How Kyrgyz startup MentalX creates a solution at the intersection of technology and human care

Nursultan Tuleyev, Bishkek, CTO MentalX, LinkedIn

How it all started

The idea of creating MentalX was born out of a real need. Our team consists of young specialists in technology, management and business. We have long been interested in the topic of mental health and saw how limited the existing solutions are in our region — especially for people who speak Kyrgyz and Russian. Many of us have personally experienced the difficulties of finding affordable and quality mental health care.

We realized that we could combine technology and psychology to create a safe, convenient and accessible support space. This is how we created MentalX — a platform for psychological counseling, self-help and emotional support with the help of AI and real experts.

Launching a startup

We started with a small prototype — a bot for Telegram that gave automatic recommendations on how to improve emotional state. The first tests showed a high level of user interest. Gradually we expanded the functionality: we added the ability to sign up for consultations with real psychologists, conduct self-tests, and receive recommendations based on artificial intelligence.

The team was assembled through random assignment as part of our last interdisciplinary college project. All participants came together around a common mission: to make psychological care accessible to everyone. In the startup, we worked with a small amount of funding from the institution, as well as contributing personal resources and time.

Target audience

Our startup targets a wide audience — from teenagers to adults who are dealing with 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 their native language. Our main users are people who are looking for access to psychological support without stigma, conveniently and anonymously. So far, more than 150 people have already used our product via Telegram bot, and we are actively growing. Among our partners are psychology specialists from Kyrgyzstan, with whom we have built long-term cooperation.

Incubation programs

We did not undergo classical incubation or acceleration programs. However, at all stages of the project we were under professional supervision and received advice from certified psychologists, experienced mentors and specialists. These included experts from TSI AUCA and SOS Children's Villages, one of the largest organizations supporting socially vulnerable groups. Their advice and support has played a key role in the development of our platform. At the moment we are preparing the startup to attract the first external investment.

Challenges

One of the main challenges is gaining users' trust in a digital product in such a sensitive area as psychological health. We also faced problems finding qualified professionals willing to work in an online format and the need to comply with ethical standards in digital counseling.

Among the interesting cases, we saw that after the introduction of the Kyrgyz-language version of the bot, user activity increased by almost 40%. This proved the importance of working with local languages.

Advice to those starting out in startups: listen to real users from the first days, test hypotheses in practice, not just on paper, and do not be afraid to adapt to feedback.

Accomplishments

Over the 2024-2025 period, we will:

1. Launched a full-fledged Telegram bot with multifunctionality: chatbot, consultation booking, AI assistant, self-testing.

2. Developed our own system for selecting psychologists by language, gender, specialization and consultation format.

3. Created a database of over 50 certified psychologists.

4. Received high user appreciation: over 90% positive feedback on the platform.

5. Successfully participated in hackathons from High Tech Park with prizes, in CASC 2025.

Plans

By the end of 2025, we plan to launch a web version of the service to expand access channels, and develop a mobile app with medication reminders and the ability to make appointments for consultations.

We will also introduce a subscription system for specialists, while the platform will remain completely free for users. Our plans include expanding our partner network beyond Kyrgyzstan to other CIS countries, as well as participating in one of the major international gas pedals 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 assistance of specialists and a culture of conscious self-care.