Mental Wellness Social Network App Wisdo Wins Google Play Award

Tel Aviv-based startup Wisdo won a Google Play award in the “Best Social Impact” category this week, in a ceremony in Mountain View, California. honoring top Android apps and games in nine categories.

The annual awards “highlight developers that strive for quality and drive innovation on Android,” and looks to honor nominees that have “shown a dedication to creating unique experiences for users to enjoy,” Google says.

Founded in 2015, Wisdo developed an app that helps people connect around shared, sometimes difficult experiences. The app brings people together around themes including identity, sexuality, loss, and physical and mental illness, among others.

In December, Wisdo CEO Boaz Gaon told TechCrunch: “Wisdo grew out of my own personal experience when my father was diagnosed with cancer – I had no experience with cancer and there was no ‘map’ for what I should do next, no one to give me direction.”

“I also understood that this could not possibly be true: there had to be many millions of people who had lived through this exact situation and who could help guide me – I just needed to find them. This was the seed of Wisdo,” he said.

The company recently raised $11 million in a seed funding round from angel investors. Created for people of 17 years of age and over, the app currently has 500,000 beta users, the company says.