Yana: Mental Health Support for Spanish Speakers - 5 Million Users

A Journey from Personal Struggle to a Mental Wellness Platform

Andrea Campos has experienced challenges with depression since childhood, beginning at the age of eight. Throughout the years, she explored various therapeutic approaches, encompassing both behavioral interventions and pharmacotherapy.

The Genesis of Yana

In 2017, while in her early twenties, Campos acquired programming skills and initiated the development of a system designed to aid in the management of her own mental wellbeing. Initially conceived as a personal endeavor, the system’s potential to benefit a wider audience became apparent as she engaged with others.

This realization prompted her to create an application providing access to mental health resources specifically tailored for Spanish speakers. A preliminary testing phase was conducted with a limited group of users.

Early Experimentation and Iteration

Campos initially functioned as the application’s chatbot, directly interacting with users grappling with depression. She would present them with daily tasks, such as maintaining a gratitude journal, and subsequently inquire about their emotional responses to these activities.

Her core belief was that depression and anxiety often lead to “avoidance” – a tendency to resist potentially helpful treatments due to underlying fears.

The initial results proved promising, motivating Campos to undertake a larger-scale experiment. A crowdfunding campaign successfully raised approximately $10,000, enabling her to hire a developer to construct a chatbot for her application, primarily accessible through Facebook Messenger.

Challenges and Resilience

Unexpectedly, an earthquake struck Mexico City, leaving the developer without a home or computer and necessitating relocation.

“I was left with nothing,” Campos stated. Further setbacks occurred when a subsequent developer absconded with the payment, again leaving Campos in a difficult position.

Recognizing the need for self-reliance, Campos resolved to take on the development herself in early 2019. She utilized a chatbot-building platform, which she described as a “Wix for chatbots,” to create a functional prototype.

Growth and Funding

Following experimentation with a user group of 700 individuals, Campos’s confidence grew, leading to an angel investment round for Yana, the startup behind the application – an acronym standing for “You Are Not Alone.”

By early 2020, facing a limited three-month financial runway, a strategic pivot was made to develop a standalone application integrating chatbot functionality, moving beyond exclusive reliance on Facebook Messenger.

The application’s broader launch coincided with the onset of quarantine measures in Campos’s city in Mexico.

Initially, growth was gradual. However, a significant turning point occurred on October 10, 2020, when Apple’s App Store featured Yana in recognition of International Mental Health Day, resulting in an overwhelming response.

“It also happened to be my birthday, and I was relaxing at a spa when my phone began receiving a flood of notifications,” Campos remembers. “Everything became chaotic. I had to return to Mexico City because our servers were overwhelmed by the unprecedented traffic.”

Rapid Expansion and Investment

This exposure propelled Yana from approximately 80,000 users to 1 million users within just two weeks. Subsequently, Google highlighted the app as a top choice for personal growth in 2020, further accelerating user acquisition.

Today, Yana is on the verge of reaching 5 million users and has secured $1.5 million in funding, led by Mexico’s ALLVP, a firm with prior investments in companies like Cornershop, Flink, and Nuvocargo.

Team and Future Vision

During the pandemic, six members of Yana’s nine-person team chose to cohabitate in a “startup house” in Cancun to concentrate on the company’s development. Earlier in the year, the company had secured $315,000 in funding from investors including 500 Startups, Magma, and Hustle Fund.

ALLVP, initially intrigued, had opted to defer a larger investment until a more opportune moment.

Currently, Yana ranks among the top three most downloaded applications in Mexico and twelve other countries, including Spain, Chile, Ecuador, and Venezuela.

Shifting Focus to Holistic Wellness

With the new funding, Yana intends to “move away from the depression/anxiety narrative,” as stated by Campos.

“Our goal is to compete within the broader wellness market,” she explained to TechCrunch. “Many users initially sought our assistance during crises, such as breakups or loss, but didn’t perceive a continuous need for Yana once the immediate crisis subsided.”

Users often re-downloaded the app only when facing subsequent challenges.

“We aspire to be more than just a crisis intervention tool,” Campos emphasized. “We want to concentrate on comprehensive wellness and mental health, promoting practices that are cultivated daily, much like exercise.”

Yana’s future plans include incorporating features such as a gratitude journal, a mood tracker, and meditation exercises – “tools that proactively prevent depression and anxiety,” Campos noted.

“We envision ourselves as a ‘vitamin for the soul,’ fostering ongoing mental wellbeing,” she said. “We also aim to integrate a community feature within our application.”

Investor Confidence

Federico Antoni of ALLVP expresses strong enthusiasm for Yana’s potential. He first encountered Campos during an accelerator program in 2017 and reconnected with her recently.

The firm spearheaded Yana’s latest funding round because they “wanted to be part of her team.”

“She has evolved into an exceptional leader, and we recognized her potential and strength,” he said. “Furthermore, Yana is a remarkable product. Upon downloading it, one almost senses a genuine spirit within.”