From College Dropout to Mental Health Entrepreneur: Lessons Learned from a Fast-Growing Startup Journey

Hi, I'm Gdoric Chu, co-founder and CEO of Intellect, a mental health care company serving Asia-Pacific and eventually the world.

1. Gdoric Chu is the co-founder and CEO of Intellect, a mental health care company serving Asia-Pacific and eventually the world.
2. Intellect provides end-to-end mental health support from proactive care to coaching, clinical, and distress support.
3. The company has raised over $30 million in funding from investors like Tiger Global, White Combinator Insignia.
4. Gdoric had a clear desire to build and do something he cared about from a young age.
5. He chose not to pursue university or college and learned by joining companies and doing things himself.
6. His first company was a digital media platform focused on gathering thought leadership pieces and expert articles.
7. Gdoric's first company was very lean, bootstrapped, and had a network of volunteers, part-timers, and guest writers.
8. After exiting his first company, he spent time working for other exciting firms to learn from faster-growing startups.
9. He joined a Japanese travel tech startup called Voyagen, where he led a component of their marketing team.
10. Gdoric then moved to a venture builder firm to gain experience and skills necessary to build something at a large scale.
11. He believes in learning by doing and acquiring knowledge and skill sets over time through practice and experience.
12. Mental health is a personal journey for Gdoric, as he struggled with chronic anxiety and panic attacks in his teenage years.
13. There is a 4-7 year treatment gap for mental health support and care in Singapore, which is a significant issue.
14. The mental health market is growing annually in double-digit percentages and is in the tens of billions of dollars.
15. Intellect's initial hypothesis was to bring care to people in a simple and accessible way, starting with self-guided content and live virtual care.
16. The company has since scaled up and added deeper, immersive face-to-face support.
17. Starting a company is hard, and mental health is a challenging space due to biases and lack of priority from investors and clients.
18. Gdoric's ambition and naivety have helped him take bold steps in his entrepreneurial journey.
19. He encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to try starting a company, emphasizing the importance of learning and impacting people through the experience.
20. Gdoric believes there are many paths towards fulfillment and success, and this is just one of them.
21. Intellect aims to make mental health care accessible and everyday, regardless of how big or small the issues may be.
22. The company started with a very lean setup, trying to understand mental health and validate their initial hypothesis.
23. Gdoric's background in personal growth and development influenced his decision to create a digital media platform focused on thought leadership pieces.
24. He believes that there is no better time in history for one to start a company, thanks to the access to information and reach of audiences provided by the internet.

Source: EO via YouTube

❓ What do you think? What sacrifices have you made, and what benefits have you gained, in pursuit of your entrepreneurial passions? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!