SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ginger.io, the leader in on-demand behavioral health, announced today that technology executive Russell Glass will join as chief executive officer, effective September 10, 2018.
Ginger.io provides members with a simple, affordable and discreet way to get emotional support. Through the Ginger.io app, they can begin chatting with an emotional health coach in less than 60 seconds. The company has recently experienced significant growth in bringing this important, AI-powered service to market with U.S. and multinational employers.
Mental health conditions are among the most common1 and costliest health conditions2 in the United States, estimated at $201 billion annually. More than half of Americans will experience symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress in their lifetimes, and nearly 60 percent3 of adults with a mental health condition didn’t receive mental health services in the previous year.4
"Ginger.io gives everyone access to high-quality emotional support whenever they need it,” said Vinod Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures. “A large opportunity with great technology like this needs a superb leader. We think Russ fits that bill.”
Glass was founder and CEO of B2B marketing platform company Bizo, which was acquired by LinkedIn for $175 million in 2014. Most recently, he served as head of products for LinkedIn Marketing Solutions, where he oversaw a product portfolio that generated over $800 million in annual revenue. In addition to his work as a technology executive, he serves as a board member for several non-profit organizations and technology startups including Rock the Vote, University Bridge and Vendor Registry. In his new role, Glass will lead Ginger.io’s continued investments across product, data science, clinical, and commercial operations.
“As I evaluated my next venture, I wanted to create a positive impact on people’s lives,” said Russell Glass, chief executive officer, Ginger.io. “Ginger.io is a perfect fit — a phenomenal team of people transforming behavioral healthcare through a unique combination of high-quality clinicians, a beloved product experience, and expertise in data science. I’m excited to continue to grow the powerful platform that the team has built, and expand access to support for people when they need it most.”
Founded in 2011, Ginger.io is funded by Khosla Ventures and Kaiser Permanente Ventures. Co-founder and acting CEO Karan Singh will stay on board in an executive capacity, leading the company’s clinical operations and strategy. Anmol Madan, co-founder and CTO, will continue to lead development of the company’s AI technology. Glass is the latest addition to a growing bench of technology and digital health experts at Ginger.io, including chief marketing officer Christine Evans, who joined in April 2018 after having served as vice president of marketing for Fitbit’s B2B-focused Health Solutions business. These executive additions come as Ginger.io continues to rapidly grow its client list, which includes companies such as Pinterest and BuzzFeed.
As the world’s first continuous health system for behavioral health, Ginger.io employs a virtual staff of highly-qualified emotional health coaches, therapists and psychiatrists. Coaching is the backbone of Ginger.io’s medical practice and provides people with support for day-to-day challenges, such as reaching personal goals, improving relationships, and reducing stress. Within seconds of downloading the app, members are matched with a care team and can begin chatting with a coach on-demand at any time of day or night. If needed, coaches can escalate members to appointments with Ginger.io therapists or psychiatrists within days, versus the national average of over six weeks. Results from Ginger.io’s measurement-based, collaborative care model are promising: the average member rating per session is 4.6 out of 5 stars. Over the last twelve months, 72 percent of Ginger.io members surveyed reported clinically significant improvements in symptoms of depression within twelve weeks.
About Ginger.io
Ginger.io makes it easy for people to get the emotional and mental support they need, when they need it, by providing on-demand coaching, teletherapy and telepsychiatry. For employers and health plans, Ginger.io is the only on-demand behavioral health provider that continuously uses AI & machine learning to improve both access to and quality of care for anyone managing symptoms of stress, anxiety, depression or more complex challenges. Our AI technology has been recognized by the World Economic Forum as a Technology Pioneer, and we were recognized as one of the top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Healthcare by Fast Company. Hundreds of thousands of people have access to Ginger.io's virtual coaches, therapists and psychiatrists.
1 Mental Health America, 2017 State of Mental Health in America, accessed August 2018 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/issues/2017-state-mental-health-america-report-overview-historical-data
2 Health Affairs, Mental Disorders Top The List Of The Most Costly Conditions In The United States: $201 Billion, accessed August 2018 https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2011/10/why-more-americans-suffer-from-mental-disorders-than-anyone-else/246035/
3 National Alliance on Mental Illness, Mental Health By The Numbers, accessed August 2018. https://www.nami.org/learn-more/mental-health-by-the-numbers
4 American Psychological Association, Guidelines for the Practice of Telepsychology, accessed August 2018 http://www.apa.org/practice/guidelines/telepsychology.aspx