State of Mind:The Startup Ecosystem

Method

About the study

An anonymous online study on stress and wellbeing in the startup ecosystem, shared through LinkedIn, founder WhatsApp groups and investor networks. Wellbeing was measured with an adapted WHO-5 Well-Being Index, a widely used and validated scale. Of 1,040 responses, 823 passed both attention checks and form the analysis sample. No names, contact details or company names were collected.

Contributors

Authors

• Priyanka Kartari

  Founder · The Thought Co.

  Priyanka Kartari is the founder of The Thought Co., a psychologist-led emotional wellbeing practice in Mumbai, operating since 2014. She holds Master's degrees in Clinical Psychology and in Counselling Psychotherapy, is trained in the Gottman Method (Levels 1 and 2), and specialises in anxiety, identity, couples work, burnout and grief. She is POSH certified and QACP trained in DEI. Her current focus is workplace mental health in India.

• Dr. Sukhmani Pal

  Wellness Head · Cars24

  Dr. Sukhmani Pal has over 10 years of experience as a psychologist and researcher across academic, clinical and corporate settings. She holds a PhD in Psychology from the University of Mississippi, USA, and has worked with individuals across India and the USA. She heads Wellness, DEI and Culture at Cars24, where she is responsible for building a psychologically safe and inclusive workplace.

• Dr. Dilip Panikker

  Psychotherapist

  Dr. Dilip Panikker is a practising psychotherapist with more than 30 years of experience. He taught psychology at undergraduate and post-graduate level from 1987 to 2005, and was a consulting psychologist at Holy Family Hospital, Bandra, Mumbai, where he helped design and run one of the largest epidemiological surveys on dementia conducted in India. He has worked with the corporate world for more than 25 years as a trainer and senior leadership coach.