Announcing Our Investment into 1AND1
Problem: The world of mental health and wellness still is not 100% inclusive, and oftentimes lacks representation.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, African Americans are 20% more likely to experience serious mental health problems than the general population. However, they are also less likely to receive treatment. This is due in part to the fact that many African Americans do not have access to mental health care, which can be attributed to a number of factors, including socioeconomic status, lack of insurance coverage, and distance from care providers. One study found that only 33% of African American adults with mental health needs received treatment in the past year. This is compared to 50% of the general population. There are a number of reasons for this disparity. For one, is the stigma associated with mental illness. More than 80% of Black Americans are very concerned about the stigma which discourages them from seeking treatment. The second reason is there is a shortage of mental health care providers who are culturally competent and understand the unique needs of African Americans. So oftentimes when giving advice, there is a need to make sure it is delivered and presented in a way that's culturally sensitive, appropriate, and properly received by the target audience. Mental health is serious business. It is everyone's responsibility to be an advocate for mental health since it impacts us all and there are many who cannot advocate for themselves.
Enter: 1AND1.
1AND1 is Black-owned mental health and wellness performance platform that curates and customizes content, tools, and products to inform, guide, and empower its community. The platform drives brain-first, body-second behavioral change through expert-driven content, consumer-facing technology, and services. Due to the lack of mental health and fitness resources provided for African Americans, specifically African American men, 1AND1 addresses this issue by simplifying the options, creating accessible information, and disrupting the wellness landscape as a whole.
In turn, a majority of the content curated by the 1AND1 Team is powered by the discussion of what mental health and wellness mean to the Black Community and how, together, we can work to break the stigma. 1AND1 aims to help consumers become 1% better each day. While 1AND1 is BIPOC focused, all are welcome to use the platform and find a home within the community. You're only given 1 Mind, and 1 Body in this life and their goal is to help maximize both to become the best version of yourself.
Why We Invested: We invested in 1AND1 because we believe they will be the category-defining winner when it comes to mental health as it relates to the BIPOC community and other underserved/overlooked communities. We met the 1AND1 team via one of our LPs (and we are so grateful for the introduction). The founders, Corey Lewis and Thomas Drew are not a duo we would bet against as they are smart, tenacious, hungry and set on making the mental health and wellness space more inclusive.
We recognize how important mental health and wellness is to making our world a better and more accepting place where everyone can succeed. We loved their unshakable drive towards breaking through the barriers of inclusivity while addressing a hard-to-address topic that most see as taboo. We believe we are the right investors to support them on this important journey.
Team: Corey Lewis & Thomas Drew
Corey Lewis is Co-founder & CEO of 1AND1, a digital platform that makes the best in modern wellness accessible to people around the world through content, curation and community. A lifelong lover of sports, Corey played football in the Big Ten Conference at The University of Illinois, was part of the Academic All Big-Ten for three years, and won the Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Award. Afterward, he played a short stint as a professional football player and persevered through four ACL surgeries and seven knee surgeries. Corey has B.S. in Communications and M.S. in Sports Administration from The University Of Illinois [CPT; CSCS].
Thomas Drew, known in most circles as "TDrew," is an Entrepreneur, Public Speaker, and the Co-founder and President of 1AND1. 1AND1 is a mental health and wellness company that drives behavioral change through expert-driven content, technology, and services. Additionally, Thomas is a Founding Partner at COY, a SaaS, plug-and-play subscription content solution for creators that want to protect their brands, own their data and monetize their audience. Before 1AND1, Drew ran a division at a marketing agency in NYC. Following his one-year tenure there, and before focusing on 1AND1 full-time, Drew started and headed up his own Marketing Agency called 'Motus Agency.' Drew has a M.S. in Strategic Communication/Brand Strategy from Columbia University In The City Of New York; B.S. in Business Administration (Sports Marketing Concentration) from Davenport University (MI).
Mental health can be a difficult and uncomfortable topic to discuss. The systematic barriers and socioeconomic factors impacting the African-American communities around the country can be an even more difficult, and uncomfortable topic to discuss. However, these are two conversations that are essential for closing the gap between the quality of care that our African-American communities receive. Mental health is a serious business, and there are many who cannot advocate for themselves, especially in the African-American community. It is everyone's responsibility to be an advocate for mental health since it impacts us all, but we are so excited to see the direction 1AND1 will take us!