There has recently been an influx of articles and blog post around founders and depression, including one written by Sam Altman, which I could really relate to as I am a startup co-founder myself, having gone through some really tough times emotionally over the course of building Upside.
I was really struck by the feelings of loneliness and isolation from these founders who were brave enough to speak publicly about some of their own challenges. I also thought about how much they would be better off if they had someone to talk to, who understood what they were going through (e.g., fellow startup co-founders).
Our startup culture is one that (whether real or perceived) expects founders to be "relentlessly upbeat", and by having to maintain that "reality distortion field", it severely isolates founders from everyone around them, from their employees, to their investors, and even to their friends and family.
The outpouring of interest and goodwill is pretty overwhelming. It seems that we struck a chord: a need for a service that would help anonymously connect people in the startup community, and help fight the feelings of depression and loneliness that we all hide underneath the veneer of "yeah, our startup is killing it!"
PeerHaven also has applications far beyond Silicon Valley startup founders and employees. There are countless professional and personal categories that could really benefit from a service like this. Imagine a medical student going through residency, or parents balancing executive jobs and parenting greatness, or people going through relationship struggles.
Thanks for your interest and support!
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