Immerse your mental health startup in real world expertise
Prepare for the opportunity to partner with a dedicated Mental Health Fund and a leading Mental Healthcare Provider.
TRANSFORMING
MENTAL HEALTH
Why have we launched the Immersion Programme?
Millions of people globally face unmet mental health needs, with limited evidence-based solutions addressing clinical disorders. Mental health systems urgently require innovative, scalable technologies to improve prediction, therapy, management and system efficiency. The gap between consumer wellbeing tools and clinical-grade solutions highlights a CRITICAL OPPORTUNITY for impactful tech innovation.
01 Unmet needs
02 Clinical focus
03 System efficiency
04 Evidence-based solutions
ABOUT
THE PROGRAMME
This free, highly selective 12-WEEK PROGRAMME SUPPORTS STARTUPS tackling depression, anxiety, and psychosis with expert mentorship, sector-specific guidance, and investment opportunities. Companies ready for the next stage will be considered for investment by the Innovations in Mental Health Fund, this would enable them to gain access to generate real-world evidence with UK NHS partners and accelerate growth through continued support.
The programme is open to companies operating anywhere in the world and we are welcoming of global applicants. We received applications from companies in 18 countries for the first programme and half of the participating Founders came from outside the UK.
• Access to top sector, clinical, and investment expertise
• One-on-one mentorship tailored to your startup's needs
• Focus on founder wellbeing and company-building best practices
TAILORED SUPPORT
• Support navigating healthcare markets and regulatory challenges
• Real-world evidence generation opportunities with NHS partners
• Insights into health policy, clinical safety, and data management
REAL WORLD EVIDENCE
• Opportunities for growth-ready startups to be considered for investment by the Innovations in Mental Health Fund
• Continued guidance post-programme from NHS partners and healthcare advisors
PREP FOR INVESTMENT
Our Team & Partners
Dr. Pooja Sikka
General Partner
Daniel Dickens
Managing Partner
Aahuti Rai
Executive Lead, Immersion Programme
Jing Wei Luo
Head of Legal and Operations
Dr. Aditi Babel
Associate
Ready to find out more?
There will be two information webinars for interested potential applicants.
One will take place on September 29th at 3pm GMT - sign up for that here.
There will be another on October 2nd at 5pm GMT - sign up for that here.
WHO SHOULD
APPLY
We seek startups with innovative digital solutions targeting mental illness, ready for real-world testing and market entry.
01 At minimum, you should have a product prototype ready for real-world testing based on sound assumptions, a clear evidence base and data (where applicable).
02 You must have a focus on depression, anxiety and psychosis-related disorders.
03 Your company could be pre-revenue, pre-seed or pre-GTM, including spin-outs and new company formations. However, we are also keen to meet companies at seed and seed+ stage and support will be tailored around your key milestones at this stage of development.
04 Your company can be based anywhere in the world, however you must have an intention to operate in the UK within 18 months of participating in the programme. This could be initial validation work, ongoing R&D and/or bringing products to market.
05 The IMH Programme is focused specifically on digital mental health solutions, prioritising those innovations with a software component. However, we will consider hardware, medtech and techbio innovations focused on mental illness. Particular interest is given to AI-enabled solutions, provided the AI application is purposeful.
06 You should have a good understanding of the market opportunity aligning to one of six categories of products related to delivering an impactful technology:
1. Better and more equitable access to care
2. Improving clinical/health outcomes
3. Earlier diagnosis and intervention or prevention of relapse
4. Monitoring treatment or supporting precision treatment
5. Changing health behaviour, including self-management and awareness, monitoring progress or treatment
6. Improving cost-effectiveness of access, diagnosis, or management.
07 Companies which focus on wellbeing and are not aligned with clinical conditions are not eligible to apply.
Key dates for Programme Two
Friday, October 10th
Deadline for submission, 6pm GMT
Thursday, October 16th
Interviews for international applicants
Friday, October 17th
Interviews for UK-based applicants
Monday, October 20th
Successful applicants to first immersion programme notified.
Tuesday, November 25th – Thursday November 27th
Immersion programme starts in London (participants expected to be in London for these 3 days)
December 2025 – February 2026
Portfolio decisions: TBD
Immersion Programme continues remotely: TBD
APPLY
NOW
FREQUENTLY
ASKED
QUESTIONS
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Europe's first mental health-focused venture investor partnered with a public health system that invests in transformative technologies. Its Immersion Programme supports innovators addressing depression, anxiety, and psychosis with mentorship, NHS partnership and investment opportunities, focusing on overcoming health tech barriers and accelerating growth.
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Ticket sizes range from £250k–£1m, averaging £500k, with flexibility based on innovation stage. The Fund leads and co-invests in early-stage ventures, prioritising impactful, scalable mental health technologies.
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The fund invests in ventures addressing unmet needs in depression, anxiety, and psychosis. Ventures should align with clinical outcomes, be globally diverse, and demonstrate potential for UK scale-up to enhance the mental health system. Digital-first solutions with global scalability are highly prioritised.
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Companies focused on wellbeing and not aligned with clinical conditions are not eligible for funding or programme participation.
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The programme itself does not provide funding. Post-programme, select companies may receive bespoke investment offers from the IMH Fund.
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Participation is free, and Meridian Health Ventures takes no equity. Post-programme, select companies may receive bespoke investment offers from the IMH Fund. Each participating company must cover their own costs to attend the 3-day in person part of the programme in London. Companies from LMICs or underrepresented groups from outside the UK may be considered for a small travel budget based on means.
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Portfolio companies will have the opportunity to allocate investment capital towards tailored support from South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM), including mentorship, clinical studies, real-world evidence generation, patient engagement, data access, grant support, implementation guidance, and NHS system navigation.
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The first week of the programme is in London and requires in-person attendance. Participants are responsible for covering their own travel and accommodation expenses. Companies from LMICs or underrepresented groups from outside the UK may be considered for a small travel budget based on means. Subsequent sessions are remote.
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Please feel free to sign up for one of our webinars on either September 29th at 3pm GMT, or October 2nd at 5pm GMT via the link above.
Contact us at hello@innovationsinmentalhealth.com for specific queries.
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Up to 15 ventures will be accepted into the programme for this cohort.
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We are planning to communicate the outcomes of applications with all companies by Monday, October 20th.
Applicants invited to interview will receive feedback. Due to high application volume, feedback cannot be provided to all applicants.
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Interviews, conducted by Meridian Health Ventures team members, and possibly external stakeholders, will assess alignment with the programme's objectives and the potential for success.
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Applicants invited to interview will receive feedback. Due to high application volume, feedback cannot be provided to all applicants.
