San Mateo SBDC
Mechi Wellness Inc
“Working with SBDC advisors has been transformational. Their pitch-coaching gave me the confidence to deliver my first angel pitch—and as soon as I stepped onstage, my nerves vanished. I left feeling empowered and ready to pursue the next funding milestone.”
About Business
Mechi Wellness is a digital public-health company offering a mobile app that promotes healthier lifestyles through recreational activities. Unlike typical social-media fitness groups, Mechi partners with academic institutions to measure the real impact of its programs—nurse researchers quantify how consistent activity, such as 30 minutes of soccer, can lower blood pressure or heart rate. This evidence-based approach sets Mechi apart and positions it to drive meaningful, measurable health improvements in its user community.
As a nurse practitioner for 15 years, Martinien “Marty” Cho saw patients struggle to maintain simple lifestyle changes. He envisioned a platform that would combine community, consistency, and hard data so individuals could connect around healthy activities and see measurable health improvements.
Challenge
Mechi Wellness faced several hurdles in its early growth. Marty initially struggled to secure sufficient startup capital, as angel investors’ smaller checks fell short of the funding needed for product development. At the same time, unfilled technical leadership roles delayed key roadmap decisions and slowed feature rollouts. Adding to the complexity, Marty balanced ongoing clinical responsibilities, intensive fundraising efforts, and personal milestones, which led to significant workload pressures and founder fatigue.
Gameplan
Marty’s involvement in our regional Tech Futures Group advising program—paired with local, center engagement—provided expert guidance on grant strategy, technology positioning, and live introductions to funders and fellow entrepreneurs. This multi-layered advising approach was further amplified by the “Perfect Your Pitch” series and tailored pitch-coaching sessions, where iterative feedback, public-speaking drills, and on-stage rehearsals gave Marty the skills and confidence to deliver a compelling investor presentation and secure follow-on discussions.
Results
With advising and technical assistance from the San Mateo SBDC, Mechi Wellness has demonstrated a steady accumulation of wins:
- Built a small but growing team, expanding part-time staff from 1 to 5 employees.
- Launched a pilot partnership with a health center serving underserved people with mental health issues.
- Clarified target funding agencies (NIA, DoD, CDC) and developed a plan for SBIR submissions.
- Narrowed down the ideal customer profile while participating in the UC Berkeley NSF I-Corp customer discovery program.
- Built an advisory board, increasing the venture’s credibility and strategic depth.
