A healthy mind in a healthy body. What more could you want? After two and a bit years of the pandemic, in which the disease was omnipresent in our lives, we (increasingly) value physical and mental well-being. No, it’s not just an esoteric concern, perhaps even inconsequential, which quickly passes at the whim of trends and influencers. This is an unavoidable certainty: if we don’t take good care of ourselves – and to quote the Portuguese singer António Variações – “the body pays”. That’s why technology, when applied to health and well-being, proves to be an invaluable aid in bringing (the) “right” quality to our daily lives.
February’s Lisboa Unicorn Capital Tour, dedicated to the theme of Wellness Tech, took place at the Second Home co-working space in Mercado da Ribeira. A space particularly suited to the theme, due to the “lush vegetation” and the “zen atmosphere” of the decor. Ideal for a conversation about well-being and health.
Diana de Almeida Rafael, CEO and co-founder of The Minimal magazine, was the moderator of this debate, which included Miguel Alves Ribeiro, CEO and co-founder of SheerMe, Rita Maçorano, CEO and co-founder of NEVARO and Carla Barros, Global Well-being Strategy at EDP.
From the point of view of entrepreneurs, WellTech is not just another business area with potential in the Lisbon ecosystem. It’s a world of opportunities. Aware that SheerME transforms his clients’ lives for the better, Miguel Alves Ribeiro has been growing his app, which already has more than 140,000 users. “We’re not a unicorn yet, but we’re almost there,” he jokes. Sheer ME is an app that gathers information for those looking for services that provide physical and/or mental well-being. If you need a psychologist, SheerMe has it. If you really need a meditation or yoga session, or even a hairdresser, SheerMe offers a wide range of choices.
On another level, for those of us who are interested in “listening” to what our body is saying, and who are always looking at our smartwatch or smartphone, counting steps, pulse or calories from lunch, technology is also processing other data provided by our physical parameters (heart rate and rhythm, and breathing, for example).
NEVARO’s app reveals how our levels of anxiety, depression or exhaustion are. Assuring that there is science behind this application and that data protection is strictly respected (“we don’t store old data”), Rita Maçorano guarantees that interest in this technology is growing. Even from companies and organizations that are “concerned” about the well-being of their workers.
Carla Barros gives us precisely the “business” perspective on issues related to the physical and mental well-being of employees and workers. “These issues are really important for anyone running a company, and they go far beyond productivity and results. Well-being, in all its dimensions, is no longer a ‘fluffy’ movement but a serious issue in terms of human resources in companies. At EDP, we care and we are attentive to the signs. When necessary, we provide support at various levels: physical, emotional and mental. Not least because this area, in particular, is still associated with some stigma,” she emphasizes. The pandemic was largely the trigger for the change in mentality. “Nowadays, work takes on new forms. Face-to-face, remote, hybrid. All of this has brought changes to people’s lives,” she adds.
The world has changed since COVID. People are particularly self-centered and more concerned about health and well-being. The growing interest in technology associated with wellness and well-being shows this.
