As online mental health programs are on the rise, you may have already heard about Ginger.io. Although Ginger seems similar to the other mental health platforms, this company offers its service only to companies, i.e., an individual can only access Ginger if their employer provides them to do so. However, how does Ginger make money, and are they profitable?
Ginger.io works strictly with companies with a significant number of employees, and it charges them a fee for access for each person who starts using the Ginger services. This fee is charged each month per employee, and Ginger provides its services to major world companies daily.
This article contains the structure of Ginger.io and how the system works. Considering that this company is rather different from the other mental health platforms, it is interesting to learn how they make money. You might have heard something, but here you will get all the facts about this major startup that might have got you curious before.
What Does Ginger Do?
Ginger focuses on providing mental health services to employees in a digital way. This startup is determined to help employees in major companies by providing them different types of therapies just by click on their smartphone or other similar devices. Ginger.io’s main concern is focused on the fact that people do not have enough time to address mental health issues. Therefore, it offers them the chance to approach a coach or a therapist at any time of the day, just by using their gadgets.
Employees who start using Ginger have the chance to use different kinds of treatments for their mental health issues, such as coaching, therapy, telepsychiatry, or similar self-guided content. Ginger is specifically determined to help those dealing with depression and anxiety daily but do not have the time to address the problems properly. In addition, Ginger strives to help those who do not feel comfortable visiting a therapist’s office. Therefore, the feature that involves treatment via text messages is of crucial importance.
Ginger is different from other online mental health platforms because this organization works and collaborates only with companies. This means that Ginger services are offered to employees through their employers, and they do not have to pay anything to use the same. This is considered a huge step in the business world in addressing mental health issues, especially by providing services to employees for free.
It is believed that many people would not seek help for many reasons, but when they have the option provided by their company, it is more likely that they would consider using it. Ginger does not only aim to provide digital help but also to make it easier for people to admit that they need help. And when that help is without any fee, people are more likely to give it a try.
The Beginnings Of Ginger.io
Ginger.io started its journey as a passive company whose main goal was to provide artificial intelligence technology to hospitals. However, that has changed once they redirected their goal towards providing real services for people who deal with mental health issues. Their primary goal is to make help with mental health problems more approachable and at people’s disposal at all times.
Behind the beginnings of Ginger.io, there is a real heartfelt story, meaning that the foundation of this company is based on real experiences. Therefore, their motivation comes out of the real necessity to address mental health issues. Namely, one of the co-founders had personal experience with the struggle caused by mental health problems, so the root of Ginger lies in the ground of the essential need for mental health being.
In 2011, Ginger started providing mental health technology by closely collaborating with data scientists and entrepreneurs. Through advanced technology, they designed a system for identifying patterns of depression, anxiety, and stress. Once the patterns are identified, the system would alert the patients and their health care providers to seek and deliver help.
As I mentioned before, one of Ginger’s co-founders had a personal experience with the struggles caused by mental health issues. Karan Singh has experienced a suicide attempt from a loved one, so he determined to change how people operate daily. Namely, he was focused on changing how healthcare is provided to people around the world, i.e., he aimed to make health care approachable at any time without any obstacles.
Therefore, Ginger started to consider becoming a healthcare provider, not just a factor identifying mental health issues. That is how today, Ginger exists as a major online platform with a well-trained team and high-quality human care with data science and augmented intelligence. Nowadays, Ginger is helping numberless employees in around 30 countries worldwide by closely working with their employers and health care plans.
Ginger’s main focus and motto are to design a world where mental health care will be provided without any obstacles at any time. They believe that the only thing people need is personal support at people’s disposal whenever and wherever they need it. Their main belief is that when mental health support is just a click away from struggling people, the chances for improvement and getting better are quite high and more beneficial.
How Does Ginger Make Money?
Ginger is known as a company that raises a large amount of money throughout a year. However, since they do not charge their users, many people have been wondering how they achieve such profits, i.e., how they make money. Since they have not primarily started as mental health care providers, they have experienced many changes through the years.
Namely, Ginger has started as a research-based company and dedicated many years to discovering patterns in people’s behavior and tried to invent many ways to improve each individual’s mental health. From 2011 until today, Ginger has grown to become one of the largest providers of mental health services, and it operates with major companies by enabling employees access to different kinds of therapies.
In other words, Ginger is employees’ link to various types of mental health services, i.e., the company enables each individual to have access to a trained and licensed expert in dealing with mental health issues. When I say trained and licensed, I refer to medical professionals who have a master’s degree in psychology from schools like Michigan, UCLA, Duke, and Columbia. Each of them also has 200 hours of training provided by Ginger.
Ginger’s mental health services are available in many countries worldwide, and the company has had thousands of active users each year since 2016. This being said, it is seen that the company flourishes quite well and it is continuing to grow, but what is unclear is their way of making a profit. Ginger makes money by charging companies a certain fee for the services they produce per person.
This fee is charged monthly, and corporate benefit plans provide the services by Ginger. This means that Ginger cooperates with employers, while the employers incorporate Ginger services through health care providers, i.e., the health care plan established for each employee. This might sound a bit confusing, but it is the perfect system that allows employees to have the benefits they deserve and need for mental health and allows employers to offer something more out of the health care plans they provide for their employees.
Many major companies are now using Ginger’s services, and their employees have seen great improvements in their mental health. Companies such as SurveyMonkey, Sephora, BuzzFeed, Delta Air Lines, Chegg, Domino’s, Sanofi, and so on are known to be using and paying for Ginger’s services for several years. They have reported that their employees have improved their mental health state and have been feeling healthier due to accessible mental health services at any time and any place.
Employers offer these services through health plans such as Anthem California, Optum Behavioral Health, and Aetna Resources for Living. According to Ginger’s founders, their mission is to provide mental health services even further than now. They want their services to reach across the globe, giving people the proper care they deserve.
In addition, Ginger does not intend to stop their mission since they are using their current funds in more research and getting government payers to reach more people who need mental health services. The final goal of their project is to achieve unobstructed access to mental health coaching and therapy at any point and anywhere. Therefore, they will not settle until they achieve their aim.
They believe that individuals deserve to have mental health services at no cost. Therefore they do not mind the competitor online therapy platforms. They are aware that their services are only possible through employers, while others do not have such a condition. However, their mission is fixated on mental health care services should be without any charge. Therefore, they are striving to achieve that.
How Does Ginger’s Approach To Mental Health Care Work?
Ginger’s main way of operation is through technology and human-to-human care. They use the advances of technology for a greater reason, i.e., to make something of essential importance closer to people and accessible at any time. Ginger’s collaborative care consists of coaches, therapists, and psychiatrists that work together to provide the mental health services each person needs.
As said above, they use the advances of technology for a greater reason, so their platform encompasses the world’s largest health data set. These things allow Ginger to provide high-quality care that will be spread and delivered worldwide at any moment that it is needed. The virtual platform at users’ disposal at any given moment helps Ginger provide the help people need.
Ginger Care Features
Ginger has become one of the major mental health providers due to the well-established system of their care. Their services are accompanied by many features, i.e., advantages that have made users’ experience quite great.
Mental Health Care At Any Time
The platform that is at users’ disposal can be reached at any time of the day. It does not matter whether it is 3 in the morning or 3 in the afternoon. If you need help, you will be delivered one in a matter of seconds. You will have to open the Ginger application, send a text, and help will be on the way.
Personalized Care
Each person deals with mental health issues differently, but that does not impose a problem on Ginger. Ginger strives to provide any help at any time. The team of coaches, therapists, and psychiatrists is always ready to provide the needed care at a particular time.
Care That Adapts
Your mental health state can change from day to day, but Ginger is perfectly designed for those kinds of situations. You may need different kinds of therapy at particular moments, but the platform offers you the chance to choose the service that you find the most helpful at a certain point in time. In other words, you may approach a coach, a therapist, or a psychiatrist any time you want.
To conclude, it is evident that Ginger has worked hard to achieve the success they have today. Because mental health services are of essential importance for each individual, Ginger’s success and growth are well deserved.
Sources
- https://www.mobihealthnews.com/news/north-america/virtual-behavioral-health-startup-ginger-scores-35m-new-funding
- https://techcrunch.com/2020/08/06/on-demand-mental-health-service-provider-ginger-raises-50-million/?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAGDtaIUl3H7yyyYoF75RbhuKpsJX83YChYllNdBvBI_XZi8-_EuTnU0NMWAiK1EyTmoyilp5WdIgAsXVFEHDC98qtN2GjYZ5EyMmmqns0xTaDzJT-qLK9YzdA7zTFtHkRO-19l7Icr5kxSkIFsQqTyLAcCAM6o6qELJ-nYdO2Bxb
- https://www.ginger.com/care
- https://www.ginger.com/about-us