Founder Mental Health Pledge

As founders, we often focus so intently on building our product and growing our business that we forget to take time to care for ourselves and our wellbeing.

Mental health plays a prevalent part in the entrepreneurial space, as founders make countless sacrifices at the expense of their own wellbeing. In fact, according to Michael Freeman MD’s research, “Are Entrepreneurs ‘Touched with Fire’?”, entrepreneurs are more likely to suffer from ADHD, bipolar disorder, anxiety and depression.

Recognizing this common struggle, Naveed Lalani and Brad Baum started the Founder Mental Health Pledge, a nonprofit promoting the prioritization of mental health and wellbeing for startup entrepreneurs. The organization started by asking VCs and startups to make mental health a priority and was met with an overwhelmingly positive response. Since its launch, 760 investors and startup founders have signed this pledge.

A new initiative is now being launched, asking VCs to include a mental health clause in their term sheets. So far, 14 firms have signed on to make mental health a priority for their founders. The clause states that the VC firms “support founders using a portion of the received funds specified in this term sheet to treat, at their discretion, the direct costs of caring for their mental well-being…as a legitimate, worthwhile, and encouraged business expense.”

Through this pledge, the organization strives to empower entrepreneurs through advocacy, community, and impact.

At Beyond42, we’re also on a mission to empower founders, giving them the tools they need to start truly thriving. A large part of this is making sure that founders put their mental wellbeing first, so that they can begin growing beyond the product.

Join hundreds of investors and founders in the entrepreneurial space, and sign the Founder Mental Health Pledge today.