Supportiv, recently named one of the Bay Area’s fastest-growing startups, welcomes two health tech veterans in growth and partnerships, in order to better serve enterprises addressing mental health needs across the nation.

Health industry veterans Deborah Francis and Ron Mosley, FACHE join the team, to help scale access to Supportiv’s on-demand Precision Peer Support™ and Conversational Care™ offerings–beyond the over 1.2 million individuals served to date.

Growing to meet demand

Deborah Francis joins the Supportiv team as Senior Vice President of Growth. Ron Mosley, FACHE, joins Supportiv as Vice President of Strategic Partnerships. Both will accelerate Supportiv’s reach and ensure successful collaboration for health plan, employer, hospital system and employee assistance program (EAP) partnerships.

Deborah (Debbie) has over 20+ years of experience scaling digital technology and health and wellness platforms. She gained her behavioral health expertise across multiple successful health-tech ventures including leadership roles with Weight Watchers and Talkspace.

Ron, a former GE sales leader, health system consultant, and most recently with Transcarent, has a personal mission of working to improve access and value in healthcare. In line with Supportiv’s mission in mental health, to remove obstacles and fast-track feeling supported, he is focused on using his 15+ years of experience in employee benefits, health systems and working with providers and health plans, to drive improved client employee retention, engagement and care.

“The traditional mental health system can’t keep up with societal demand. Innovative, accessible, and scalable solutions like Supportiv are there to fill the gap. Expanding the team with such talented and experienced leaders like Debbie and Ron will expedite bringing peer support to the millions who need it across health plans, employers, hospital systems, universities and beyond,” says Helena Plater-Zyberk, Supportiv Co-Founder and CEO.

Adds Pouria Mojabi, Supportiv Co-Founder and President, “Supportiv’s unique approach of removing all barriers to care and eliminating the need for appointments is demonstrating market traction and high user engagement. We’re really excited to have a world-class growth team joining us at this critical point in time when mental and emotional wellbeing is on everyone’s radar.”

Q+A with Deborah Francis and Ron Mosley

Why Supportiv, why now?

National mental health needs are at an all-time high, with increasingly more Americans recognizing the problem.

Ron Mosley, FACHE calls attention to current supply-demand issues in the mental health space:

“Between provider shortages, untenable expenses for those who can access care, and the fact that there are people marginalized from mainstream mental healthcare, something has got to change. Supportiv addresses all of these pain points better than other offerings on the market. Moving beyond apps, Supportiv offers a greater magnitude of accessibility, at a fraction of the cost of other mental health tools. Users are met where they are, with connection and resources to improve their own outcomes.”

Deborah Francis reiterates:

“There’s now a national consensus about our nation’s mental health crisis. If we can’t currently meet escalating demand through clinical care, then we need novel, evidence-based solutions to fill the gap. The expansion of novel mental health tools, such as on-demand peer-to-peer support, benefits multiple stakeholder groups: consumers, employers, clinical care providers, and even government officials. Ron and I are both deeply excited to join Supportiv in providing an effective stopgap solution to so many in need.”

How did your past experiences lead you here?

Deborah Francis:

“My work has focused on scaling solutions to what I see as pressing, human problems. From weight management, to homecare, to digital behavioral health, I’ve seen that innovation alone is not enough. We need to communicate and spread the word about solutions that are innovative, readily available, and easy-to-use. That’s what drives me to grow access to Supportiv’s ‘bleeding edge’ technology.”

Ron Mosley:

“Throughout my career, I’ve walked the line between healthcare and technology. As these two fields continue to intersect, I see novel potential to address pain points for both consumers and corporations. For instance, tech can enable lower-cost, high-quality options that can positively impact all communities. This means healthier people and healthier workplaces and healthier bottom-lines.”

What excites you about Supportiv’s online, on-demand peer support?

Debbie Francis:

“The patented natural language understanding-based platform is available 24/7/365 – no appointment required. This provides immediate access (under a minute) to users when they need it most. Individuals receive live human support to cope with, problem solve and heal from their struggles. Supportiv puts the user first with the easiest user experience I’ve seen to date.”

Ron Mosley:

“With what’s happening in our country and around the world in mental health, there’s a need for solutions that expand access. Supportiv has a digital mental health solution that allows staff, associates, members, or employees to connect in a simple, high trust environment, where they can share and connect with real people that ‘get’ their lived experiences. And, in the end, they have another avenue where they may find care and healing.”

Supportiv is excited to bring these two seasoned professionals and their perspectives onto the team. The additions of Debbie Francis and Ron Mosley will help Supportiv in improving and growing service to existing and future clients, fulfilling its mission of increasing mental wellness nationwide.

View the press release, or learn more about Conversational Care™.