Muhammad Hassan Moeen came to GreenHouse with a plan. In fact, that plan had started back when the 3rd year Environment and Business student was in high school. Hassan realized that he wanted to start his own business, as many people in his family had done. The question was what kind of business.
Living at St. Paul’s University College in first year, Hassan got to know some GreenHouse students and staff members who motivated him to follow his passion for business. Once he had finalized the idea he wanted to work towards he decided to join GreenHouse. He believed GreenHouse could give him that right support and mentorship required in establishing a new business.
Another step in the plan fell into place when he watched his roommate drop out of university because he couldn’t access mental health support in a timely manner. This event encouraged him to work for students’ mental health. By the time Hassan came to GreenHouse in September, he was determined to create “an online counselling platform connecting students and young adults with therapists online.”
While he had already validated the problem through extensive surveys and research, Hassan says, “You can do it alone, but Greenhouse’s entrepreneurial training and mentors can prepare you well to successfully run your own business while still being a student.” He likes the fact that he can get course credit and funding opportunities by launching his venture while he is still a student.
Hassan has appreciated the way GreenHouse has helped him make connections with community resources, which has helped him understand the problem he’s solving in a wider context. He also has enjoyed living with other entrepreneurs. “You can learn from one another as you talk about your experiences and see how they’ve planned or launched their ventures.”
Hassan launched My Restful Mind in November 2019, with two counsellors available for therapy sessions via phone, video or text. He already has several clients using his services. My Restful Mind recently was awarded $2,000 from the Social Impact Fund that will go towards supporting the marketing and outreach campaign planned for this winter.
Left to right: Gary Foerster, Hassan Moeen, Ali Anwar, Tania Del Matto
For someone who is concerned with mental health, feeling supported through the social entrepreneurship journey has been a vital aspect of the GreenHouse experience. In fact, with the support he has received, Hassan says “For me, there’s no real stress at this point.”
Congratulations to My Restful Mind for securing $2,000 in funding from the Social Impact Fund to further build and test its solution. Thank-you to Sanofi Genzyme for its generous support in sponsoring these funds to support youth-led innovation in the health and wellbeing space. Sanofi Genzyme’s financial contributions aim to make a positive impact on patients and communities globally.
To learn more and keep up to date with my Restful Mind, check out the website here.