These findings come amid a year of uncertainty caused by global political turmoil and economic instability, alongside the ever-present toll starting and running your own business can take on founders’ wellbeing. 

Today (15th May 2025), Virgin StartUp and mental health service Self Space are hosting a free ‘walk & talk’ event in London for founders. The event invites business owners to take a break from their busy lives and encourages them to tap into startup support and connect with their peers through meaningful conversations in a relaxed environment. More than 170 founders are registered to attend. 

The two-hour event aims to be accessible, as it’s free to attend, centrally located, and scheduled over lunchtime to minimise disruptions.  This is especially important to those founders who have expressed the lack of time (31%) and costs (18%) as a key barrier to prioritising their mental health.

Avi Sharma, London-based founder of content agency, Outseen, is planning to attend the event. Now on his fourth business, Avi’s wellbeing has had rollercoaster highs and lows – navigating loneliness and immense pressure to succeed after quitting a stable and lucrative banking career. 

Avi comments: “After COVID, everyone resumed their normal social lives. But I worked alone in my bedroom, building my business. I felt loneliness and immense pressure to succeed.”

In 2024, Avi took action. He started prioritising his nutrition, sleep, and exercise and began seeing a therapist fortnightly. He also signed up to the Virgin StartUp Community to meet other founders and access one-to-one business mentorship. Small business owners revealed that taking a break (38%) was the most effective way of improving their mental health.  Notably, support from family (37%) and friends (31%) also ranked highly, highlighting the importance of a strong personal support network to founders' wellbeing. Additionally, almost one in six (16%) founders shared that being around fellow founders and peers improved their mental health, whilst 15% stated that attending face-to-face events was also beneficial.

Andy Fishburn, Managing Director of Virgin StartUp, shared: “Being a founder is incredibly rewarding but also comes with its challenges. The latest figures reflect the reality founders across the UK are facing right now, from economic pressure to mental health struggles. But they’re also a reminder of the importance of building effective support networks. At Virgin StartUp, we’re proud to have created a space to empower founders to look after their mental health, connect with their peers through the community platform and events, and access the tools they need to thrive both at work and beyond.”

Despite the current challenges, mental health doesn’t always have to lead to a negative outlook, after losing her father to pancreatic cancer in 2023, Gigi Rose channelled her grief into founding Etch of London – a custom fingerprint jewellery brand which turns memories into future heirlooms. 

Gigi comments: “Building the brand has required huge emotional resilience. Embarking on my founder journey alone has been quite isolating at times but, surrounding myself with other founders through the Virgin StartUp community has been invaluable, providing reassurance, perspective, and connection.”

Virgin StartUp continues its ongoing commitment to championing founders through various initiatives to support their diverse needs and tackling barriers they face when it comes to prioritising mental health. Whether it’s providing weekly access to a Culture & Wellbeing Advisor to support founders with real-time challenges, its ongoing partnership with Self Space making therapy more accessible, and a library of on-demand wellbeing content for those always on the go, there’s something for everyone.