Communication is the most powerful tool in overcoming a situation of any magnitude. Merely handling things by oneself never really works out in the best. Especially if you’re dealing with psychological issues, then it’s better to seek out a professional in that matter. However, you could do the same with other people who know the situation the best and understand what you’re going through without any hesitation. There is one such platform known as The Tal App that makes this quite feasible for the majority of people to access.
The Tal app is a platform for people to interact with one another who might be going through the same situation as yourself. It’s a community forum filled with positivity and bridging the gaps of finding the adequate and proper solution for the problems faced in daily lives. Users can interact with hundreds of individuals and even get into private conversations with them to seek necessary remedial information. The platform supports people looking to open up about their situation and provide necessary support where they can overcome any hurdle with ease. Speaking with Jack Shangold and Walker Davidson, the co-founders of The Tal App, Venture Mirror learned a lot about the company, and we have shared our conversation in the excerpts provided below.
What is the startup / product / venture about? Give us a brief description of it.
The Tal App is an anonymous mental health platform focused on fostering connections between people going through similar struggles. The platform is a welcoming community that harbors deep conversations that allow members to feel truly cared for. The supportive environment is a place for members to feel comforted and receive advice from those that have faced similar circumstances. The intent is for members to connect with others in the public forum, and then transfer this to a private conversation via direct messaging. Our goal is for everyone to always have someone to talk to who can relate to what they are going through.
How many co-founders are there? Please introduce them and their backgrounds.
3 Co-founders
Jack Shangold, CEO: Jack is a student at Babson College and is from Middletown, New Jersey. This is Jack’s first startup, but his drive makes up for his lack of experience. He has had involvement in other areas though, such as sales at Vector Marketing.
Walker Davidson, COO: Walker is also a student at Babson College and is from Atlanta, Georgia. Walker has started up small businesses in the past including Walker Film Company and Davidson Realty Media. Walker primarily handles our partnerships along with communication throughout the team, advisory board, and our very supportive community.
Jacob Misiewicz, CTO: Jacob owns Astro Creatives, a software development company. Since Jack and Walker met Jacob on Upwork, Jacob has become an extremely valuable member of the team and leads the business on the tech side of things.
How did you come up with the idea? What motivated you to do this?
Four years ago, I was diagnosed with an Anxiety Disorder. After many therapy sessions and a lot of work, I was able to get it under control. Unfortunately though, it returned this January. When I returned to college later that month, I was straining to keep the anxiousness down.
I knew I needed to talk to someone about what I was going through and made the scary decision to tell my friends, who had no prior knowledge of my battles with mental illness. When I told them about what I was facing, they responded better than I could have ever imagined. I have never felt as close with a community of people as I do now with these guys.
I now feel a responsibility to pay the favor forward. I created Tal to make sure that everyone has a platform to receive the same support that I now have.
-Jack
Who is your target market? Why do you think your product will appeal to them?
Our primary market right now is young adults who are struggling with their mental health. We believe that our product is appealing to them because it is built similarly to a social media app. This gives them the comfort of familiarity along with the idea that no one on the app knows who they are.
We want to make it clear though that we are not just targeting young adults; we want anyone struggling with any circumstances to join Tal. As of now though, we see young adults as the population that our app can spread the fastest within.
Who are your competitors? How are you different from them?
Our three main direct competitors are The Trill Project, Helponymous, and Vent. We would not like to discuss our competitors as we respect each of them and support their missions of helping improve the population’s mental health. We are different because we are the newest product on the market but this is as far as we will go in discussing our competitors.
What are the future plans with the product/startup? Any new features you are planning on?
Having just launched May 2, we are working on cleaning up the app and perfecting our first build. We are looking at many options for future updates, including a live chat feature, along with a process to connect members with licensed therapists, and improved AI.
We are currently starting the process of trying to raise capital through various means such as crowdfunding, investments, grants, and pitch competitions. We are also starting to work on a marketing campaign to spread the word about our platform.
Website or app URL
Website :- https://thetalapp.com
App Store :- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tal/id1563285201
Play Store :- https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.astro.tal