Ellipsis Health Founder on AI's Use Cases for Mental Health

Mainul Mondal, CEO and founder of Ellipsis Health, maps his journey from Bangladesh to healthcare entrepreneurship in the heart of Silicon Valley.

We recently had a one-on-one with Mainul Mondal, Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Member of the Board of Directors of Ellipsis Health. As a skilled healthcare IT business leader, Mondal has deep experience in the technology, healthcare, pharmaceutical, retail and defense sectors. In 2020, he was selected as a Milestone Maker by the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center and he serves as a member of the World Economic Forum – working to improve the state of the world by engaging leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas.

Previously, Mondal helped launch the ClearStreme initiative with the Freeman Spogli Institute at Stanford University. Prior to founding Ellipsis Health, Mondal was a Rockefeller Fellow at the Public Health Institute. He has presented lectures, ran workshops, and has been a guest speaker at leading universities including Stanford University, the University of California and the Indian Institutes of Technology.

Ellipsis Health has previously raised a $26 million Series A led by SJF Ventures with participation from AblePartners, Akhil Paul at Caparo Group, Alumni Ventures, Divesh Makan, Gaingels, Gary Loveman, Generator Ventures, Greycroft, Helmy Eltoukhy, Joanne Bradford, Khosla Ventures, Luminous Ventures, Marc Benioff's TIME Ventures, Richard Socher, Ricardo Villela Marino, SpringTide Ventures, and What If Ventures. The Series A investment round brings Ellipsis Health's total funding to $31 million.

We heard from him on:

• His personal background and how he came to be in this space ​

• The inception of Ellipsis Health and its mission

• Current functions of Ellipsis Health

• Vision for the use of AI in Ellipsis Health

• His plan for Bangladesh and emerging markets

🎙️ Listen to the episode on Spotify

💼 Actionable Insights

If you only have a few minutes to spare, here's a summary of our key takeaways and highlights:

I grew up in a family where public service was prioritized as a child. My parents instilled in my sister and I from a very young age the value of being of assistance to the community around you. Having grown up in Bangladesh, there is a feeling of intense innovation that allows you to start something and quickly find out if it passes or fails.

Like most people currently, I was exposed to familial mental health issues at a young age, around 10 years old, and watched my family member spend my childhood in silent suffering. As an adult I learned that people suffering from depression and anxiety are given PHQ 8/9, GAD7 questionnaires, which are a series of self-reported questions. Anyone can close their eyes and check the various boxes, leaving us with a less than objective tool for measurement than anything available for our physical health.

In order for our mental and physical health to be given the same level of importance in today’s world, we need to have the science in place to level the playing field. I knew from my research that the way we speak and the language we use carry signals that relay what is happening in your mind. The concept of mining a conversation for signals to measure depression and anxiety was born from this inquiry.

Our technology at Ellipsis Health performs assessments that classify the severity of anxiety and depression. With this information, our algorithms, in partnership with providers and workflow, are able to route a patient to the appropriate intervention. We strive to clear the backlog between a patient and the proper treatment program.

I would be deeply excited to talk with the citizens of Bangladesh and its leaders to see how this technology can be helpful, especially in rural areas, over telehealth visits. Bangladesh has a special place in my heart as my home, and I would like Ellipsis Health's innovation to serve the world, including my native land.

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