Venture Summary
“Sanarai is an online platform that connects the Latinx community to mental health professionals in Latin America to provide culturally sensitive, Spanish-language emotional support at accessible prices.
For the 42+ million people in the US that speak Spanish at home, we are a convenient and affordable alternative to get mental health services. Sanarai addresses the gap in the mental health offering for the Latinx community. Only 5% of mental health professionals in the US speak Spanish vs. 13% of the population that speak Spanish at home and 19% that identify as Hispanic or Latinx. Treatment rates for Hispanics with mental illness are 10% below the average. In the middle of a mental health crisis with booming demand for services and a shortage of mental health professionals, the problem is exacerbated for the Latinx community.
Sanarai's approach to mental health is unique in several ways, making it a relevant option for the Latinx community. Unlike other US-based companies (like Betterhelp, Lyra, and Betterup), Sanarai is built from the ground up with our clients in mind. Additionally, we understand the Spanish-speaking US market better than our peers in Latin America.”
Accelerator Participants
-
“Luis Suarez, founder of Sanarai, is originally from Mexico City and came to the US to pursue his MBA at Duke University. He met his wife, Jen, at Duke, and they now live in Chicago. Luis and Jen got married on March 14, 2020, right when everyone started to realize the implications of the pandemic. The week of the wedding was very stressful, and Luis decided to look for mental health support upon coming back to Chicago. Luis struggled to find someone that could speak Spanish and fit his schedule, so he decided to launch Sanarai in the middle of the pandemic to increase the Latinx community's access to high quality mental health resources. Luis is an engineer by training and worked as a management consultant at Kearney for three years before launching Sanarai.”
