Shaping the Future: Our Impact on Youth Mental Well-Being

Entrepreneur Support Programs

Creating digital solutions for youth mental health is complex, but no one has to do it alone. Through initiatives like the Accelerator and Residency, we have supported entrepreneurs at every stage, from idea to scale, by connecting them with young people to co-create products that truly reflect their needs. Along the way, we provide the resources and guidance to help innovators grow mission-driven businesses that create lasting impact. We are proud to share what we have accomplished so far:

When entrepreneurs have the right support, their impact grows. Our programs give innovators the tools, resources, and connections they need to scale their solutions, reach more young people, and build businesses that drive lasting change.

100%

of 2024 Accelerator cohort members reported that participating in Headstream programming led to:

Increased capacity to scale their business

Achieved investor readiness

Capacity to reach vulnerable youth

The impact goes both ways. Our programs don’t just support entrepreneurs, they create meaningful, measurable benefits for the young people and youth professionals co-creating alongside them.

Hear it from the entrepreneurs and youth co-creators we have supported

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Name Surname

title

“We came into the program when we were still very early in the design and development of a youth companion app for our social prescribing platform. We were able to bring our designs and prototypes to youth co-creators and get feedback from them, which was extremely valuable in helping us make improvements to ensure we were meeting young people where they are and building something they actually wanted to use.”

Chris Appleton

CEO and Founder

,

Art Pharmacy

“Medicaid is very complex. Even with some background in Medicaid, it can be challenging to understand it. The advisors with Medicaid expertise, who have come to answer questions and give perspective from companies building around Medicaid, have helped us understand not only the challenges, but also the opportunities and unique ways to look at things to become more sustainable.” "

Michelle Turner

CEO and Founder

,

Here Now Health

“Headstream is such a central pillar of the youth mental health and wellness ecosystem. It has really been this tent pole that has grown for all of us, creating a tent that covers us and brings us together, and I am really grateful for that. I have gotten to work with so many amazing companies and build a stronger network and really incredible relationships, all toward building impactful work.”

Greta McAnany

CEO and Co-Founder

,

Blue Fever

“Headstream is such an amazing program in terms of really fostering innovation and co-creation in mental health. It is such an important arena, and it has been amazing to watch it grow over the last couple of years and to see companies being supported in a way that allows them to go from the Accelerator to the Residency and see the successes they build.”

Lana Volk-Moss

Advisor

,

Women Leading Healthcare (WBL)

“I love being able to come back to Headstream now as an advisor because it really feels like paying it forward. I think about where I was five years ago, starting a company for the first time and needing so much support, both personally and professionally. Now, being able to come back and meet with all sorts of different entrepreneurs running different companies is just a fantastic opportunity to deepen my work with Headstream.”

Dr. Katherine Grill

CEO & Founder

,

Youth Mental Health Consulting

“When we started the Headstream program, acquisition wasn’t even on our radar, and navigating that as a first-time founder can be challenging. What I’m truly grateful for is having Headstream as a partner through that process, not just as an advisor, but as a mentor and a friend, walking alongside me every step of the way.”

Christie Sander

CEO and Founder

,

Kismet

“I've worked with startup founders to make their pitches more relatable from a teen's POV rather than something that was only marketable to investors”

Oluwakemi Aderibigbe

Youth Co-creator

,

"I believe my perspective on the innovators' products significantly contributed to making the innovations more considerate of various often overlooked aspects."

Amen Divine

Youth Co-creator

,

"I believe my contributions during the co-creation sessions brought a unique perspective that helped shape the innovation’s features, ensuring that each business met the real needs of young people. I helped integrate practical solutions that improved the final product."

Anonymous

Youth Co-creator

,

“The goal of participating in the program was to gain a better understanding of the US market. It has been excellent for that. We now feel more confident about selecting the right location for our first pilot.”

Kerstyn Comley

,

Tellmi

Created a new youth dialogue group with youth co-creators. By the end of 2022, This Teenage Life surpassed 1.2 million downloads.

Molly Josephs

,

This Teenage Life (TTL)

More direct partnership with young people has allowed us to get direct insights into how our product resonate with younger audiences. This has helped us to vet ideas faster, iterate on prototypes before full development, and conduct more applicable user research across our full target demo.

Alexandra Goldman

,

Flourish Labs