Founder Mental Health Pledge

Today, the Founder Mental Health Clause is now live! ?? Big news from?Founder Mental Health Pledge?broke this morning in the?Fortune's Term Sheet newsletter by?Allie Garfinkle? (the #1 VC newsletter in the world): We are honored to have 12 funds acknowledge the distinct mental health challenges that founders frequently encounter while developing and expanding their businesses. Through the adoption of this mental health clause, for the very first time, VCs and investors are putting in contractual writing that founders don’t just have permission, but are encouraged to prioritize their mental health as a business objective and priority. "Now, the Founder Mental Health Pledge has launched a new initiative, asking VC firms to begin including mental health clauses in their term sheets—and twelve firms have taken it on as founding adopters,?Fortune?has exclusively learned. That group of firms includes Melek Capital, Open Opportunity Fund, Forum Ventures, Red Swan Ventures, Roadster Capital, evio.vc, and Playfair . ?" Links in comment. Thank you to the VCs who are founding adopters of the clause! This is the first time an initiative has considered mental health a business priority in our industry. Please help spread the great news!! Please use our dedicated hashtags #FounderPledge & #FounderMentalHealth We would like to express our gratitude to our team members: Kiley Giebel, Claude Alan Woodruff, Naveed Lalani, Brad Baum, Danish Dhamani, Alex Auerbach Ph.D., MBA, and our PR partner CultureSpeed Communications, Adam Schiff for their invaluable assistance in telling our story. We would also like to thank all of our founding clause adopters for their support. Slauson & Co., Jaza Rift Ventures, Greater Colorado Venture Fund, Fil Rouge Capital, Brenteca Investments, Melek Capital, Open Opportunity Fund, Forum Ventures, Red Swan Ventures, Roadster Capital, evio.vc and Playfair

This has been a big year for founder wellbeing. What started as a simple Google Doc in March 2023 has grown into a thriving movement across the startup, investor, and wellbeing communities -- thanks to you. We’re excited to share our top 5 wins from 2024: 1. We've grown our advocacy and community 2. We've tangibly supported founder flourishing 3. We've welcomed new leaders to the executive team 4. We've formed research partnerships to study founder health at scale 5. We've opened up partnerships to expand the impact of our mission Click through to read our 2024 recap and watch this space as we announce our 2025 plans in the coming weeks!

I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Member at Founder Mental Health Pledge! Starting a company is hard, and mental health is usually an afterthought (if a thought at all) behind survival, profit, and growth. There's a sense that mental health can be recovered after a certain level of success is achieved. If founders and investors don't consider mental health for themselves and their employees from day one, however, that initial success may be built on an unstable foundation and burnout may end up being the norm.

Thank you for giving a shoutout to the Founder Mental Health Pledge Andy Dunn and Amanda Silberling on the prestigious TechCrunch Disrupt stage! We're honored to have Andy as an advisor and advocate. https://lnkd.in/gQGKqB4m

Earlier this week, our own Brett Haskell (PhD, CMPC) took part in a panel at the Venture Atlanta Conference in collaboration with Goodie Nation and Founder Mental Health Pledge on "Why Resilience Is Critical for VCs.” John Avery did an amazing job of capturing some of the lessons and correlations between athletes and entrepreneurs. #Resilience #MomentumLabs #VentureAtlanta #FounderMentalHealthPledge #GoodieNation #MentalHealth #entrepreneurs #ATDC #Leadership https://lnkd.in/en-ZS9Jq

10.10 is #WorldMentalHealthDay and we're doubling down on our commitment to the flourishing of founders (in partnership with funders) through community, support and research. Join us in welcoming Jason Cavnar (Board Chair) and Cristina Poindexter (Strategy and Partnerships) to the Founder Mental Health Pledge team! Each of them bring a deep passion and personal experience in the mental health space, have been venture-backed founders, and have worked for VCs and accelerators coaching and supporting founders. Jason also has built and led several philanthropically supported social impact initiatives and Cristina previously ran Marketing at Headspace. We have a lot more exciting news and progress to share in the weeks ahead. Stay tuned!

?? Join the conversation at the Goodie Nation & Founder Mental Health Pledge panel at Venture Atlanta Conference Atlanta 2024 to discuss "Why Resilience Is Critical for VCs & Their Portfolio Companies" ?? Featuring insights from: Brett Haskell (PhD, CMPC): Performance Psychologist with experience in the MLB, NCAA Division I, NWSL, and with high performers in business and industry. Chad Harris: Partner, Open Opportunity Fund, which is dedicated to championing Black and Latinx entrepreneurs in the tech and tech-enabled sectors. Kendra Koch ?? : Founder at Divergently, working to close the support gap for neurodivergent women. Moderated by Claude Alan Woodruff ?? ?We will discuss strategies to foster resilience in this fast-changing landscape. Join us. Tuesday, October 8th, 1:30 PM EST Venture Atlanta Conference ?? Sponsored by Momentum Labs, where we empower individuals to "elevate their mental game and achieve peak performance." #Resilience #TechInnovation #VCs #MentalHealth #Leadership #VentureAtlanta #VentureAtlantaConference #startups?#startup ?#startupbusiness #founders #entrepreneur #venturecapital #entrepreneurs

Insightful articles on mental health for startup founders: 1. Mental Health, Trauma, and Startup Founders Zachary Townsend, Founder of Meanwhile 2. Keeping it real: Startup life and my mental health Amogh Sarda, Founder essel 3. Lessons from a startup founder at the crossroads of failure Andy Dunn, Co- Founder Bonobos and Former CEO 4. Founder Depression Sam Altman, Founder OpenAI 5. The Impact of Stress on the Well-being of Startup Founders and CEOs Brad Feld, Partner at Foundry and Co-Founder Techstars 6. The Growing Problem of Startup Founder Burnout Alice Default, CoFounder and CEO at Double 7. The Startup Grind: A Startup Mental Health Crisis is Brewing Founders Network 8. A silent mental health struggle experienced by startup founders Dr Emelina E. 9. When You've Lost That Oomph: Founder Burnout Sherry Walling, PhD, Zen Founder Podcast Host and Author of the book ‘The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Keeping Your Sh*t Together’ Substack Link: https://lnkd.in/drzsMxRu

Our co-creator Naveed Lalani shares his diagnosis publicly for the first time.

Dear founders, wellness matters more than you think. As an early-stage VC, you might be surprised when you hear me say this, but success isn't just about the next big IPO or ~billion~ dollar valuation. It's about taking care of ourselves so we can show up as our best selves every day. For years, I neglected my own wellbeing. Long nights, sacrificing family, and way too much alcohol. I thought I was being productive, but I was really just running myself into the ground. It wasn't until I started prioritizing my health that I realized what I'd been missing. The clarity, energy, and focus I gained were game-changing. Suddenly, I was able to bring my full self to both my work and my family. For founders especially, wellness is an often overlooked factor in long-term success. Startups are a marathon, not a sprint. Burnout is real. It can derail even the most promising companies. That's why I encourage the founders I work with to build wellness practices into their routines from day one. Whether it's meditation, exercise, therapy, or simply unplugging for a few hours each day Teams that value self-care tend to be more creative, resilient, and ultimately successful. The key is to be intentional making it a non-negotiable part of your life. There's no one-size-fits-all approach. For me, sobriety has been a cornerstone of my wellness journey. But even small changes can make a big impact. Maybe it's setting boundaries around work hours, or scheduling regular check-ins with a mentor or therapist. Find what works for you. Then stick with it.