Ever since Ria Rustogi lost her sister to a brain infection, she has battled post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The importance she lays on mental health comes from personal experience. “The physical body also struggles against challenges—even the fittest person can suffer a heart attack or diabetes. Similarly, the mind can also have its own struggles. And it doesn’t necessarily have to be anxiety, depression or stress. Experiencing  panic, getting angry for no reason, living with mood swings, emotional outburst and overwhelming thoughts are all part of dealing with mental health,” Rustogi shares.

In December 2018, the idea of Neuphony struck Rustogi and her friend Bhavya Madan—both BTech graduates from JIIT. In April 2019, the duo decided to turn the project into a startup. It launched in September 2020 at a time when mental health awareness was part of the conversation thanks to the world-wide Coronavirus-induced lockdown.