In this exclusive interaction, Krishna Veer Singh, Co-Founder & CEO of LISSUN, shares how the startup is scaling mental health care in India through an omnichannel, AI-driven model. He discusses early product-market fit, the success of Sunshine by LISSUN for children with special needs, and how partnerships across healthcare, education, and corporates are driving impact. Singh also outlines key priorities for FY2025–26, including expanding to 50+ centres, deepening AI-led solutions, and reaching one million families with accessible, empathetic, and clinically precise care.
StartupTalky: Since LISSUN’s launch in August 2021, what were the earliest indicators of product-market fit, and how did you validate demand for scalable mental health services in India?
Mr. Singh: We saw immediate traction when our services were embedded within high-stress ecosystems such as IVF clinics, maternity hospitals, cancer care and dialysis centres where patients naturally encounter emotional strain yet lack psychological support. Our model integrated seamlessly into clinical routines and was met with strong acceptance from both institutions and patients, validating the need for contextual mental health care. Encouraged by this response, we expanded into student wellness, especially in tier-2 and tier-3 cities like Kota, Indore, Sikar and Srinagar, partnering with coaching centres to support JEE and NEET aspirants. Here, too, high engagement and retention reaffirmed demand.
A third inflection point came through Sunshine by LISSUN, where we began serving children with special needs, including ADHD, autism and developmental delays, through dedicated physical centres backed by our technology. The resonance of our services across such varied user segments demonstrated both breadth and depth of need. Operating in an omnichannel model, we combined in-house therapists with AI-based tools to deliver structured therapy, track outcomes and develop predictive models for timely interventions.
StartupTalky: With over 500 B2B partnerships, presence in 20+ cities, and 100,000+ users served, what operational systems and strategy have enabled you to maintain efficiency while scaling rapidly?
Mr. Singh: At LISSUN, we have created a vertically integrated delivery engine that brings together technology, clinical depth and a partner-first mindset to enable high-scale operations without diluting care quality. While our omnichannel presence ensures we are accessible across 20+ cities, what truly drives efficiency is the modularity of our service stack. Every B2B2C integration is supported with customisable care pathways tailored to the specific needs of healthcare clients, coaching centres or schools. Our in-house clinical team is trained through a centralised system that standardises assessments, therapy protocols, and feedback loops, while our AI tools automate user triaging, progress tracking and outcome analysis.
What sets us apart is the strong backend operational engine that supports therapist allocation, optimises scheduling and manages therapy escalations across geographies in real time. Partner dashboards, real-time analytics and outcome-based reporting create accountability and transparency. This has helped us deliver over one lakh therapy sessions while maintaining agility as we scale.
StartupTalky: LISSUN tackles the 6 As: Awareness, Acceptance, Anonymity, Access, Affordability, and Assurance. Which of these continues to pose the greatest challenge from a business delivery standpoint, and how are you solving for it?
Mr. Singh: Access remains the most complex variable in India’s mental health equation, not just in terms of geography but also in terms of relevance and immediacy of intervention. At LISSUN, we have approached this challenge dynamically through our B2B2C Omni channel model, which embeds mental health services into high-emotion ecosystems like healthcare companies, workplace stress, coaching institutes and child development hubs. This ensures care is available where the need is deeply felt but often unspoken. Our hybrid infrastructure allows users to engage digitally while also having the option of trusted in-person support via our physical centres.
We further strengthen access using AI-enabled tools that assist in triage, early identification, and outcome tracking, which reduces time to care and improves precision. Addressing access at the systems level unlocks solutions for other barriers, such as awareness and assurance. The goal is not just to reach more users but to reach them with contextually relevant support that feels intuitive, integrated and non-intrusive.
StartupTalky: Could you walk us through LISSUN’s core revenue streams and how they differ across your B2B, D2C, and institutional partnerships? Which model has shown the strongest ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) and growth potential?
Mr. Singh: Our revenue engine runs across B2B2C, institutional, and direct-to-consumer models, each aligned to the user journey within emotionally high-touch environments. In the B2B2C model, we collaborate with fertility chains, hospitals, dialysis centres, and educational institutes, embedding our solutions into their service flows to build user trust and institutional stickiness. These partnerships function on a revenue-sharing or per-session basis and have demonstrated steady momentum. The institutional model involves long-term contracts with schools, colleges, and corporates where we deliver structured wellness programs and capacity building workshops.
Our D2C revenue comes from Sunshine by LISSUN, a dedicated physical centre model focused on supporting children with special needs, including ADHD, autism, and developmental delays. Each stream contributes uniquely across user acquisition lifetime value and depth of engagement, where some formats yield higher frequency and scale, others offer stronger margins and retention. This diversified approach allows us to optimise for reach, sustainability, and monetisation tailored to the context of each user segment.
Overall best growth is in Sunshine by the Lissun model, accounting for more than 60% of our revenue and rapidly growing.
StartupTalky: Sunshine by LISSUN is targeting neurodevelopmental support for 30-35 million children in India. As you expand to 50+ centres by 2025-26, what have been your key learnings on unit economics, therapist bandwidth, and parent engagement?
Mr. Singh: What we’ve really learned is that supporting children with neurodevelopmental needs isn’t about quick fixes or high footfall but about depth and continuity of care. Each child’s journey is unique, and that directly impacts how we look at unit economics. It’s not about cutting corners but about creating a model where outcomes justify the investment. Therapist time is incredibly valuable, so we’ve built smart workflows using Therapist-AI (therapist co-pilot) that free them up to focus on what matters most while using tech and group formats to scale without diluting quality.
One of the biggest learnings has been with parents. Initially, they come in as observers, but when we actively involve them through structured onboarding coaching and regular feedback loops through Ray-AI (parent co-pilot), they become powerful allies in the child’s progress. These insights are shaping how we design every one of our child development centres, making sure we’re not just growing in numbers but also in impact.
StartupTalky: With over 100+ therapists across 20+ cities, you’re working with 50+ corporate organisations. Can you share concrete ways in which you’ve helped these companies improve mental health outcomes, measured by engagement, retention, or productivity metrics?
Mr. Singh: We’ve seen that the biggest shift happens when mental health moves from being an HR checkbox to becoming part of a company’s core fabric. With each organisation, we start by understanding their workforce pulse and then build interventions that are practical, ongoing, and relevant to their context. In fast-paced setups like tech and startups, we’ve helped reduce burnout cycles by introducing preventive therapy touchpoints and building emotional resilience across teams.
For distributed teams, we enabled easy access to care and saw meaningful improvement in repeat usage and engagement. With learning-focused environments, our work improved trainer consistency and learner outcomes. It’s not just about offering support but making sure people actually use it and feel the difference. And the real win is when leadership sees mental well-being as a lever for better retention, better performance, and better culture overall.
StartupTalky: What major industry developments have you observed over the past year in the mental health space, whether in public policy, insurance, or tech-enabled care, and how are they influencing LISSUN’s strategy?
Mr. Singh: The past year has brought an undeniable shift in how mental health is perceived and addressed in India. We’re seeing greater policy-level recognition that mental wellness is not an optional service but an essential public good. This change has created a ripple effect across institutions, especially in education and workplaces, where psychological safety is now being taken seriously.
At the same time, insurance conversations have started to inch forward as there is a growing expectation that mental health support must be part of comprehensive health coverage. It is not moving as fast as it should, but the intent is gaining ground. On the technology front, the potential of AI to personalise care and predict needs is something we have already begun integrating at LISSUN. What all of this means for us is simple. Our strategy is rooted in readiness. We are building a system that is agile enough to adapt and robust enough to lead as these shifts accelerate.
StartupTalky: How are broader market trends, such as rising demand for remote care, hybrid models, or outcome-based therapy, shaping your product roadmap and technology decisions at LISSUN?
Mr. Singh: We’re seeing a decisive tilt towards convenience, continuity, and measurable impact in mental healthcare. Users want support that fits seamlessly into their lives, whether that means remote sessions, in-person engagement, or a blend of both. This has pushed us to invest heavily in a hybrid-first approach where digital and physical care co-exist without friction. At the same time, we’re moving beyond access to outcomes. Our roadmap now prioritises clinical intelligence tools that can track progress, personalise interventions, and give both users and therapists clear visibility into therapeutic milestones.
We’re also embedding data-driven nudges and real-time feedback loops into the platform to deepen engagement and retention. These trends are not just influencing our tech stack, they are fundamentally redefining how we think about product success. It’s no longer just about scaling therapy but about ensuring that every user journey is more relevant, effective, and accountable.
StartupTalky: What are LISSUN’s top three strategic priorities for FY2025–26 in terms of expansion, partnerships, or service innovation? And how do you plan to maintain impact while scaling further?
Mr. Singh: For FY2025–26, our priority is to develop AI-based mental health solutions based on our deep knowledge of the space to provide healthcare-grade solutions on the tip of a phone to a large-scale population at an affordable price. On the omnichannel bit, it’s scaling our Sunshine by LISSUN network to at least 50+ centres that cater to the developmental needs of children. We are also growing our presence across healthcare, education and corporate ecosystems by forging meaningful partnerships that embed mental wellness into everyday settings.
On the technology front, we are investing in AI-led tools that boost therapist efficiency, personalise user journeys and enhance engagement across touchpoints. Even as we scale, we remain anchored in clinical precision, impact tracking and user-first design. The larger goal is to reach one million families in the coming years by building a mental health ecosystem that is not only widely accessible but also rooted in empathy and clinical excellence.
Nitin Konde