Recognizing that men often face unique barriers when addressing mental wellbeing, UK-based startup Mettle provides what CTO Alasdair Scott describes as "the toolkit for men's minds." Co-founded by adventurer Bear Grylls and TV producer Neil Smith, the Mettle app offers a science-backed platform with practical, evidence-based tools including meditation, breathwork, and AI-powered guidance to help men improve sleep, manage stress, enhance focus, and build overall resilience. By creating an accessible platform with a distinct focus on the male experience, Mettle aims to proactively support men in cultivating mental fitness as part of their daily routine.

“I have been practising meditation for decades in response to a chronic nervous system condition I had as a child. Once I entered adulthood, I suffered from depression but like most men, I was too ashamed to share my secret. There's still a stigma when it comes to discussing male mental health so it’s no surprise that suicide is the biggest cause of death in men under the age of 50,” says cofounder Smith.

Addressing the taboo of male mental health

Despite there being over 20,000 wellness apps on the market, Smith and his founding team noticed there was nothing built specifically for men. This presented a real challenge for men who already felt embarrassed to admit they struggled with their mental health.

“There are three barriers to men using the current spate of apps on the market. Firstly, the apps are either “too female” or “too hippie”, which some may find alienating. Secondly, men want straight talk. That’s where our science-backed, evidence-based research comes in. We designed Mettle with Imperial College London and we’ve got an amazing team of coaches including Dr. Alex George, the UK’s Mental Health Ambassador and Paul McKenna PhD. the world’s leading hypnotist. Thirdly, men don’t want to feel that there’s anything wrong with them but these are aspirational mental fitness tools, the outcomes are built to help them be happier, healthier and more successful,” Smith says.

To ensure users are getting the most out of the app, they are encouraged to answer five questions during the onboarding process to generate their mental fitness score. Depending on the data inputted, users are challenged to boost their mental fitness goals and the Mettle algorithm is on hand to help with personalized content recommendations to suit their needs.

“As a former TV producer, I know the power of transformative content so it was critical that Mettle featured world-class content from leading mental health experts. The app boasts over 800 pieces of content on topics like confidence, anxiety, sleep and meditation and users can work through challenges, enjoy soundscapes or simply get a daily boost of motivation,” says Smith.

Mettle sought to accelerate its knowledge and connections through the Google for Startups Growth Academy UK program, gaining tailored mentorship and support to scale its unique offering. The startup leverages multiple Google products: Google Cloud for storage, Firebase for messaging, and Google Single Sign-On for seamless user access. Critically, Mettle utilizes AI to process subjective, "fuzzy" user data common in mental fitness, turning nuanced feedback into actionable insights. As CTO Alistair explains in the video interview, they are now heavily invested in Google Gemini, applying its capabilities for both sophisticated back-end analysis and enhancing the customer-facing personalization features that guide users towards their goals.

Leveraging Google AI to personalize content

“We are excited to explore the possibilities of Gemini and how it can optimize the app for users. In the short term, we are using Gemini to build an AI companion that can help users navigate the app. In the long term, we’ll leverage user data to feed into our algorithms so the more frequently you use the app, the more likely the companion can make helpful, relevant suggestions. Ultimately, we want the companion to feel like you’re having a conversation with a friend who remembers any previous struggles you’ve been having and advises accordingly,” Smith says.

Since its launch, Mettle has successfully secured £2.5 million in pre-seed funding and garnered positive user feedback for its practical, accessible approach. By combining expert guidance with AI-driven personalization – powered significantly by Gemini – Mettle exemplifies how startups can leverage AI to "completely revolutionize every single step" of their workflow, as their CTO highlights. They are empowering men to take control of their mental fitness, driven by the mission articulated by co-founder Bear Grylls: “We believe if men are better, the world is better.” Google for Startups is proud to support Mettle as it uses technology like Google Cloud and Gemini to foster healthier, happier lives for men globally.