Even before the pandemic, 77% of men were dealing with some form of stress, anxiety, or depression and 40% said it would take thoughts of suicide or self-harm for them to reach out and get any help, according to a survey by behavioral care provider Priory.

Yet, there are few online community platforms for men focused on well-being. There is a unique opportunity to build communities that provide support and guidance. Tethr provides men with a safe online space for open dialogue and support.

The Nuts & Bolts

Problem: There is a growing men’s mental health crisis and a rise in male suicides. Men have long struggled to build emotionally supportive and open peer relationships or have been discouraged from having these relationships because of outdated stereotypes of what it means to be a man. There are not enough spaces where men can speak openly with each other about their struggles in a mutually supportive environment.

Solution: Tethr provides men with a platform where they can build supportive peer relationships with other men via groups on specific subjects, or with those who share similar adverse circumstances to help them find more purpose and meaning in their lives.

Tethr provides a dedicated 24/7 support community, where members can safely express themselves and get access to services such as forums and private messaging. Tethr has collected community feedback and data that shows the platform has been a lifeline for many men since its launch in June 2020.

When 500 Met tethr

We met tethr when they applied to CIX Summit’s Top 20 Early Stage Startups in Canada. Prior to founding tethr, Matt Zerker (CEO) was a Portfolio Manager at a quantitative hedge fund in Toronto. After the sudden death of a close friend in 2018, Matt spiraled into a deep depression that left him unable to work. Therapy and medications, including experimental treatments, weren’t helpful. It wasn’t until he was invited to join a men’s peer support group and went on a men’s emotional awareness retreat that things started to change. Matt quit his job in April 2019, and started building tethr.

Burke White is the Chief Product Officer at tethr, where he manages customer experience. A driven product leader, Burke has a track record managing technology solutions in the fintech, mental health, banking, energy, and blockchain industries.

Addison Brasil is tethr’s VP of Brand & Strategy and Head of Impact. He is a committed peer support advocate and speaker, having lost his brother to cancer and his father to suicide. He also survived a fatal accident that killed a close friend, and left him unable to walk for months.

Prior to joining tethr, Addison ran his own professional coaching firm, and helped to create content in a variety of mediums, including film and television.

The team is working towards Sustainable Development Goals, including Goal #3, good health and well-being, and Goal #10, reducing inequalities. Addison also developed the S.P.E.E.D. Test, which provides companies and consumers transparency as it relates to Sustainability, Philanthropy, Ethics, Environment, and Diversity.

Why Now?

Tethr helps community members feel less isolated, especially with COVID-19 social distancing guidelines, measures that will likely be in place for the foreseeable future. The company is also on a mission to dismantle outdated stereotypes about manhood that exist today and have resulted in most men not knowing how to build supportive, emotionally connected relationships with each other.

Because many men believe that it is not okay to struggle, they often underutilize mental health services and disproportionately resort to harmful or destructive means of coping (i.e. substance abuse and self-harming behaviors). Currently, 75% of the suicides are committed by men and the pandemic has only made this situation worse.

Future of tethr

The company has the potential to build a platform that addresses men’s mental health and well-being. Most mental health solutions, such as therapy, are either expensive, do not address the unique needs of men, or aren’t accessible for those individuals with little time or who live in areas where traditional support structures are sparse.

If you would like to learn more about companies, sectors, and trends that we are excited about as well as receive invitations to exclusive previews, and expert roundtables, please sign up here.

You can learn more about tethr at: https://www.tethr.men.

Legal Disclaimers: 500 Startups programs (including accelerator programs), investor education services, strategic partnership consulting services and events are operated by 500 Startups Incubator, L.L.C. (together with its affiliates, “500 Startups”) and the funds advised by 500 Startups Management Company, L.L.C. do not participate in any revenue generated by these activities. Such programs and services are provided for educational and informational purposes only and under no circumstances should any content provided as part of any such programs, services or events be construed as investment, legal, tax or accounting advice by 500 startups or any of its affiliates.

The views expressed here are those of the individual 500 Startups personnel, or other individuals quoted and are not the views of 500 Startups or its affiliates. Certain information contained herein may have been obtained from third-party sources, including from portfolio companies of funds managed by 500 Startups. While taken from sources believed to be reliable, 500 Startups has not independently verified such information and makes no representations or warranties as to the accuracy of the information in this post or its appropriateness for a given situation. In addition, this content may include third-party advertisements or links; 500 Startups has not reviewed such advertisements and does not endorse any advertising content contained therein.

This content is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be relied upon as legal, business, investment, tax or accounting advice. You should consult your own advisers as to those matters. References to any securities or digital assets are for illustrative purposes only, and do not constitute an investment recommendation, offer to sell or solicitation to purchase any investment securities, or offer to provide investment advisory services. Furthermore, this content is not directed at nor intended for use by any investors or prospective investors, and may not under any circumstances be relied upon when making a decision to invest in any fund managed by 500 Startups. (An offering to invest in an 500 Startups fund will be made only by the private placement memorandum, subscription agreement, and other relevant documentation of any such fund and should be read in their entirety.) Any investments or portfolio companies mentioned, referred to, or described are not representative of all investments in vehicles managed by 500 Startups, and there can be no assurance that the investments will be profitable or that other investments made in the future will have similar characteristics or results.

Charts and graphs provided herein are for informational purposes solely and should not be relied upon when making any investment decision. Past performance is not indicative of future results. The content speaks only as of the date indicated. Unless otherwise expressly stated, figures are based on internal estimates and have not been independently verified. Any projections, estimates, forecasts, targets, prospects, and/or opinions expressed in these materials are subject to change without notice and may differ or be contrary to opinions expressed by others. All logos and trademarks of third parties referenced herein are the logos and trademarks of their respective owners and any inclusion of such trademarks or logos does not imply or constitute any approval, endorsement or sponsorship of 500 Startups by such owners.

Please see Section 2 of our Terms of Use for additional important information.

mental health

Tethr Provides a Peer-Enabled Mental Health and Well-Being Platform for Men