employees, gaps in support structures, implementing best practices. His work laid the foundation of a six-month research study Mindsum is conducting with the help of Enatus Warwick. This is aims to understand the impact of mental health on young employees in the retail sector, how Covid-19 has affected their mental wellbeing, and propose some solutions.  

Wraparound support is an integral part of our venture philanthropy model, and leverages the business skills of our corporate funders. Our corporate volunteers’ invaluable support helps our grantees achieve transformational change in their organisation.

The Fore is thrilled to see Mindsum going from strength to strength. Find out more about how you can partner with us to support exceptional leaders like Fareed to help transform society.