Publications
Publications
- February 2021 (Revised March 2022)
- HBS Case Collection
Marvin: A Personalized Telehealth Approach to Mental Health
By: Regina E. Herzlinger, Eshani Sharma, Andrew Nguyen, Thomas Arsenault, Carin-Isabel Knoop and Julia Kelley
Abstract
More than one third of Americans were said to suffer some type of behavioral health ailment at some point in their lifetime, with many people requiring chronic therapy or intervention. Despite significant clinical needs, access to reliable treatment has been difficult due to shortage of providers, stigma, and poor reimbursement, especially for medical clinicians who were placed under enormous stress during the peak of the COVID-19 epidemic and whose professional culture does not encourage acknowledgement of mental health pressure.
Marvin’s primary offering was online teletherapy via video chat with licensed mental health professionals, including psychologists, psychiatrists, and licensed clinical social workers. One major draw for providers was Marvin’s handling all scheduling and rescheduling, saving providers’ time. Their main priority was to build and implement machine learning (ML) tools to offer more targeted, personalized mental health care to physicians. They were building a ML matching algorithm that could classify users’ moods based on their facial expressions and other data, such as vocal, chat, and text interactions. Marvin could use this algorithm to track users’ moods and suggest targeted exercises (e.g., meditations).
Marvin’s primary offering was online teletherapy via video chat to medical clinicians. Its founders hoped to bring Marvin’s solution to a wider audience and thought that the race belonged to the swift. As they considered the market opportunity and the complex landscape of digital mental health, they wondered what to do next?
Keywords
Mental Health; Applications; Startup Management; Telehealth; Health Care Entrepreneurship; Health & Wellness; Health Care; Health Care and Treatment; Customization and Personalization; Internet and the Web; Entrepreneurship; Growth and Development Strategy; Applications and Software
Citation
Herzlinger, Regina E., Eshani Sharma, Andrew Nguyen, Thomas Arsenault, Carin-Isabel Knoop, and Julia Kelley. "Marvin: A Personalized Telehealth Approach to Mental Health." Harvard Business School Case 321-127, February 2021. (Revised March 2022.)