Survivalist, Mettle, is designed to promote sleep, help people manage stress and improve mental focus.
“We believe if men are better, the world is better,” says the Grylls.
The launch was enabled by £2.5 million seed funding from Elbow Beach Capital, venture capital funds and angel investors. A Series A round is expected to take place next year. The pre-money valuation was £10 million.
For a few minutes every day, Mettle promises to provide the tools men need to lead a more fulfilled life and covering everything from overcoming anxiety to building stronger relationships and having better sex.
It’s heartening to see mindfulness becoming increasingly mainstream, however, the app market is getting crowded, with Headspace, Calm, Insight Timer and Centr already enjoying a strong presence in what Statista estimates to be a US$4.43bn market, which is set to reach $7.08bn by 2028.
However, speaking in The Independent Grylls says Mettle will be different with its unapologetically male focus: “There are a lot of incredible mental health apps out there, but they tend to be quite soft or female-oriented.”
The patriarchy has trained men to be invulnerable, which often leads to brittleness and brittle things break, which may explain why, according to The Mental Health Foundation one in eight men in the UK experience anxiety, depression or stress. Men make up 75 per cent of the country’s suicides and 40 per cent of them feel uncomfortable discussing their mental health with friends, family or a healthcare professional.
The former SAS action man has teamed up with some big names from the mindfulness world to encourage men to do their inner work: mindhack coach, Paul McKenna Chibs Okereke a strong presence on Calm; author, UK Youth Ambassador for Mental Health Dr Alex George and breathwork guru, Jamie Clements, The Breath Space
For further kudos, the team have also partnered with Imperial College London which jointly developed the app and the NHS Foundation Trust South London and Maudsley, which specialises in eating disorders.
Everything on the app is evidence-based and backed by science, it includes meditations, breathing exercises, mind-hacking techniques and presents the latest research in psychology, neuroscience and performance optimisation.
There is discussion about whether the commercialisation of mindfulness is counter to its as Buddhist origins, however, Mettle does invite people to email them if they can’t afford to pay but feel they would benefit from the app.
