"The System Is Failing Us" - This Mental Health Entrepreneur Is Prepared To Change It | Forbes

As a Stanford sophomore, Safira thought she and her peers were all living every overachiever’s dream. But when a friend attempted suicide, she realized it was more like a gilded fantasy. “Her experience in rehab was the first time she had ever encountered the mental-health care system,” Safira says. “Imagine if someone never met a primary care doctor until they’re diagnosed with cancer.” Backed by $16 million from VC shops Lightspeed and Forerunner, actress Gwyneth Paltrow and soccer star Megan Rapinoe, Safira’s app, Real, provides guides and workshops on common problems like dealing with seasonal depression. Unlike competitors such as Talkspace that are geared toward people in crisis, Real wants to be a preventive measure that eases users into long-term “mental wellness.”

We published the first edition of the Forbes 30 Under 30 a decade ago, with one clear goal: to identify the new guard, the young innovators, trailblazers and disruptors remaking our world. That first list featured names like Kevin Systrom, whose company Instagram had only seven employees; Lena Dunham, who had yet to debut on HBO's Girls; Daniel Ek, who had just launched Spotify in the U.S.; journalist Ronan Farrow, years before he exposed Harvey Weinstein in the New Yorker; and actor Donald Glover, then mostly known as a cast member in the cult comedy Community.

Much of 2022 was being freshly created by this group back in 2012. Ten years from today, it’s a good bet we’ll all be living in a new world being imagined today by the 600 entrepreneurs, innovators and entertainers that make up our 10th Anniversary class.

Read the full story on Forbes

Subscribe to FORBES

Stay Connected

Forbes newsletters

Forbes on Facebook

Forbes Video on Twitter

Forbes Video on Instagram

More From Forbes

Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.