Boston Startup Interview: Neuroscientist Pernille Yilmam on Mental Health Advocacy

At VAIRIX, we’re dedicated to exploring the journeys of Boston's startup founders and leaders. Our interview series explores the stories behind the innovation. Today, we're excited to feature Pernille Yilmam, a Danish neuroscientist and mental health advocate, who transitioned from academia to launching a nonprofit startup in Boston called Mind Blossom. Pernille's work is a powerful blend of scientific rigor and compassionate outreach, aimed at making mental health education accessible to all. In this conversation, she shares her journey, the mission behind Mind Blossom, and the impact she hopes to achieve.

Could you share a bit about your background and what inspired you to enter the startup world?

I'll give you the short story. I’m a neuroscientist by training, with a PhD in that field, and I also have a background in Psychology. I left academia because I wanted to have more of a social and direct impact, providing people with knowledge that’s often only available in higher education. I have a long history of personal mental illness, and my recovery journey was difficult. One crucial part of that journey was understanding what was happening to me—what had happened in my past and how it shaped where I am today. Research since the 1980s shows that understanding more about ourselves and the roots of our mental illness amplifies our ability to recover. When I realized this, I felt that everyone should have access to this knowledge, not just a small group. That’s the short version of my story.

Please share a little more about Mind Blossom and what they do.

It’s really simple—we're just taking the kind of education people get in psychology or neuroscience courses at the undergraduate or graduate level and providing that information to the public. A lot of the people we work with don’t have an academic background, so we break it down to make it understandable and relatable. For example, we go to community centers and provide weekly sessions on mental health topics they’re interested in. We recently completed a program at a Boston Community Center, where we covered early warning signs in youth, self-care, and what to do when someone around you—whether a peer, family member, or yourself—faces a mental health challenge. We focus on community centers and work with three groups: staff members like community center staff or teachers, parents or caregivers, and youth, primarily high schoolers aged 13 and up.

It’s often hard for people to take the first step in getting help. What do you think holds them back?‍

Right, and that hesitation is common. A lot of what feeds into the reluctance to see a therapist or even talk about mental health is stigma. People worry that others might think they’re not capable of doing certain things or that something deeper is wrong with them. We try to address and break that stigma. We’ve seen that after participating in our programs, people go from being unwilling to seek therapy to being very open to it. That shift in attitude is so important to us.

I believe you already touched on this, but how do you integrate neuroscience and mental health education into your work at Mind Blossom? And what impact do you hope to achieve?

As a neuroscientist, I draw a lot from my training. Even if people aren’t initially interested in mental health, they’re often curious about the brain. Understanding how our brain is affected by our environment, genes, and how it plays out in our behavior and thoughts makes the topic more accessible. Our primary goal is to improve people’s knowledge about mental health. Next, we want them to become better at communicating about it, whether advocating for themselves with a healthcare provider or for someone else. We also want them to be resourceful—knowing where to go for help. Finally, we aim to break down stigma and make it easier for people to speak up. I grew up in a family where my parents didn’t provide the support I needed, partly because they needed help themselves. Outsiders could see what was happening but didn’t say anything. How do we get those bystanders to speak up and offer resources? That’s a long-term and personal impact I hope to achieve.

Could you please discuss the role of AI and biosensors in advancing mental health care and how Mind Blossom incorporates these technologies?

That’s a great question, and it’s interesting how I got into that field. After my PhD, I realized the academic research route wasn’t for me. I wanted to teach and do research, but the traditional path at a big university didn’t align with my values, especially regarding mental health: 12-hour-long days, six days a week. I ended up in a consulting position for a biosensor company, which was an incredible experience. I worked with researchers worldwide, helping ensure their work was up to par. That’s how I got deep into biosensors and AI. I realized the potential of remote, contactless biosensors like voice analysis and eye tracking, and how they can reveal more about people than just their survey responses.

Right now, Mind Blossom isn’t using these technologies directly because we lack the funding—technology requires money, which is hard to come by as a nonprofit. But we’re collaborating with partners who provide their technology for free, allowing us to screen people before and after our programs. Long-term, I want to develop a generative AI-driven mental health education interface that’s scalable. Imagine, for example, making something like sexual harassment training relevant and engaging. The best way to break stigma is through relationships, so what if we could create virtual people with mental illnesses that people could interact with? That could really make an impact.

What challenges have you faced in developing educational programs for under-resourced communities, and how has Mind Blossom addressed these?

I can share a couple of challenges and how we overcame them. One challenge was when we developed a virtual program for parents, asking for a small fee. Despite offering over 12 hours of live content, no one signed up. There was a huge mismatch between what people said they needed and their willingness to pay for it. In the mental health field, especially in the US, adults are reluctant to spend money on mental health support unless there’s a clear financial benefit. So, I thought, instead of asking them for money, why not give them money? Inspired by the microfinancing model, we started offering financial incentives for participation. This approach has significantly increased engagement and made an impact, even though we rely entirely on funding and aren’t making money from this.

Another challenge is getting into schools, which is incredibly difficult due to red tape and the need to know the right people. We’ve paused our efforts there and are focusing on community centers instead, where we can make a real difference without those barriers.

Who funds microfinancing? Is it the government?

I wish, haha. That’s the long-term goal, but right now, it’s private funding—donations from individuals, funds, foundations, grants, all of that. One of the most ridiculous things is that microfinancing programs are common in African, Middle Eastern, and Southeast Asian countries as a public health approach. In the US, though, we have similar situations where people live as if they’re in a developing country, lacking resources and knowledge to do things differently, yet we’re not promoting these programs here. We’re simply trying to bring these programs home. We’re fortunate to have advisors on our team who’ve implemented these programs abroad and can now guide us on how to do it in the US. But this isn’t new—we’re just doing it here.

What positive aspects or unique characteristics have you noticed about the Boston startup ecosystem, especially coming from Denmark?

Coming from Denmark is one thing, and I’m still trying to understand the ins and outs of healthcare insurance here, which is difficult because no one breaks it down in an easy-to-understand way. That’s just one example where moving to a new country presents barriers because you don’t understand how the system works. Another barrier for me was transitioning from the research field, with no intention of leaving, to the biosensor tech world, and then starting a nonprofit. I didn’t study business development during that time, so I’m still learning. But that also brings creativity from not knowing how things work.

Boston’s startup scene is very dynamic, with exciting ideas everywhere. Several people I didn’t know reached out to me just because I was in Boston with a nonprofit startup, inviting me to go for runs every Saturday morning with other startup CEOs. I never went because I’m boring, and I was teaching on Saturday mornings. But what an incredible community—so welcoming and focused. That’s something you likely only get in cities with a high density of people doing this sort of thing.

On the flip side, it’s competitive. That’s always the case—limited resources, too many people vying for them. In the nonprofit world, it’s similar to venture capital, which I’m also trying to learn about for the future. But in nonprofits, there’s a lot of competition, with people often working against you rather than with you because they don’t want to share resources. This isn’t just in Boston; it’s everywhere. We’ve tried connecting with other nonprofits who have similar missions, but not everyone is receptive to working together.

Looking ahead, what are your future plans for growth and innovation, and how do you see Boston contributing to these plans?

I’ll start with Boston. We’re building excellent relationships with some Boston community centers, and I’m excited about exploring growth and partnerships there. We’re also slowly making our way into schools, though it’s a slow process. Boston is a great place because there are so many young people passionate about making an impact. As a nonprofit, where the work often isn’t well-paid but meaningful, we need that kind of person—someone who values passion over money. Boston is also more progressive regarding mental health, which makes it easier to be here.

For growth and innovation, I want our work to reach as many community centers and organizations as possible, starting in Massachusetts and Connecticut, and then expanding further. We’re fortunate to have team members across the US and even in other countries—our director of programming is in India, and we’re looking to expand our programming there too. We’re committed to exploring how we can scale mental health education in a way that’s engaging and doesn’t rely solely on human support. That’s where the idea of a video game or browser interface comes in. It’s a long-term goal that I’m in the early stages of defining and exploring, finding people who want to work on it together.

What advice would you give to other mental health startups looking to make a meaningful impact in their communities?

I advise various companies, mostly startups, and often they come to me with ideas, usually involving an app. Apps are great, but there are so many of them, and many are free. I love apps and integrate them into our sessions because they’re useful, but how do you compete with that? How do you distinguish your capabilities and features from the already existing apps, especially when you’re up against companies like Headspace? It’s important to understand what’s out there and how you can set yourself apart.

You also need to have a reality check about whether you can realistically compete against companies like Headspace. If not, how can you advance what others are doing? Can you integrate multiple types of wearables and do something innovative with that data? For example, one startup I’m advising asked if it’s possible to measure resilience from wearables. The short answer is absolutely not—you can’t measure something as complex as resilience from a wearable. So, align yourself with science, demonstrate that you have something unique, and take a diverse approach.

Do you think it's more effective to focus on a specific mental health disorder or to take a broader approach?

That’s a great question, and it really comes down to what you can do. For example, I worked in the Fragile X field for a long time. Fragile X syndrome is an inherited mental disorder that, in many ways, appears similar to autism but is caused by one genetic mutation. It’s a small group of people affected, but there’s a lot of funding because people want resources, understanding, and treatments. So, focusing on a specific group can be valuable because they’re often overlooked and most willing to invest.

But if you want broader appeal, you might aim for general mindfulness that applies to everyone. It depends on what you can offer and who it’s relevant for. Does that make sense?

Before we wrap up, is there anything else you'd like to share with our audience?

I encourage people to take care of themselves. Nutrition, sleep, exercise, and connections—these four things are like a recipe for good mental health. It’s not necessarily solving your identity crisis or unhappiness, but these are four free things you can do right now. I’d love for you guys to share that with people.

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Pernille’s passion for mental health and her commitment to transforming underserved communities embody the compassionate spirit that defines Boston’s ecosystem. Her work not only contributes to the city's community but also underscores the impact of dedicated leaders in the region.

Are you a CEO or founder in the Boston area? We’d love to hear your story. Reach out to be featured in our series and share your insights with the community.

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