Mental health startup Intellect partners with Asia’s largest private healthcare group

Intellect, the Singapore-based mental health platform that now serves over three million users in 20 countries, is getting ready for a new phase of growth after striking a strategic partnership with IHH Healthcare, Asia’s largest private healthcare group. IHH Healthcare will work with Intellect to develop and customize digital mental health programs for its patients, corporate clients and staff.

IHH Healthcare also made an investment into the startup, without disclosing the amount. IHH Healthcare is Intellect’s first strategic investor. Its other backers include Tiger Global, Y Combinator and Insignia Ventures.

Founded in 2019, Intellect’s markets now include Malaysia, Singapore, India and Hong Kong. Its platform offers telehealth coaching, services like therapy or psychiatry and mental health screening that can be done online or in-person at an Intellect clinic. It also has self-guided cognitive behavioral therapy-based programs. Intellect has a consumer app, but focuses primarily on enterprise customers who offer its platform to their employees as a wellness benefit.

IHH Healthcare’s Ashok Pandit with Intellect founder Theodoric Chew

Intellect CEO and founder Theodoric Chew told TechCrunch that the startup has been in touch with IHH Healthcare for a while because of its leadership position in its markets, and started exploring partnership opportunities over the last year. One goal is to offer a larger continuum of care from preventative to specialized care across the regions that the companies serve. Chew said IHH Healthcare and Intellect will focus on APAC first, but other regions, too.

So far, IHH Healthcare’s work with Intellect have included a pilot initiative with maternity patients at Gleneagles Hospital Singapore, and plans to offer the platform to corporate clients of IHH Singapore’s iXchange and IHH’s employees.

In a statement, IHH Healthcare group chief strategy and business development officer Ashok Pandit said, “Mental health issues affect one in every four persons. We are pleased to invest in Intellect, a market leader in this rapidly growing category, to boost their growth and enhance access to millions more people who require support, care or treatment.”