Last year gave rise to significant shifts across industries as COVID-19 reshaped end users’ needs, with emergent, digital-centric companies — particularly in healthcare — increasingly thrust into the spotlight.
As Nona Tepper wrote in Built In NYC last spring, one of those major players, online therapy service Talkspace, saw “user volume increase 25 percent since mid-February, and more than 65 percent year over year.”
The growth hasn’t seemed to slow for the company. On January 13, 2021, Talkspace announced its intention to go public through a merger with the Hudson Executive Investment Corp.
“We are proud of the positive impact Talkspace has made and are excited for the next phase in the company’s journey,” CEO Oren Frank — who co-founded the company with Roni Frank, the company’s head of clinical services — said in a statement announcing the news. In that announcement, Talkspace also estimated its net revenue to increase to $125 million this year.
So what’s the scoop on the fast-growing company? Below, a peek at the Manhattan-based startup.
What they do: Launched in 2012, the digital platform offers a wide range of online therapy services, through which users can engage with licensed professionals via text, video and audio. Areas of focus include relationships, substance abuse, depression and more. In addition to its consumer-facing offering, Talkspace also has a B2B focus, working with parties like schools and employers.
In the news: As those on the front lines grappled with the impact of COVID-19, Talkspace announced last spring that it was extending 1,000 months of free access to its product for healthcare professionals.
Notable perk: At the company, which is currently hiring, team members receive complimentary use of Talkspace.
Tech stack: What do technologists at the team use? Engineering tools are various, from frameworks like Express, Node.js and Zend, to languages like JavaScript, Python and PHP, among others.
Employee insight: VP of Product Amir Eitan once discussed how the company hopes to empower users through its service. “We want to help them by providing a more holistic picture of their mental health,” Eitan said.
Thought leadership: Their CEO’s advice for entrepreneurs? “Focus, focus, focus, and then some more focus,” Oren Frank once told Built In NYC. “Find the one thing you love and dedicate all of your and your team’s superpowers to it until you do it so well, you’re shocked, awed and blushing at how good it is.”
