About Product Bytes: In the startup world, we often get too caught up in the granular details of how the technology works or whether this will be the next billion-dollar company. It’s all about how big, how fast, and how far something could go.
But when I look at these companies, I see the creators behind these products. I see those who use them and the people who need them. I see inspiration, fear, excitement, and happiness. I see the differences these people can make to change other people’s lives, which is important during these times when the world could use a little more compassion.
Through Product Bytes, I hope to give these people a voice and show the world what they have to offer.
Mental Health Awareness Month may be over, but the fight to encourage people to speak up, treat those suffering with respect, and improve mental health treatment continues.
Spotlight: Sero Health
I’m excited to cover one of the most inspiring people I’ve met through the On Deck program, Tyler Beaty, and his startup Sero Health.
He is a San Diego, CA native and has always had the makings of a self-taught entrepreneur and one who will go far. Tyler founded his first tech startup, a networking tool for alumni groups such as accelerators and universities, while still in college. Unfortunately, the company couldn’t find a product-market fit after raising some capital. He then managed a brand and design creative agency in San Luis Obispo for the past five years, with most of their clients being early-stage startups.
Tyler has always been a life-long learner and a self-taught builder. He taught himself how to use no-code tools, creative storytelling, and cook a perfect steak,
He runs his branding agency Afterhours.studio and projects such as Patented.co. Earlier this year he founded Sero Health, a startup building connected devices for helping with mental health treatment, starting with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
The Opportunity
About 70% of humans will experience at least one trauma in their lifetime. Most people think of veterans when they hear trauma. But for every vet, there are at least 30 who are sexually assaulted or suffering some form of depression and anxiety from painful memories. It can be acute trauma like car accidents or complex ones that happen over a long time. Tyler says:
“There’s a huge disproportion of how we view trauma vs. how pervasive it actually is. When Covid-19 happened, mental health issues magnified because there wasn't easy access to this therapy, especially in rural areas, and people just felt lonely in general. The world wasn't prepared for remote treatments.”
Early Prototypes from Sero Health with Founder Tyler Beaty
With Sero Health, Tyler is building connected devices for helping treat mental health care, starting with PTSD. It’s built on a specific type of treatment called Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR) therapy that can be accessed and used remotely. Tyler’s vision is to provide on-demand access, regardless of how small or big the trauma is.
With the help of his team, Tyler is currently building a physical device that pairs with a mobile app. With this device, therapists can perform EMDR therapy remotely. In the future, patients can use the device alongside sessions pre-recorded by licensed EMDR therapists.
The Origin Story
Sero Health started as a casual conversation between Tyler and a close friends who works as an EMDR Therapist. His friend talked about how these physical devices can change our mental state.
Tyler, under his friend's guidance, explored this therapeutic technology and saw firsthand how the treatment helped his anxiety and meaningfully improved his mental state. Seeing how the treatment helped his anxiety changed his perspective as to how a physical device can change someone’s mental state.
After going into theOn Deck Global weekend (hackathon), he met his COO and co-founder Ciaran Murphy, along with advisors Vivek Vidyasagaran and Gurdeep Soi, and they started building the prototype. He received overwhelming positive messages from the community of people who knew friends going through therapy themselves. He even received the unicorn award for this idea being a billion-dollar opportunity. All these were strong indicators of the huge opportunity he was tapping into.
The Road Ahead
Tyler envisions Sero Health devices being used everywhere by everyone. More than just a treatment, it can also be something that one can use repeatedly to strengthen one’s coping skills. It can help more accurately identify how one feels about something and make decisions on how to react by being proactive vs. reactive. Their devices are the brain’s “first responders” so that when a battle comes up, the brain can quickly calibrate to that person’s beliefs so that their brain and heart are both in the same place.
Tyler sees Sero Health as the company that increases the ability for anybody to detect, identify, treat, and manage mental health disorders. When there are days, when someone shows depressive symptoms, their devices will provide the care needed.
When asked about his priorities, Tyler said:
“Our main priority has always been talking to therapists and how we can best arm them with the tools to treat patients because they are active in the field doing it every day. We’ve heard a lot of different directions from advisors on which to take it. But each time, we realize that the one who has the biggest problem and would most benefit is the therapists who are treating PTSD”.
How You Can Help
All over the world, people are experiencing mental and emotional pain. Someone can put a smile on their face and still feel completely broken on the inside. There are many people out there who don’t have that courage yet, and your voice can help them turn that corner.
It’s ok to say that you are not ok. That’s the reality.
To those who are struggling, it’s important to find close family and friends who will be there to listen. To those who’ve overcome mental health issues, one way to help is to share stories of struggle and perseverance and making it through tough times.
If you know people with great stories and success from EMDR therapy, please share them with us, and help reduce the stigma on getting treatment. https://www.hellosero.com/.
Mental Health Matters. Let's remove the stigma.