WoW Woman in Mental Health I Emanuela Kufel, co-founder of Prosoma
Emanuela Kufel is a co-founder of Prosoma, she is passionate about digital healthcare and improving standards and solutions for mental health care worldwide. She is also an experienced communications leader, with a history of working with the NHS and the NIHR. Seeing the challenges of providing good coverage for mental health she is now an advocate for change. At Prosoma, she's leading business development for the UK market.
Prosoma is an interdisciplinary team of entrepreneurs, scientists, engineers, and psychologists. They develop applications that provide cancer patients with comprehensive solutions fully tailored to their specific needs. They use the latest developments in AI and new opportunities offered by mobile technologies. Their first application, Living Well, was developed to help support the mental health of female cancer patients. It is here to see them through the difficult time post-diagnosis and fill the gap in the often failing system of mental health care. Prosoma aims to help patients manage their emotions, create healthy habits, and improve their overall recovery process.
Emanuela, tell us a bit about your background and your projects so far.
I’m an entrepreneur and a campaigner for mental health. I’m working in oncology and believe that all cancer patients deserve immediate mental health support. I’ve worked for the NHS and NIHR and through that work, I witnessed many shortcomings of the system. I am convinced that there isn’t a single healthcare system in the world that is fully equipped to support cancer patients. Through the experiences in the UK, it’s clear that sometimes the waiting time for talking therapies can take 6-9 months, which is completely inadequate and unacceptable when it comes to dealing with a significant trauma that is a cancer diagnosis.
This is why I started Prosoma. The first app, Living Well, is there to support the mental health of female cancer patients and reduce cancer-related anxiety and stress. I have spent five years building a team and building a project that will provide cancer patients with a toolbox to cater for their emotional needs. With over four hours of interactive content, I am proud to provide a solution that can really make a difference.
How did you get into this industry? Has it been an easy industry to get into or have you had many challenges?
Digital therapeutics is a new and open field but it’s a complete minefield. Everyone seems to be on board to champion healthcare delivered by apps but there is no actual system to support it. The challenges are plentiful but we’re ready to tackle them. At Prosoma, we’re extremely proud to push the agenda forward, to ensure we have a seat at the table to enable patients to get the best care and to promote reimbursement of digital technologies.
How long did it take you to be where you are now? What was the biggest obstacle?
We first launched the idea in 2018 so it’s been quite a journey. The biggest obstacle remains to be the system’s acceptance of digital therapies. Even though we can see this is the future in many markets there is still no actual pathway that is easily accessible to enable it.
What are the challenges of being in the industry you are in?
Mental health is a growing area but sadly it remains an afterthought. If I could have one wish for the industry for the future I would say - mental health is key and not just nice to have.
What are your biggest achievements to date?
We have reached many milestones as a venture. Starting from two people with a vision to a company with 25+ employees. Our biggest achievement though has to be the positive feedback we get from patients. There’s nothing in the world that can compare to someone saying your app has made a difference and that they wish they had it sooner. That’s the prime reason to get up in the morning.
We’re also recently reimbursed by one of the biggest insurers in Germany, Techniker Krankenkasse. We are running 3 clinical trials at the same time, in Germany, the US and Poland and we’re establishing new pharma partnerships, so there is lots going on. We also just secured 2.5m Euro in funding to grow, which is very exciting.
What are the projects you are currently working on?
I am always involved in the lifecycle of Prosoma, but day to day I am trying to launch things in the UK.
Is the #WomenInTech movement important to you and if yes, why?
Working in tech is challenging, and even more so as a woman. I am extremely privileged, to build a project for women by women and to work with fellow founders who support me.
I want to be a part of the community and I want to champion anyone coming in!
What will be the key trends in your industry in the next five years and where do you see them heading?
I hope that the reimbursement of digital therapies will become a standard. We have seen a massive shift in the last few years to enable this to happen. Crucially though… I think that we have seen a mental health crisis and we can appreciate something has to give. We all need support and imagine a major diagnosis on top of that.
What is the most important piece of advice you could give to anyone who wants to start a career in this industry?
Digital therapeutics isn’t the easiest area but it’s well worth it. I would say find your tribe and don’t give up.
Who are three inspirational women in your respective industry you admire?
Rayna Patel and Georgina Kirby are the founders of another solution for oncology. It seems a bit of a similar story to ours and I respect their passion.
Liz Ashall Payne - for creating one of the most interesting models for apps out there.
Emanuela will be one of the speakers at our upcoming FemTech Untapped event “Mental Health - Beyond Anxiety and Depression”. Get your FREE ticket and join us on 14 July!
This interview was conducted by Marija Butkovic, Digital Marketing and PR strategist, founder, and CEO of Women of Wearables. She regularly writes and speaks on topics of wearable tech, fashion tech, IoT, entrepreneurship, and diversity. Follow Marija on Twitter @MarijaButkovic and read her stories for Forbes here.