Psious named Best Startup of the Year by Esade Alumni and Banco Sabadell’s BStartup
Psious, a start-up that uses virtual reality to treat mental health issues such as anxiety, stress, depression, ADHD and eating disorders, received the Best Startup of the Year Award, given by Esade Alumni and Banco Sabadell’s BStartup, at this year’s edition of Esade Alumni Startup Day. Amongst other things, the award was given in recognition of the company’s highly positive evolution in recent years. It currently has 2,000 users in 60 countries, has helped to treat more than 20,000 patients, has 50 employees and, in 2019, had a turnover of one million euros. Psious is also partially owned by Banco Sabadell, both through BStartup and the bank’s other investment vehicle, Sabadell Venture Capital. In previous editions, the award went to companies such as Wuaki.tv, Visualnet, Kantox, Wallapop, Red Points, Signaturit, Glovo and Exoticca.
According to Xavier Palomer, CEO of Psious Palomer, CEO of Psious, ‘2020 has been a year of many changes due to the pandemic. At Psious we were sure that if we helped our clients, the situation could become a major opportunity. Covid-19 has significantly increased the demand for solutions for problems such as post-traumatic stress, obsessive compulsive disorder, etc. Society is demanding solutions, and we have to be able to help deliver them.’ ‘Since late March, we have launched the mobile version of Psious, enabled remote sessions with patients, focused resources on international expansion – especially in the United States – and launched the first pilot programmes with insurers’, added Palomer, who accepted the award from Patricia Valentí, Director of Esade Alumni, and Carlos Ventura, General Manager of Banco Sabadell and an Esade alumni himself.
Psious has also manged to raise 10 million euros in equity, including from Esade BAN. In the current context, the start-up has adapted well to Covid-19 and launched a telemedicine platform to enable remote use of its tool, as well as provide support to healthcare professionals through free sessions.
Managing uncertainty
Esade Alumni Startup Day also feature the discussion ‘Uncertainty: entrepreneurship and management’ between Ventura and Dr Luis Rojas Marcos, a psychiatrist and professor of psychiatry at New York University, in which the renowned physician stressed that ‘entrepreneurship and a positive outlook are crucial’. ‘Optimism is a key factor in people who are professionally successful and comfortable in their jobs’, said Rojas Marcos, who also spoke about the importance of listening and communication in order to achieve goals and identify priorities.
