Hello Tomo

Hello Tomo is a digital health company founded in 2016 by Gus Booth-Clibborn and Fahad Al Saud, a UCL-trained neurobiologist. The inspiration for the company stemmed from Al Saud's personal battle with major depressive disorder and the support system he created with family and friends through a WhatsApp group to motivate positive actions. This experience highlighted the critical role of social support in managing mental health and formed the foundational concept for the company.

The firm's primary offering is the Tomo mobile application, a tool designed to help individuals manage and improve their mental wellbeing by building healthy habits. The app operates within the digital mental health market, targeting users dealing with conditions like depression, anxiety, and stress. It employs principles of Behavioural Activation (BA), a therapeutic technique that is a core component of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). The process encourages users to understand the link between their actions and their mood, focusing on small, manageable activities to build resilience and prevent relapse.

Tomo's platform combines BA with a supportive, anonymous community. Users can share photos of their completed activities with a peer group, who provide encouragement without the pressures of comments or like counts, fostering accountability. An AI-powered chatbot acts as a virtual companion, checking in with users, tracking their progress, and providing personalized suggestions for activities. The company's revenue model includes providing its service to organizations and healthcare systems. Notably, Tomo was commissioned by the NHS wellbeing service, Good Thinking, making the app available for free to users across London. In May 2021, Hello Tomo was acquired by ICAS World, a global employee health and wellbeing services provider, as part of ICAS's new digital health strategy. This acquisition integrated Tomo into ICAS's extensive network, providing users with access to over 80,000 clinicians for coaching and therapy.

Keywords: digital health, mental wellbeing, behavioural activation, mobile application, peer support, habit building, depression management, anxiety support, chatbot, cognitive behavioural therapy, digital therapeutics, mental health platform, NHS, ICAS World, Gus Booth-Clibborn, Fahad Al Saud, anonymous community, resilience building, self-management, healthtech