Digital mental health app Headspace is expanding its reach to college students through a new partnership, its latest in a series of collaborations with specialty providers and tech organizations.
Headspace partnered with Uwill, a digital mental health platform that specifically caters to colleges and universities. The deal made Uwill Headspace’s exclusive partner in higher education.
“Our partnership with Uwill enables us to expand our reach to the students, faculty and staff of higher education campuses,” Katie DiPerna, senior vice president of partnerships at Headspace, told Behavioral Health Business in an email. “We’re always looking for innovative ways to bring the Headspace experience to more people, making quality mental health more accessible.”
Boston-based Uwill was founded in 2020 to complement colleges’ mental health offerings. It now serves more than two million students and partners with more than 300 institutions, including Babson College, Princeton University and University of Michigan.
The startup raised $30 million in Series A funding in May 2023 from private equity firm Education Growth Partners.
In January, Uwill acquired Christie Campus Health, which provided counseling, mental health and wellness services to approximately 750,000 students at over 100 colleges.
Headspace’s recent history of partnerships includes Meta and Oura, as well as off-platform deals with LinkedIn and Netflix.
The company’s partnership with Meta led to the creation of a virtual reality-based “immersive playground for the mind.”
“VR is particularly exciting as it’s neurologically a very powerful medium and there’s a lot of consumer interest — meaning the opportunity for impact is large,” DiPerna said.
Headspace partnered with Uwill because “the company is uniquely positioned to support the needs of the higher education sector,” DiPerna said
“By offering cost-effective, comprehensive mental health and well-being support, together we are making mental health tools more accessible for college students who are in the midst of some of the most formative years of their lives, as well as for the faculty and staff who are guiding them,” DiPerna said.
The deal will also make Headspace’s offerings available to university faculty and staff.
When asked about the business reason for partnering with Uwill, DiPerna said that the deal connects Headspace to a population the company had previously not broadly engaged with: students.
Other behavioral health companies have also targeted the college market in recent years.
In March, digital mental health provider UpLift acquired an online mental health platform designed for college students, TAO.
Lightfully Behavioral Health launched an intensive outpatient program (IOP) for college students in October 2023. The program was designed to offer students a more intensive virtual option than the bulk of care options for college students, primarily offering outpatient, low-intensity services.
As well as creating a larger patient base for providers and additional care options for students, these deals can reduce the demand on college counseling and health centers.
Students often experience wait times of several weeks, sources previously told BHB.
