How a Kyrgyz startup, MentalX, is creating a solution at the intersection of technology and human care

Nursultan Tuleev, city — Bishkek, CTO MentalX, LinkedIn

How It All Began

The idea for creating MentalX arose from a genuine need. Our team consists of young specialists in technology, management, and business. We have long been interested in the topic of mental health and noticed how limited existing solutions are in our region — especially for people who speak Kyrgyz and Russian. Many of us personally faced difficulties in finding accessible and high-quality psychological help.

We realized that we could combine technology and psychology to create a safe, convenient, and accessible support space. Thus, we created MentalX — a platform for psychological consultations, self-help, and emotional support using AI and real specialists.

Startup Launch

We started with a small prototype — a Telegram bot that provided automatic recommendations for improving emotional well-being. Initial tests showed high user interest. Gradually, we expanded the functionality: we added the ability to book consultations with real psychologists, conduct self-tests, and receive recommendations based on artificial intelligence.

The team was assembled through random distribution within our final interdisciplinary project at college. All participants united around a common mission: to make psychological help accessible to everyone. At the start, we worked with minimal funding from the educational institution, as well as investing our own resources and time.

Target Audience

Our startup is aimed at a broad audience — from teenagers to adults who face stress, anxiety, depression, self-esteem issues, and other emotional difficulties. We paid special attention to residents of Kyrgyzstan and CIS countries, as there is still a lack of quality solutions in native languages there. Our main users are people who seek access to psychological support without stigma, conveniently and anonymously. Currently, more than 150 people have used our product through the Telegram bot, and we are actively growing. Among our partners are psychologist specialists from Kyrgyzstan, with whom we have established long-term cooperation.

Incubation Programs

We did not go through classic incubation or acceleration programs. However, at all stages of working on the project, we were under professional supervision and received consultations from certified psychologists, experienced mentors, and specialists. Among them were experts from TSI AUCA and the organization SOS Children's Villages, one of the largest organizations supporting socially vulnerable groups. Their advice and support played a key role in the development of our platform. Currently, we are preparing the startup to attract initial external investments.

Challenges

One of the main challenges is gaining user trust in a digital product in such a delicate field as mental health. We also faced problems finding qualified specialists willing to work in an online format and the need to adhere to ethical standards in digital counseling.

An interesting case was that after implementing the Kyrgyz-language version of the bot, user activity increased by almost 40%. This proved the importance of working with local languages.

Advice for those starting their journey in startups: listen to real users from day one, test hypotheses in practice, not just on paper, and do not be afraid to adapt to feedback.

Achievements

In 2024-2025, we:

1. Launched a full-fledged Telegram bot with multi-functionality: chat-bot, booking consultations, AI assistant, self-testing.
2. Developed our own system for selecting psychologists by language, gender, specialization, and consultation format.
3. Created a database of more than 50 certified psychologists.
4. Received high user ratings: more than 90% positive reviews about the platform's work.
5. Successfully participated in hackathons organized by the High Technologies Park, achieving prize-winning places, in CASC 2025.

Plans

By the end of 2025, we plan to launch a web version of the service to expand access channels, as well as develop a mobile application with a medication reminder feature and the ability to book consultations.

We will also implement a subscription system for specialists, while the platform will remain completely free for users. Our plans include expanding the partner network beyond Kyrgyzstan to other CIS countries, as well as participating in one of the major international accelerators to enter new markets. 

Our long-term goal is to become the leading mental health platform in the region, combining the capabilities of artificial intelligence, professional help from specialists, and a culture of mindful self-care.