SoraMind
Class:
EARTHSYS133
Social Enterprise Workshop
Teammates:
Madison Fan
Sarah Jung
Needfinding • Business Strategy • Social Impact
Introduction
Our goal was to create a hypothetical solution to address mental health and wellness issues among college students. We aimed to explore how a scalable, community-driven organization could foster preventive wellness practices and peer support. Through multiple collaborative sessions, we crafted a detailed concept for SoraMind, focusing on both student engagement and financial sustainability.
Idea Generation & Validation
We began by brainstorming potential social issues to address, ultimately settling on college mental health due to its relevance and urgency. Our initial discussions revolved around identifying gaps in existing services and imagining a unique approach that combined student-led initiatives with professional wellness resources. Although we couldn’t conduct real-world interviews, we simulated the needfinding process by researching student experiences and mental health statistics.
Business Model Development
As part of the exercise, we worked on designing a dual revenue model to ensure hypothetical sustainability:
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Corporate Workshops: Acting as a revenue-generating arm, these workshops were conceptualized to support wellness in workplaces while funding student chapters.
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Student-Led Chapters: These were designed to promote peer-driven wellness activities with minimal outside funding requirements.
We iterated on different versions of the business model, integrating feedback from class discussions to balance social impact with financial viability.
Market Analysis & Competitive Research
Our research focused on understanding existing mental health solutions on campuses, such as counseling services and wellness apps. We identified potential competitors like ActiveMinds and Headspace, and used this analysis to differentiate SoraMind’s approach. We positioned the concept as uniquely focused on community-building and accountability through student-led chapters.
Prototype & Pilot Design
For the sake of the exercise, we developed a hypothetical prototype, including sample handbooks and event plans for student-led chapters. We envisioned piloting the program at Stanford University, setting measurable goals such as participation rates and engagement levels to gauge success.
Workshop Creation
We conceptualized three tiers of workshops for companies, focusing on wellbeing strategies and team-building. The workshop content was drafted with input from mental health research, emphasizing the dual goal of workplace wellness and student chapter funding.
Growth Planning
Year 1: Focus on a single university (Stanford) for the pilot program.
Year 2: Expand to other well-funded California schools.
Years 3-5: Scale nationally, aiming for 50+ chapters and significant student engagement.
Financial Planning
Our financial projections were developed based on assumed costs and revenue from workshops. We hypothesized that minimal operational costs could be achieved by relying on student association funding for chapter activities, with workshop revenue covering administrative expenses.
Social Impact Measurement
We proposed a framework for measuring SoraMind’s impact, focusing on metrics such as participation, engagement, and feedback. Our goal was to ensure that the concept could demonstrate tangible benefits to student wellbeing.