Online courses to combat alcoholism? An initiative reimbursed by the German social security system and proposed by the German start-up HelloBetter, specialising in eight mental health problems. (Photo: Shutterstock)

Online courses to combat alcoholism? An initiative reimbursed by the German social security system and proposed by the German start-up HelloBetter, specialising in eight mental health problems. (Photo: Shutterstock)

Luxembourg's Expon Capital, Hevella Capital, HealthCap and Sparrow Ventures have provided €6m to German mental health leader HelloBetter, which specialises in online courses to combat eight mental health disorders.

The methodology may surprise, but the technology is proven. Since 2015, psychologists David Ebert, Hanne Horvath and Elena Heber have set out to provide prevention and treatment courses on a platform. HelloBetter, as it is called, covers eight major mental health problems, ranging from depression, anxiety or insomnia to vaginismus and chronic pain.

German law allows doctors and therapists to prescribe digital health apps approved by the German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BFARM) to a total of 73 million people with statutory health insurance in Germany.

On Wednesday 27 October, the Berlin-based start-up announced that it had completed a €6m fundraising round led by two new investors, HealthCap and Expon Capital. They came on board alongside Sparrow Ventures, the growth capital investor of the Migros Group in Switzerland, and existing investor Hevella Capital.

"We're aiming to create a European market leader in digital prescription therapies, helping to advance the mental health care system by providing highly effective solutions for the prevention, as well as the treatment of mental health problems. Our long-term goal is to make our products accessible to everyone in the world," commented the company's co-founder and CEO, Hannes Klöpper.

The courses consist of multimedia content, exercises, a wide range of strategies and behavioural tools, as well as regular contact with a psychologist, to help patients. Just last week, the HelloBetter Stress and Burnout digital therapy course was approved by BFARM and has since provided universal access to effective psychological care on prescription to more than 50 million adults with statutory health insurance in Germany--and that without having them wait.

In the past two years, the start-up has grown rapidly and has been able to win over numerous health insurance companies as partners and successfully establish itself in Switzerland. More than 100 corporate clients now offer the company's online courses to a total of 1.5 million employees. The effectiveness of HelloBetter's psychological therapy courses has been evaluated in more than 30 randomised controlled trials, the press release says.

This story was first published in French on . It has been translated and edited for Delano.