Company Profile:
Big White Wall
Big White Wall (BWW) is a multi-award winning digital behavioral health and well-being service. Its online community provides a clinically-supported, professionally-facilitated, safe and secure place for individuals over the age of 18, where they are empowered to improve their psychological and emotional well-being. BWW was established to help individuals get support, take control and feel better. It offers an anonymous space to share feelings and talk openly, while accessing pathways to recovery through a range of therapeutic services. BWW is moderated by professional staff called Wall Guides, who provide safety and support 24/7. BWW has engaged over 20,000 consumers with conditions ranging from stress, depression, and anxiety to PTSD, as well as co-existing chronic conditions. BWW is commissioned by organizations serving more than 27% of the UK adult population, with annual savings of more than $560.00 per member per year. The UK National Health Service designated Big White Wall as a High Impact Innovation based on achievement of outcomes demonstrating significant patient and provider engagement, improved financial outcomes and high-quality clinical outcomes.
Q: Please tell us how your business idea was conceived. Was there an "aha" moment or did it evolve gradually?
A: Big White Wall is an online peer-support network for emotional health that grew out of a London social project to encourage people to speak out about the demolition of derelict homes used for sex and drug trafficking. Community members expressed their feelings and memories about their own families' former homes by writing and drawing on the buildings' walls. The value of anonymous self-expression became obvious, and Big White Wall grew as an online forum to empower individuals to express--many for the first time--issues that concern them.
Q: What's the most inventive, innovative, or disruptive aspect of your initiative?
A: Big White Wall provides choices and complete control over how, where, when, and with whom those experiencing poor mental or behavioral health find support and recovery.
Q: How will it help people live to their greatest potential or contribute to making the world healthier?
A: By transforming the health journey from a passive, lonely, and inconvenient experience to one that is active, supported, and experienced on the individual’s own terms. Big White Wall can expand access to safe, effective mental and behavioral healthcare with none of the barriers associated with traditional healthcare delivery, such as travel or taking time off work. It also provides a safe environment that supports recovery and offers hope and a place to share with others, gain control, and make progress.
Q: Five years from now, what would you like to be able to say has been your most important contribution to health?
A: Turning models of healthcare delivery on their head by better supporting the vast majority of healthcare which takes place at “home” and outside of primary or secondary care. I hope we will be able to say that millions of people across the globe are able to get instant, easy access to help in the moment they experience the need, which lets them make real changes to their emotional and mental health and well being.
Q: What single word or phrase best describes the culture of your startup and why?
A: You are not alone.