Egyptian online mental health platform Shezlong has raised a new round of investment to help it expand its operations in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
Founded in 2014, Shezlong helps patients connect with licensed therapists through online video calls online, and uses cognitive behavioural therapy to teach individuals how to manage stress and anxiety.
The platform hosts more than 500 consultants and has more than 100,000registered users from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Germany, and the United States (US).
The round, which is undisclosed and comes after Shezlong raised US$350,000 back in 2018, saw participation from the Singapore-based Asia Africa Investment & Consulting (AAIC), MK Capital chairman Mohamed El Khamissy, and Khaled Ismail, chairman of HIMangel.
Shezlong will use the investment to expand its services in the MENA region as well as to the Arabic-speaking population globally. It will also introduce a host of new products, including text-based therapy and corporate wellness programmes.
“Mental health is important at every stage of life and our mission in Shezlong is to help people manage their psychological and mental health at all times and make therapy accessible to everyone,” said Ahmed Abu ElHaz, the startup’s founder and chief executive officer (CEO). “We believe that, with the new investment, Shezlong will be able to expand its services vertically and horizontally in the Middle East.”
