Yana
Mental health companion app for Spanish speakers
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In the past two centuries, humanity has achieved incredible scientific and technological progress, from breakthroughs in medicine to the exploration of space.
Although these advancements should simplify and improve our daily lives, depression and anxiety rates are higher than ever.
Let's dive in.
Think about this
In our early years, we are taught about science, math, history, etc.
Yet, there's a gap in our education about understanding emotions and recognizing mental health issues.
Now more than ever, people are becoming more aware of the importance of it.
Despite this progress, we still need the proper tools and affordable services to tackle this matter.
This is why Yana was created—an innovative, mental health companion app.
Explain it like I'm five
Yana is a mental health support app for Spanish speakers.
They offer a friendly AI-powered chatbot that helps members to manage their emotional well-being.
Additionally, Yana offers daily check-ins, a mood journal, and other features designed to assist its members in their journey.
Founder aims to provide accessible and effective mental health assistance for Spanish speakers.
The ABCs
Industries: App, Wellness, Mental Health
Headquarters: Mexico City, Mexico
Year Operations Started: 2017
Team Size: 22
Raised: $2.9M (Seed - Currently raising)
Investors: 500 Global LATAM, Magma Partners, MGV & ALLVP
Business Model: Free app
Other players:
Background check
What we like:
Traction: They have over 14 million app downloads and members in +35 countries. The founder claims it was achieved with a zero marketing investment. Yana is among the top health & fitness category app downloads in Mexico.
Mission: The mental health crisis is one of the biggest challenges we are facing. Yana´s app does not offer a complete solution, but it provides access to mental health companionship, education & evidence-based tools to millions of Spanish-speaking humans worldwide.
Community: Users love Yana. They have received thousands of support messages for the team and their efforts. Their strong social media engagement and word-of-mouth recognition have become significant assets for growth and awareness.
Data: Yana is leveraging its user base, which has facilitated more than 2.2 billion conversations, to transform mental health support on a large scale. Their historic data points can identify members who need more specialized mental care, and it quickly guides them to local professional support services.
Roadblocks:
Monetization: Yana's still figuring out how to make money. They have started to explore different strategies to monetize. Even though their mission and product are great, it will be hard to get new investors.
Retention: People download the app to address existing issues, which ultimately helps them overcome them. However, once they tackle the problem, they uninstall the app. The team must add new features to add value, incentivizing members to remain engaged and retain the app.
Artificial Intelligence: Yana features an AI chatbot for user interaction. However, the conversations with the chatbot often involve sensitive topics that the chatbot may not find necessary. When it comes to this type of situation, a more hands-on approach, or in other words, a human professional, is crucial for the well-being of Yana's users.
The Architects
Andrea Campos, Founder & CEO.
Fernando Rios, CTO. Previously @ Integromat.
Jorge Torre, CFO. Previously @ GBM.
Monika Fellmer, CDO, Previously @ Didi.
Paula Helu, CCO, Previously @ Goldenvoice.
Diego Gafias, Product, Previously @ Emma.
Iftene Meeheni, Product, Previously @ Fritchi.
Request intro with founders by sending an email to gabriel@readrunway.com
Headlines Corner
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Zubale, a Mexican startup simplifying e-commerce operations, secured US $25M in funding (Techstartups).
AWS announced Amazon Q, a new generative AI–powered assistant for businesses (AWS).
DiiMO, a Salvadoran fintech company specializing in financing SMEs, raised US $1.2M in funding (Contxto).
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