New digital mentoring platform supports entrepreneurs through the mental part of the growth journey

As a self-employed entrepreneur, Catharina has experienced burnout and stress. That’s why she wants to use the new video platform to help other entrepreneurs going from startup to scaleup.

”In the world of entrepreneurship, many people still associate mental illness with something negative. But the paradox is that things like stress and anxiety often arise when a founder has a big tailwind. They ride the momentum and forget about their own body. And suddenly things go wrong,” explains Catharina Christiansen.

Mental health has become a focus in many parts of the world. But this development is lagging behind the entrepreneurial environment.

That’s why FounderMentor connects founders with other founders and mentors. The strength is that the insights come from people who have experienced the entire growth journey themselves.

”Founders listen to other founders. They feel a great sense of security in listening to someone who has had their hand on the hob and been through the process,” Catharina Christiansen explains and continues:

”If we want unicorns in Denmark, we need to make sure people have a better mental journey.”

Most entrepreneurs dream of scaling. But if that happens, the founder suddenly has to hire new people, be accountable to investors and be a leader. Many are not prepared for this transition. And that’s why many entrepreneurs go down with stress, anxiety or depression.

FounderMentor - a video-based digital learning platform that helps entrepreneurs navigate the mental part of the growth journey - wants to change that.

”When you are an entrepreneur, the line between you and your business disappears. And all the professional challenges and setbacks start to feel extremely personal. So in good times, when many people believe in you and want to invest in you, a lot of expectation pressure builds up, which can be extremely difficult to handle,” says Catharina Christiansen, who co-founded FounderMentor with partner Rasmus Grundtvig.

Catharina Christiansen Co-founder, FounderMentor

Sponsored: This article is published in collaboration with Dansk Industri