Gaurav Burman of Dabur acquires strategic stake in Mitsu

Mr. Gaurav Burman, a member of the Burman family and Director of Dabur International, has acquired a strategic 7.5% stake in healthcare start-up Mitsu. Mitsu is a mental health tech start-up offering a convenient and scientific self-therapy program that helps individuals who feel anxious or depressed build skills for lifelong emotional well-being.

"I am delighted to be a part of this healthcare revolution called Mitsu. Mental Health is an extremely important issue and affects most of us at some stage in our lives. Mitsu has developed a science-based approach to helping those who feel anxious or depressed in a novel, confidential, and affordable manner. I have been a firm believer in Mitsu from the very beginning, as early as its concept stage. This investment is part of my mission to invest in companies that are shaping the future of healthcare through innovative and people-centered solutions. I am confident that Mitsu will continue to take this fast-growing business to even greater heights,” said Mr. Gaurav Burman, who has now joined the board of Mitsu.

Mitsu is a guided self-therapy app for anyone feeling anxious or depressed. The app -- Mitsu.care -- was launched in May 2023 on both iOS and Android platforms. Users enrol in Mitsu’s 8-week program to learn and practice skills that are scientifically proven to improve mood and build life-long emotional well-being. These skills are drawn from evidence-based approaches such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

The company also has as angel investors successful entrepreneurs including Shivashish Chatterjee and Yuvraj Singh (founders of DMI Finance) and Harpreet Singh Grover (who founded and exited CoCubes).

“We are thrilled to welcome Mr. Gaurav Burman as an investor in Mitsu. His support and guidance will help us move ahead with our strategy to create an accessible, convenient, and scalable solution for mental healthcare that can benefit over 40% of the adult population,” said Mitsu founder Mr. Amit Singh.

Users spend between 25-30 minutes every week on the Mitsu.care app, by logging in 2-3 times in a week. A typical day’s work involves self-reflection, learning concepts from videos guided by Mitsu’s chief clinical psychologist, and practicing therapeutic skills in related activities. Users can work on the app any time in a day at their convenience, which makes it easy to fit it into busy schedules.

Unlike conventional in-person therapy, users get continuous support from Mitsu’s in-house therapists via the in-app chat feature. This means help is quick and timely, and there is no need to schedule and wait for the next appointment. The program is available at one-third the cost of in-person therapy, thus making it affordable and accessible to a much broader section of the population, including students.

Mitsu is the brand name of the company registered as Metacog Health Private Limited.