Theodoric Chew, 28, co-founded mental health startup Intellect in 2019.
Theodoric Chew suffers from panic attacks and an anxiety disorder. But, he’s never allowed it to stop him — in fact, it’s inspired him to help others struggling with the same.
Today, he is the 28-year-old CEO and co-founder of mental health startup, Intellect, that’s raised over $20 million.
“We’re not just an app, we are not just a distress helpline,” Chew told CNBC Make It.
Intellect is an “integrated mental health-care system that aims to tackle any level of risk and need,” he said.
“It could be as acute and critical as a crisis call [where] you need to speak to someone on the ground … to as small as wanting to be more confident,” said the Singaporean CEO.
Founded in 2019, the company’s services range from mental health screening tools and self-care programs, to consultations with clinicians and in-person clinics. Intellect has over 200 employees across 12 countries and says it has served over 3 million people as of 2024.
High school dropout
From drop-shipping to ad arbitrage, Chew started experimenting with various internet businesses throughout his teenage years.
“A lot of this started during my secondary school years (ages 12 to 16) … I was already working on a couple of my own things at that point,” said Chew, who attended Raffles Institution, a well-known and prestigious school in Singapore.
At age 16, Chew decided to drop out of high school.
“Looking long term, I really didn’t see myself going the path of … being a top student, going to a top university, or being a top lawyer or doctor,” he said.
But what he clearly knew was that he wanted to spend more time building things. “For me, it’s by actually working in startups rather than, you know, the theory of it.”
Chew caught a couple of “lucky breaks” after dropping out, he said.
By age 20, he had already founded and successfully exited his first startup, Existgreat, a self-help content platform that featured interviews with the likes of American entrepreneur and speaker, Gary Vaynerchuk.
Following the acquisition, Chew went on to work at a couple of startups, where he gained more experience.
Inspired by his own journey
Recounting his own journey with mental health, Chew said: “I got my first panic attack when I was 16.”
“That’s when, actually, I realized something seemed a bit wrong,” he added.
Chew went on to seek the help of a therapist, and was later diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.
Through his own experience, the Singapore-native found a glaring problem: while mental health issues are prevalent in Asia, the space is largely underserved.
Theodoric Chew served National Service in Singapore for 2 years.
Courtesy of Theodoric Chew
According to World Health Organization research, “almost one billion people globally live with mental health conditions of which approximately 260 million people live in the WHO South-East Asia Region.”
In addition, about 82% of workers in Asia have a “medium to high” risk for developing mental…
Read More: Founder of Intellect raised $20 million for his mental health startup