BetterUp
| BetterUp | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Private |
| Industry | Professional development |
| Founded | 2013 |
| Founder |
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| Headquarters | , |
| Key people |
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| Products | Coaching platform, AI coaching |
| Website | www |
BetterUp is an American digital coaching and workforce development company founded in 2013. It was officially launched in 2016 and raised a total of $570 million.[1] The company specializes in one-on-one coaching, behavioral sciences, and artificial intelligence to provide personal and professional development for individuals and companies.
History
[edit]BetterUp was founded by Alexi Robichaux and Eduardo Medina in 2013. It was beta-tested by Logitech, Capital One, and Deloitte. In November 2016, it raised $12.9 million and officially launched its mobile application that connects employees with career coaches.[Notes 1][2] In 2018, the company launched BetterUp Labs to collaborate with academic and scientific partners on furthering research in organizational psychology, behavioral neuroscience, and social psychology.[3] In June 2019, BetterUp raised $103 million in a Series C round.[4]
In 2021, after the COVID-19 pandemic created a "dotcom boom for mental health",[5] BetterUp raised a $125 million Series D at a $1.7 billion valuation,[6] acquired the companies Motive (detects emotions in language) and Impraise (manager productivity tool),[7] and raised a Series E round of $300 million at a nearly $4.7 billion valuation.[8][1] Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, joined the company as Chief Impact Officer in 2021, a position he held until 2026 when he transitioned to the role of senior advisor.[9][10] The company established the Center for Purpose and Performance chaired by Dr. Adam Grant to conduct behavioral research on workplace motivation.[11] In 2023, BetterUp acquired the sleep coaching company Crescent.[12] In August 2025, after acquiring Heyday (AI for coaches) and Practica (skills-based AI coaching), BetterUp released a pure AI coaching application.[13][14]
Description
[edit]BetterUp operates a subscription-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) to provide customized virtual professional coaching to individuals and enterprises. It provides one-on-one and group coaching, assessment tools, video sessions, AI-powered interventions and data-driven insights.[14] BetterUp raised $570 million since its launch in 2013.[1] Customers include Meta,[15] Salesforce,[1] Hilton,[16] and the US Air Force.[17]
Further reading
[edit]- Shawn Achor, Gabriella Rosen Kellerman, Andrew Reece and Alexi Robichaux, America's Loneliest Workers, According to Research, Harvard Business Review, 19 March 2018
- Evan W. Carr, Andrew Reece, Gabriella Rosen Kellerman and Alexi Robichaux, The Value of Belonging at Work, Harvard Business Review, 19 December 2019
- Alexi Robichaux, Rebuilding trust for the age of AI, World Economic Forum, 8 January 2025
- Kate Niederhoffer, Gabriella Rosen Kellerman, Angela Lee, Alex Liebscher, Kristina Rapuano and Jeffrey T. Hancock, AI-Generated "Workslop" Is Destroying Productivity, Harvard Business Review, 25 September 2025
Notes
[edit]- ↑ $2.9million in seed, $10 million round A
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 Landi, Heather (October 11, 2021). "BetterUp mental health startup banks $5B valuation". www.fiercehealthcare.com. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
- ↑ Sawers, Paul (November 16, 2016). "BetterUp raises $12.9 million and launches platform that connects employees with professional coaches". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on October 1, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2025.
- ↑ Thibodeaux, Wanda (August 27, 2018). "This New Research Lab Is Dedicated to Helping Your Workplace Perform Better". Inc. Archived from the original on March 20, 2025. Retrieved December 13, 2025.
- ↑ Rogers, Adams (June 12, 2019). "A $100M Bet That Online Coaching Can Make a Better Manager". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved December 13, 2025.
- ↑ Jacobs, Emma (August 11, 2021). "BetterUp rides the mental health tech boom". www.ft.com. Retrieved January 17, 2026.
- ↑ Lovett, Laura (February 25, 2021). "Innovaccer, BetterUP land unicorn status and other digital health fundings". www.mobihealthnews.com. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
- ↑ Lovett, Laura (September 17, 2021). "Behavioral coaching unicorn BetterUp acquires data-focused Motive and Impraise". www.mobihealthnews.com. Retrieved January 17, 2026.
- ↑ Young, Jim. "Mental health startup BetterUp raises funds at near $5 bln valuation". Reuters. Archived from the original on June 1, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2025.
- ↑ Cutter, Chip (March 23, 2021). "WSJ News Exclusive | Prince Harry Is Taking on a New Job Title: Chief Impact Officer at BetterUp". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved December 13, 2025.
- ↑ Chavez, Paloma (November 6, 2026). "Prince Harry transitions to new role at BetterUp after moving back to the U.K." People. Retrieved November 8, 2026.
- ↑ Burton, Amber; Confino, Paolo (October 4, 2022). "Adam Grant says managers don't know how to evaluate employee performance in a remote workforce. He's teaming up with BetterUp to provide guidance". Fortune. Retrieved January 17, 2026.
- ↑ Fedeli, Kristen (May 8, 2023). "BetterUp Acquires AI Sleep Coach Crescent". Fitt Insider. Retrieved January 17, 2026.
- ↑ Burba, Annabel (August 18, 2025). "How BetterUp Built an AI-Only Coaching Product 95 Percent of Its Customers Love". Inc. Archived from the original on September 25, 2025. Retrieved December 13, 2025.
- 1 2 Knight, Rebecca. "Could AI be your next career coach? One virtual-coaching company thinks so — and other businesses are buying in". Business Insider. Retrieved December 13, 2025.
- ↑ Robinson, Melia (December 23, 2017). "Companies like Facebook and LinkedIn are paying for employees to get on-the-clock 'life coaching'". Yahoo! Finance. Retrieved January 17, 2026.
- ↑ Dabo, Mohamed (September 19, 2023). "Hilton unveils global mental wellbeing support". Hotel Management Network. Retrieved April 14, 2026.
- ↑ Helbling, Katie (September 28, 2023). "BetterUp Inc. Partners with US Air Force for $99M of Leadership Coaching". ClearanceJobs. Retrieved December 13, 2025.