Our Founding Story

Our founder's brilliant brother - Salil Chaudhry, was bullied in school, had an emotional breakdown, and was further diagnosed with mental health issue. Family, Teachers, and Friends missed early signs of risks and hence missed early interventions. The challenge is to identify these emotional risks for our children, adolescents, and youth proactively and that too at scale.

What happened with the founder's brother should never happen with any student - and that is why we exist.

TrustCircle founder Sachin Chaudhry
Founder Sachin Chaudhry with his younger brother Salil Chaudhry - year 1982

Inspired by personal adversity, driven by purpose, fueled by passion

Our Timeline

From founding vision to global recognition: A decade of innovation in student mental health and well-being

The Genesis: TrustCircle's Founding Vision
2015

Born from personal experience and deep compassion, TrustCircle emerged to revolutionize the perception of emotional well-being—transforming it from a stigmatized topic into a celebrated strength. This marked the beginning of our movement for preventative student mental health support worldwide.

Scientific Validation: Forging Partnership with WHO Collaborating Centre
2016

Our collaboration with the WHO Collaborating Centre for Mental Health established TrustCircle's scientific credibility through rigorous research and evidence-based field testing. This partnership yielded groundbreaking methodologies that redefined how student well-being is measured, understood, and nurtured across diverse educational environments.

African Horizons: Pioneering Global Mental Health Access
2017

TrustCircle's expansion into Kenya and Nigeria represented more than geographical growth—it demonstrated our commitment to creating culturally responsive mental health tools for underserved communities. This milestone transformed us from a promising innovation into a global force for inclusive well-being.

Global Recognition: Ashoka Fellowship and Strategic Partnerships
2018

Founder Sachin Chaudhry's induction into the prestigious Ashoka Fellowship validated our vision as a transformative social innovation. Simultaneously, TrustCircle secured vital funding from Social Alpha and established a strategic research partnership with the United Kingdom's Warwick University—elevating our platform into a recognized movement for systemic change.

Educational Integration: Empowering Students & Staff in California Schools
2019

Our launch in California public schools marked a pivotal integration of mental health support into mainstream education. TrustCircle equipped students with essential tools for emotional awareness, reflection, and resilience—while securing additional research funding from the Development Bank of Singapore (DBS) to deepen our collaboration with the WHO Research Center.

Pandemic Response: Digital Mental Health Support in Hawaiʻi
2020

During the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19, TrustCircle provided critical support across Hawaiʻi, creating secure digital spaces for adolescents to process emotions and maintain connections. Our platform became an essential resource for resilience when traditional support systems were disrupted by the global pandemic.

Global Endorsement: UNDP Recognition and Asian Expansion
2021

Our designation as an official UNDP DigitalX solution amplified TrustCircle's visibility across 190+ countries, validating our approach of combining technology with empathy to transform global mental health care. This recognition coincided with strategic partnerships with SOFINA and The King Baudouin Foundation, expanding our impact for K-12 students throughout Asia and beyond.

International Validation: HBGI, UNICEF India, Ministry of Youth Affairs Recognition
2022

TrustCircle's selection among just 51 global mental health programs by the Healthy Brains Global Initiative (HBGI)—a collaborative effort between WHO, UNICEF, and the World Bank—established us as a leading innovation in the field. Our partnerships with UNICEF India and the Ministry of Youth Affairs created pathways for nationwide emotional learning initiatives reaching millions of students.

Policy Transformation: G20 Honors and Hawaiʻi Statewide Implementation
2023

Our recognition at the G20 Summit as one of the most scalable innovations for student mental health coincided with TrustCircle's adoption as official policy across all Hawaiʻi public schools. This evolution from school-based program to statewide educational standard demonstrated how emotional well-being could be successfully integrated into educational frameworks nationwide.

Scaling Impact: Top Impact Company Award and India Expansion
2024

Earning the Real Leaders Top Impact Company Award in the 'Ones to Watch' category validated our innovative approach to student well-being in educational settings. Our landmark partnership with the Piramal Foundation launched initiatives empowering over one million students across India's most vulnerable and underserved communities, dramatically expanding our global footprint.

Future Innovation: Strategic Alliances for Responsible AI Integration
2025

We're architecting tomorrow's learning ecosystems through responsible AI implementation and policy innovation. Our strategic alliances with the EDSAFE AI Council, SETDA, and CoSN position TrustCircle at the critical intersection of emerging technology, educational equity, and student mental well-being—shaping the future of holistic education worldwide.

"What started as a response to my brother Salil’s silent adversity has grown into a global movement—one where every K–12 student is seen, heard, and empowered to build emotional resilience. This journey is about more than well-being; it’s about preparing every child to face life with strength, empathy, and self-awareness."

Sachin Chaudhry
Sachin Chaudhry
Founder, TrustCircle

Our Global Advisors

TrustCircle is guided by world-class experts in mental health, education, and technology

Dr. R. Thara

Dr. R. Thara

Chairman, SCARF, The WHO Collaborating Centre for Mental Health Research

India
Melissa Larkin-Skinner

Melissa Larkin-Skinner

MA, LMHC - Regional Chief Executive Officer, Centerstone, Florida

USA
Dr. Jennifer Bencie

Dr. Jennifer Bencie

MD, MSA - Florida Department of Health, Manatee County

USA
Dr. Elyn Saks

Dr. Elyn Saks

MacArthur Fellow, Associate Dean & Professor at the University of Southern California

USA
Professor Matcheri Keshavan

Professor Matcheri Keshavan

Vice-Chair for Public Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

USA
Chris Underhill

Chris Underhill

Social Entrepreneur / Founder BasicNeeds & citiesRISE

United Kingdom
Ingrid Daniels

Ingrid Daniels

President Elect World Federation for Mental Health & Director Cape Mental Health

South Africa
Dr. Vandana Gopikumar

Dr. Vandana Gopikumar

Co-founder - The Banyan and The Banyan Academy of Leadership in Mental Health (BALM)

India
Keris Jan Myrick

Keris Jan Myrick

Ex-President - NAMI

USA
Dr. Linda Nadia Hole MD

Dr. Linda Nadia Hole MD

Integrative Medicine Expert / Qigong Master

USA
Ed Martin

Ed Martin

Chief OmniWin Officer Co-founder at 5thelement.group

USA
Wendy Diamond

Wendy Diamond

CEO/Founder | LDP Ventures/WEDO #ChooseWOMEN Impact Investor | Humanitarian | Animal Advocate

USA
Richard Swart

Richard Swart

PhD - Early Stage Venture Capital Collective Intelligence | AI | Impact Investor

USA
Atul Satija

Atul Satija

Founder & CEO, The/Nudge Foundation

India
Ashish Garg

Ashish Garg

Founder & CEO, Eltropy Inc

USA
Janet C Salazar

Janet C Salazar

President and Executive Chairman Chief & Permanent Representative to the United Nations Foundation for the Support of the United Nations (FSUN)

USA
Ron Klein

Ron Klein

THE GRANDFATHER OF POSSIBILITIES™ Inventor - Credit Card Magnetic Strip

USA
Frank Shankwitz

Frank Shankwitz

Creator & Founder, Make-A-Wish Foundation

USA
Arjun Malhotra

Arjun Malhotra

Co-Founder HCL, Former Chairman/CEO, Headstrong

USA