Before founding Kyan, Vlad’s role at McKinsey provided valuable insights into the challenges faced by organizations worldwide. Struggling with mental health himself, he had intrinsic motivation to contribute to a healthier workplace on the one hand and a clear sign of a market need on the other hand.

While cutting-edge solutions like Lyra Health and Spring Health were gaining traction in the U.S., most global companies relied on outdated, reactive approaches like crisis hotlines. These approaches often ignore the broader workplace environment and fail to address cultural and linguistic nuances for global teams. Kyan’s vision goes beyond quick fixes, aiming for a future where every company implements predictive, preventive mental health systems. With the world of work evolving rapidly due to AI and other innovations, Kyan is already pioneering the first predictive care model to help employees build resilience before issues arise.

“The name ‘Kyan’ means enduring, long-lasting,” Vlad explains. “Our mission is to make individuals more resilient because resilient individuals create resilient organizations. That’s how you build something that lasts.”

Becoming an Entrepreneur After Being a McKinsey Consultant

Transitioning from a consultant’s analytical mindset to an entrepreneur’s action-driven approach was a steep learning curve. “At McKinsey, every decision was meticulously analyzed. As a founder, I learned that the best feedback comes from doing – releasing a product, testing it, and adapting quickly.” Vlad is a big advocate for the Minimum Viable Product (MVP), acknowledging, “Your first version doesn’t need to be perfect. It just needs to exist.”

Getting co-founder Ignacio Leonhardt, a serial founder, on board has been a gamechanger in their entrepreneurial mindset as Vlad and third co-founder, Konstantin Struck, both built their career at McKinsey.

Kyan Health

Redefining Mental Health Programs in Work Environments