Theodoric Chew, the CEO and co-founder of Intellect, shared insights into his entrepreneurial journey and the mindset behind launching a global mental health platform in the global entrepreneurship channel EO. We watched the video and parsed out 7 key takeaways, tying to our coverage of Intellect’s journey over the last few years since we first had Theodoric on our podcast. We highly recommend checking out the video then diving into our insights.

(1) Embrace Early Entrepreneurial Drive and Learn by Doing

“I would say growing up I always had an inkling that I wanted to be an entrepreneur.”

The video showcases Theodoric’s early immersion in entrepreneurship. His first startup was launched while he was still a student and achieved a successful exit within just two years. This formative experience was so impactful that it led him to make the significant decision to skip university, choosing instead to gain practical, real-world business acumen.

His subsequent role leading marketing at age 20 further exemplifies this commitment to “learning on the ground.” This hands-on philosophy appears to be a cornerstone of his approach to leadership and entrepreneurship.

Our podcast with him in 2021 interview underscores the common thread across all his ventures including Intellect. “But all along the way one key thing that has been with me since I started was really bettering who we are as people. How I started Intellect was really solving a personal problem as well.”

(2) Prioritize Relentless Execution: “Simply Doing” is Paramount

“One of the core things I would say I I believe in is simply doing. I do believe that one does not have and would not have all of the knowledge and all the skill sets at any point of time.”

[Theo] places great value on execution—on simply doing. While ideas and strategies are vital, the actual implementation and the drive to bring concepts to life are what truly differentiate successful ventures.

The video shares Theodoric’s mindset he had when launching Intellect, a mindset evidently deeply rooted in this bias for action and proactive execution.

The other aspect of execution is not just bias towards action but also consistency and relentlessness, as he shares in our podcast with him in 2022. “The next key thing I would say is really building the infrastructure [for mental healthcare]. It hasn’t changed over the last few decades. We’re building those pieces here [in Asia] as well.” 

(3) Navigate New Frontiers by “Learning on the Ground”

“The early days were really speaking with a lot of individuals anyone from HR professionals, clinicians, folks on the streets even, as well to try and very clearly understand what was the problem we’re trying to solve for.”

Launching Intellect, described in the EO video as a “mental health platform” with global reach, meant Theodoric Chew was venturing into what was, particularly in Asia, a nascent and complex field.

Chapter 2 of the video, “Learning on the ground and starting up,” directly points to the critical importance of adaptive learning and gaining hands-on experience when establishing a business in an emerging category.

The video’s stated purpose of sharing Theodoric’s “mindset he had when launching Intellect” strongly suggests that these early, practical learnings were fundamental to shaping Intellect’s path.

Our case study on Intellect elaborates on this by describing Intellect’s strategy as “building the market, not just the product.” This involved creating the necessary infrastructure and educating the market.

Chew is quoted highlighting the challenges: “Fundamentally the two big challenges are that mental health care is a very nascent space in Asia. So not just the demand, but also the supply of it. We are building and carving out the category… The market — we are leading it, but we’re also building it all together.” 

(4) Understand and Address Unique Market Challenges When Launching a Novel Solution

“How do we build the market? It was a nascent space. How could we actually convince our first investors, users, customers? It was hard to convince people to actually meet you or even want to do a pilot and trial review.”

The very act of launching a mental health platform, especially with the global ambitions indicated by its presence in more than 100 countries worldwide, necessitates a deep understanding of and a proactive approach to the unique challenges and societal perceptions surrounding the solution.

A core component of this mindset was confronting and navigating the specific context of mental health in diverse markets. Our case study provides specific examples of these challenges. It quotes Chew from a 2021 interview discussing the stigma: “People think quite instinctively when you talk about therapy, mental health…they almost jump towards things like schizophrenia… So we are the first step into care.” 

(5) Cultivate Ambition with a Dose of Naivety, and Encourage Aspiring Entrepreneurs

“I’ll say one of the biggest learnings I’ve had that I find useful and I keep reminding myself time and again is that it helps to have a bit of naivety…In terms of what I think is my my superpower, I could say it’s huge ambition in terms of what I believe one can actually achieve and that has actually for better or for worse guided me into taking the steps I have taken…”

A key element of such advice often revolves around the ability to adapt to changing market dynamics and seize emergent opportunities. 

Our case study offers a concrete example of Intellect responding to a major market shift: the COVID-19 pandemic. Chew noted in 2021 that the pandemic “really accelerated the pace of mental health adoption,” transforming mental health solutions from a “nice-to-have” to a “must-have.” This exemplifies the kind of adaptability and opportunity recognition that Chew likely discusses in his advice to entrepreneurs in the video.

(6) Cultivate a Global Vision and Adapt for Scale

“After building my first company it was quite clear to me that I was going to build something that could…impact more people as well.”

The EO video description clearly states that Intellect supports users “across more than 100 countries worldwide” and has garnered investment from globally recognized firms like “Y Combinator, Tiger Global, and Insignia Ventures.” This points to a foundational vision for global scale being part of Theodoric Chew’s “mindset he had when launching Intellect.” Achieving such widespread reach, as implied by the video’s description of Intellect’s scope, inherently requires a strategy that includes adapting to diverse markets and forming key alliances, such as those with its investors.

Our podcast with Cassandra Loh, Intellect’s VP of Partnerships & Solutions, provides further insight into how Intellect operationalizes this global vision through strategies like “hyperlocalization” and building a wide network of partnerships. Loh states, “We rely heavily on our partners to bring awareness… and to tell us what clients are looking for,” underscoring the practical application of the adaptive strategies necessary for the global scale indicated in the video.

(7) Build Stakeholder Confidence Through a Clear Vision and Demonstrable Traction

“For us in particular, mental health… it was really stemming from a strong conviction, a belief that mental health was not an if but a when… So I would say what worked out well for us was actually starting small knowing quite clearly the broader vision and mission was but starting in smaller steps that we could chip away towards that larger goal eventually as well.”

Key to Intellect’s success thus far with more than 4 million users and more than US$30 million in funding is Theodoric Chew’s ability to instill stakeholder (i.e., employees, investors, and by extension, customers as well) confidence through a compelling vision and concrete results. 

The journey from a personal mission to a globally recognized and well-funded platform consistently points back to the power of a clear, actionable vision combined with the relentless execution needed to achieve significant milestones, thereby earning and retaining stakeholder trust.

References:

1. Built 2nd Startup at 23, Execution was Everything | Intellect Theodoric Chew (YouTube Video). EO Entrepreneurship & Opportunities.
2. “Building the Market, Not Just the Product: A Case Study on Intellect.” review.insignia.vc, 21 Mar. 2025, review.insignia.vc/2025/03/21/intellect-case-study/. 
3. “Cassandra Loh on growing the global presence of Intellect’s mental healthcare platform | Call 169.” review.insignia.vc, 28 Aug. 2024, review.insignia.vc/2024/08/28/cassandra-loh-intellect-call-169/.