With the global mental health crisis spreading, Innerworld emerged as a proven effective solution to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. The company offers peer-to-peer support groups with expert guides trained in Cognitive Behavioral Immersion, providing evidence-based tools during live groups in social virtual worlds. Innerworld recently received $2 million in funding from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to conduct a randomized control trial at the University of Southern California to continue testing the effects of CBI on depression.
The company’s recent studies, authored by CEO and Founder Noah Robinson and published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research and Games for Health, demonstrate that Innerworld’s Cognitive Behavioral Immersion (CBI) program is linked to reductions in symptoms of depression and anxiety, and is beneficial for individuals with substance use disorders.
Robinson will serve as the Principal Investigator alongside USC’s co-investigator, Dr. Iony Ezawa. And the platform received a $300k matching grant from LaunchTN, a public-private partnership that supports entrepreneurship and economic development in Robinson’s home state of Tennessee. Plus, in its recent pre-seed funding round, Innerworld secured over $1.4 million in investments from renowned venture capital firms, including Valor Equity Partners, 640 Oxford, and Anorak Ventures.
Innerworld has transformed the mental health space by offering unprecedented (24/7) access to peer-to-peer support groups led by guides trained in Cognitive Behavioral Immersion, which has been linked to depression and anxiety symptom improvement. And for the first time, scalable mental health resources are available on demand in immersive, social virtual worlds where people can interact as anonymous avatars. The use of immersive technology – combined with live cognitive behavioral therapy tools – have been practically applied and have yielded promising results.
Robinson was inspired to create the platform after online communities saved his life, helping him to overcome depression and anxiety throughout the process of him coming out in his teen years. And he developed Innerworld during his clinical psychology PhD research at Vanderbilt University as a second-generation protege of the creator of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dr. Aaron Beck, and spent 4 years beta testing the software with over 10k people. Innerworld was also co-founded by multi-platinum and Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and mental health pioneer Jewel, who serves as the Chief Strategy Officer.
KEY QUOTES:
“The support from the NIH comes at a pivotal time, as we grapple with soaring rates of depression and suicide. While effective tools exist, they’re not accessible. Innerworld’s immersive, anonymous approach changes the paradigm and this trial stands to solidify our position as a trusted, scalable resource for many.”
— Innerworld CEO and Founder Noah Robinson
“Accessible mental health is so critical and to know the NIH supports Innerworld’s work to provide a scalable solution that’s available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, is very inspiring. Innerworld’s resources are available to people all around the globe and we’re excited for its continued growth.”
— Jewel
