Fello, the Peer Support Platform for the Loneliness Epidemic, Raises $10.4M

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Fello, the Peer Support Platform for the Loneliness Epidemic, Raises $10.4M

2024-12-03 23:58 Last Updated At：12-04 00:11

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 3, 2024--

Meet Fello: The innovative peer support platform for the loneliness epidemic which connects anyone seeking connection and guidance to people who can help them because they have gone through the same exact struggle. Led by former Uber Eats executive Alyssa Pollack, who co-founded and co-led Uber Eats on its path from zero to $15 billion in revenue, Fello announced it has raised $10.4 million to-date, including a seed investment from Glen Tullman’s 62Ventures, The Capital Factory Fellowship Fund, Katalyst Capital and Offline Ventures, amongst others. Fello’s mission is to give everyone access to peer support - regardless of what they’re going through.

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Tens of millions of Americans are struggling with uncertainty, anxiety, addiction and trying to manage these problems completely on their own. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that one third of adults say they feel lonely, a health problem that the U.S. surgeon general cites as having the same impact as smoking 15 cigarettes per day. Further to that, tens of millions are struggling with mental health challenges without any help. While therapy has become more mainstream in the last several decades, traditional therapy is a luxury that many cannot afford and which can’t scale to serve all those who need support.

Fello is reimagining how people get support with a virtual marketplace where everyday people can turn their lived experiences into a superpower to help people who are struggling. The app launched this fall with coverage across four areas -- relationships, parenting, drug use and alcohol use -- and has plans to expand to additional topics in the coming months.

Fellos are trained to pair the wisdom of lived experiences with the knowledge of active listening, by undergoing vetting and training processes developed with a team of leading clinicians led by Clinical Psychologist Dr. Thekla Ross and Fello’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Adam Glasofer. By sharing their stories and wisdom, Fellos can earn up to $56/hour. For Finders – or those seeking support – a 30-minute video check-in with a Fello is an affordable alternative to traditional therapy, costing just $40. Support is easily accessible through virtual check-ins, which can be scheduled at any time and from anywhere in the U.S. All Fellos undergo a process that includes background and reference checks, completion of training modules, and an assessment before they can begin offering check-ins.

CEO and co-founder Alyssa Pollack said: “Telling the growing number of people struggling with loneliness that traditional therapy is their only option is like sending everyone with a stubbed toe to the emergency room. Fello is here to bridge the widening gap for those seeking help from others who have successfully navigated similar challenges—whether it's the stress of parenting or the struggle of addiction. Utilizing the technology and rapid growth operations that built the gig economy, we are creating a platform that makes it easy to connect and get support from someone who’s been in your shoes.”

Peer-supported healthcare isn’t new. In fact, it’s been driving successful outcomes over the last 40+ years across a wide range of areas, including mental health, addiction recovery, and overall well-being. According to Mental Health America, both quantitative and qualitative evidence indicate that peer support lowers the overall cost of mental health services specifically by reducing re-hospitalization rates and days spent in inpatient services, increasing the use of outpatient services. Peer support improves quality of life, increases and improves engagement with services, and has a positive impact on an individual’s overall health.

Fello is building on this movement and modernizing it, with a mission to enable everyone to have access to peer support - regardless of what you’re going through. It provides support that’s more affordable, available, accessible and approachable.

Fello was initially conceived by Jeff Werring and Pete Kadens as part of their personal journeys seeking help from addiction and finding sobriety. Kadens, a seasoned entrepreneur and renowned philanthropist who currently serves as founder of Hope Chicago (one of the country’s largest scholarship funds) and previously served as CEO and cofounder of Green Thumb Industries and SoCore Energy (now Engie Solar), later tapped ex-Uber Eats exec Alyssa Pollack to join as a co-founder and CEO of Fello. The leadership team includes Chief Marketing Officer Meg Donovan (MasterClass, Uber), Chief Medical Officer Dr. Adam Glasofer (Amazon, Virtua Health), Chief Experience Officer Carlin Park (Homeward, Livongo), Clinical Advisor Dr. Thekla Ross (Kaiser Permanente), Head of Product & Analytics Samir Lakhani (Upwork, Coinbase), Regulatory Advisor Brian Vandenberg (Livongo, American Medical Association).

Fello’s co-founders realized the need for a modern-day version of a peer-to-peer support community based on their own challenges. After struggling with addiction and finding that outlets like rehab and Alcoholics Anonymous were incomplete solutions for long-term recovery success, Fello co-founder Jeff Werring approached longtime friend Pete Kadens (who is 17 years sober) to partner on a solution.

Kadens said: “When Fello co-founder Jeff Werring came to me with this idea, I knew we had to do something to change the way people help and heal – and make it both affordable and accessible. This is not just another mental health app. We have built a platform for getting experience-based peer support where people can turn their most valuable and largely underutilized asset – their lived experience – into a superpower. Like Uber did for drivers with cars, Airbnb did for dwellings, and Taskrabbit did for handyman skill.”

For more information or to download the mobile app, visit https://www.myfello.app/. To keep up on all things Fello, follow the brand on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.

About Fello:

Fello is an innovative peer support platform for the loneliness epidemic which connects anyone seeking connection and guidance to people who can help them because they have gone through the same exact struggle. Led by former Uber Eats executive Alyssa Pollack, who co-founded and co-led Uber Eats on its path from zero to $15B in revenue, Fello’s mission is to give everyone access to peer support - regardless of what they’re going through. Fellos are trained to pair the wisdom of lived experiences with the knowledge of active listening, by undergoing vetting and training processes developed with a team of leading clinicians led by Clinical Psychologist Dr. Thekla Ross and Fello’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Adam Glasofer. By sharing their stories and wisdom, Fellos can earn up to $56/hour. For Finders – or those seeking support – a 30-minute video check-in with a Fello is an affordable alternative to traditional therapy, costing just $40. The app launched this fall with coverage across four areas -- relationships, parenting, drug use and alcohol use -- and has plans to expand to additional topics in the coming months. For more information or to download the app, visit https://www.myfello.app/. To keep up on all things Fello, follow the brand on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.

A fire in an Swiss ski resort bar has left about 40 people dead

CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland (AP) — Axel Clavier felt like he was suffocating inside the Swiss Alpine bar where moments before he'd been ringing in the new year with friends and dozens of other revelers.

The 16-year-old from Paris escaped the inferno, which broke out after midnight Thursday, by forcing a window open with a table. But about 40 other partygoers died, including one of Clavier's friends, falling victim to one of the worst tragedies in Switzerland's history.

The blaze also injured about 115 people, most of them seriously, as it ripped through the crowded Le Constellation bar at the ski resort of Crans-Montana, police said.

Clavier told The Associated Press that “two or three” of his friends remained missing hours after the disaster.

Valais Canton police commander Frédéric Gisler said during a news conference that work is underway to identify the victims and inform their families, adding that the community is “devastated.”

Authorities did not immediately have an exact count of the deceased.

Beatrice Pilloud, Valais Canton attorney general, said it was too early to determine the cause of the fire.

“At no moment is there a question of any kind of attack,” Pilloud said.

She later said the number of people who were in the bar is “unknown,” and its maximum capacity will be part of the investigation.

“For the time being, we don’t have any suspects,” she added, when asked if anyone had been arrested over the fire. “An investigation has been opened, not against anyone, but to better understand the circumstances of this dramatic fire.”

Clavier, the Parisian teenager, said he didn’t see the fire start, but did see waitresses arrive with Champagne bottles with burning sparklers. He lost his jacket, shoes, phone and bank card while fleeing, but “I am still alive and it’s just stuff.”

“I’m still in shock,” he added.

Two women told French broadcaster BFMTV they were inside when they saw a male bartender lifting a female bartender on his shoulders as she held a lit candle in a bottle. The flames spread, collapsing the wooden ceiling, they told the broadcaster.

One of the women described a crowd surge as people frantically tried to escape from a basement nightclub up a narrow flight of stairs and through a narrow door.

Another witness speaking to BFMTV described people smashing windows to escape the blaze, some gravely injured, and panicked parents rushing to the scene in cars to see whether their children were trapped inside. The young man said he saw about 20 people scrambling to get out of the smoke and flames and likened what he saw to a horror movie as he watched from across the street.

“This evening should have been a moment of celebration and coming together, but it turned into a nightmare,” said Mathias Reynard, head of the regional government of the Valais Canton.

Crans-Montana is less than 5 kilometers (3 miles) from Sierre, where 28 people, including many children, were killed when a bus from Belgium crashed inside a Swiss tunnel in 2012.

In a region busy with tourists skiing on the slopes, the authorities have called on the local population to show caution in the coming days to avoid accidents that could further strain the area's already overwhelmed medical resources.

With high-altitude ski runs rising around 3,000 meters (nearly 9,850 feet) in the heart of the Valais region's snowy peaks and pine forests, Crans-Montana is one of the top venues on the World Cup circuit. The resort will host the best men’s and women’s downhill racers, including Lindsey Vonn, for their final events before the Milan-Cortina Olympics in February. The town's Crans-sur-Sierre golf club stages the European Masters each August on a picturesque course.

Swiss President Guy Parmelin, speaking on his first day in the largely ceremonial job, said many emergency staff had been “confronted by scenes of indescribable violence and distress.”

“This Thursday must be the time of prayer, unity and dignity,” he said. “Switzerland is a strong country not because it is sheltered from drama, but because it knows how to face them with courage and a spirit of mutual help.”

Dazio reported from Berlin and Leicester reported from Paris. Geir Moulson in Berlin and Graham Dunbar in Geneva contributed to this report.