Founder mental health: let's actually talk about it

I had a panic attack at a board meeting last year. I've never said that publicly before. I think it's time we talked honestly about founder mental health.

Thank you for sharing that, Jake. I've seen this from the board side. The pressure cooker is real, and the 'hustle culture' narrative makes it worse. Founders feel like they can't show vulnerability.

The research is alarming. 72% of founders report mental health concerns. Founders are 2x more likely to experience depression than the general population. And yet most accelerator programs don't even mention mental health.

As a COO, my job is partly to be a pressure valve for my CEO. I can see when she's redlining and I'll step in to take things off her plate. Every founder needs someone in that role.

What helped me most was finding a therapist who actually understood startups. Not every therapist does. The ones who say 'just step back and relax' don't get that stepping back might mean 30 people lose their jobs.

I've started asking founders about their support systems during diligence. Not to screen them out — to make sure they're set up to handle the marathon. A founder who burns out is a risk to the entire investment.

The best intervention I've seen is peer groups. Founders talking to other founders in a structured, confidential setting. YC does this well. It normalizes the experience and breaks the isolation.