Mental health in the workplace is a real challenge that remains largely under-addressed. Matthieu Gilson and Gilles Nisol created the EVOLUNO platform to help change that.
Who doesn’t know someone who has suffered from burnout or depression? And who hasn’t personally experienced a slump that required stepping back for a few days, weeks, or longer? Poorly supported mental health issues can be devastating for individuals and extremely costly for companies. A tool that offers empathetic listening and expert guidance is clearly needed.
Alarming statistics
That’s exactly the conclusion reached by Matthieu Gilson and Gilles Nisol, PhD candidates in economics and statistics at ULB around 2020. During their academic journey, they engaged with employers and saw the psychological toll on teams.
“According to Sciensano, one in five people suffer clinically from depression or anxiety – and the numbers are even higher among young people,” says Matthieu Gilson. “And the available support is often limited or difficult to access.”
So, they decided to launch a platform focused on mental health at work. “We first created an AI consultancy company, but we really wanted to develop a product, offering solutions to the problems we had identified using the technology we know best.”
Their project is ambitious: “EVOLUNO is more than just a tech application,” insists Matthieu. “We build partnerships with companies to help them communicate about mental health. Our tool is for everyone and designed to become an integrated, lasting part of the company culture.”
Prevention, care, and analytics
EVOLUNO works on three fronts: prevention, support, and analytics for companies.
“Most investments in society and business don’t go into prevention, even though many people need help,” says Matthieu. “We created a wide range of tools to help each person find the right support, at the right time.”
The platform offers self-guided resources co-designed with psychologists. “We even developed a facial scan that reads your emotional needs based on your facial features!”
EVOLUNO also supports people who are doing well but want to feel even better. “There’s truly something for everyone.”
When prevention isn’t enough, EVOLUNO offers direct access to a network of certified psychologists, available 24/7 for a first conversation and orientation. A personalized care strategy can then be created, potentially involving specialists.
“Top athletes have coaches – I want the same for workers. Everyone deserves the right support when they need it,” says Matthieu.
Subscription pricing is based on the number of employees, and employers receive anonymized, aggregated usage reports. They can also request surveys on psychosocial risks, mental health, engagement, and job satisfaction.
Strong advantages
EVOLUNO clearly meets a need. “Until now, European companies were poorly equipped due to a lack of suitable solutions,” notes Matthieu. “We broke down the barriers, made existing solutions more digestible, and built bridges between psychology and self-learning. We’re also more innovative, especially in terms of digitalization.”
The company aims to be profitable by 2025, with investments from Mensura and partnerships with Group S and UCM to reach SMEs and freelancers.
And they’re going global: “Our offer has no borders,” says Matthieu. “We’re available in French, Dutch, and English. Our psychologists are based all over the world. We already work with a company in Australia and Belgian companies with branches abroad. Our ambition is to become a global leader.”
Brussels advantage
EVOLUNO’s growth prospects are strong, even if they didn’t use all available support structures at first. “Transitioning from academia to entrepreneurship isn’t easy,” Matthieu admits. “We made the mistake of not engaging with local ecosystems early. We only contacted lifetech.brussels later, once our vision was more developed. Gilles and I are more doers than networkers. I’m trying to change that now.”
The founders feel at home in Brussels. “The entrepreneurial scene is dynamic, especially in tech,” says Matthieu. “That said, a few improvements would help – like big flagship projects and a simpler admin process. Many subsidies exist, but they’re hard to access. Luckily, the Brussels government and agencies like hub.brussels are helping.”
