Manjul Rathee (CEO and Co-founder, BfB Labs)

Can you explain your job to a five-year-old? 

I create fun mobile games for kids to help them be brave and face things that might scare them or make them worried. In the game, players become 'Luminauts' and go on a big adventure in space! They solve puzzles, catch slimy creatures, find treasures, and finish challenges to save the galaxy.

My job is to make sure the game works really well and is safe for everyone to play. I also talk to doctors, teachers, parents, smart people, and kids to make sure the game is just right and helps lots of children.

What excites you most about your job?

What excites me most is knowing that our work is making a real difference in children’s lives. 

Children’s mental health is in crisis and has only worsened since the pandemic. There’s a huge gap in care provision for children and young people with mild to moderate anxiety and a big discrepancy in access to care and outcomes for marginalized groups. 

We desperately need effective, accessible early interventions which can support children and young people early to avoid the challenges and burden of needing support later on. 

These are big problems. But our mission is to help solve them, which is incredibly motivating.

Which trend will change the future of medicine? 

Seeing health tech solutions shift from being an ‘add-on’ to standard support mechanisms (such as face-to-face care) to becoming standalone interventions will be a game changer. As safer and more effective solutions are developed, we’ll be able to provide healthcare at scale; reaching those who can’t access face-to-face support, informing patient journeys through data, minimising inefficiencies, and reducing the burden on healthcare professionals and stakeholders.

Looking back, which trends have you missed or underestimated? 

The healthcare sector has historically been cautious about integrating naturopathy and alternative and complementary medicine. Therefore, I never thought that cannabis, which is often associated with naturopathy, would be accepted or utilized for patient benefit in Western healthcare systems. However, this has changed significantly over the last decade.

Which MedTech initiative or startup deserves more attention? 

Startups targeting loneliness, which is a driver of poor mental and physical health, are often perceived as focusing on 'social impact' rather than overall health benefits. Loneliness is a significant issue affecting approximately 20% of the adult population in Western countries. However, we continue to underestimate the potential impact of initiatives operating in this space, which can significantly reduce healthcare costs by addressing the root cause of the problem.

Where would you put a million dollars? 

I would invest it in developing new digital therapeutic interventions to address more mental health challenges in children and young people—at scale. Anxiety is just one piece of the puzzle. There are so many other areas—like depression, ADHD, and trauma—where scalable, accessible early interventions could improve outcomes and widen access to care for children. A million dollars could go a long way toward developing technologies that offer the same evidence-based care we’re known for but target a broader range of needs. 

I’d also focus on ensuring these tools are accessible to underserved communities, such as those from low-income backgrounds or ethnic minorities. By improving access to care and tailoring interventions to specific populations, we can close the gap in mental health provision and give every child the chance to thrive.

What's the best advice you've ever received? 

Don’t hold back because of the fear of judgement because you’ll always be judged for something or the other.