SoundMind Joins NYC Pride 2022 as Official Wellness Partner in an Effort to Continue Advocating for Human Rights and Mental Health

LOS ANGELES, July 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- SoundMind, a wellness audio and visual music therapy application, with ties in the LGBTQIA+, military, AAPI and underrepresented communities, joined New York Pride as the official wellness sponsor of this year's Pride celebrations in New York City. With this partnership, the team was involved with the YouthPride festivities in Central Park, joined by more than 10,000 attendees including official sponsor Target and fellow education organization GLSEN.

"Being able to partner with New York Pride to give back to the LGBTQIA+ community was a way for our team to provide just a little bit of [help] to a community often overlooked. Growing up, I wish I had the opportunity to similarly be inspired by an event like this, and being a part of the weekend of events was personally rewarding for me," said Brian Femminella, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer at SoundMind, who started the company while in college with Chief Operating Officer Travis Chen.

The mental health care startup is backed by investors including #1 Los Angeles Times best-selling author Dr. Venus Nicolino (Dr.V), who holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology; Rough Draft Ventures powered by General Catalyst, and Gaingels, the leading LGBTQIA+ investment syndicate in the venture capital space.

With participants showing up in waving rainbow flags, handmade sides, a palette of bright colors – the annual New York City Pride March in Manhattan was particularly significant, occurring just two days after the United States Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion. As a minority-led company, SoundMind was proud to have participated in the weekend of events that represents nearly unapologetic jubilation, with attendees advocating for human rights globally.

SoundMind held an app activation booth, with attendees learning about the app and how sounds can help with the overall mental wellbeing to alleviate anxiety and the overall health rate. Users were welcomed to the App with a personalized NYC Pride section in the App, which allowed users to go through a series of mental health check-ins. In a recent clinical study held by the company with the Boys & Girls Club of America, the app decreased the heart rates of tested participants by 50%, and 64% of participants expressed an increase in feeling interested, active and excited after using the SoundMind app everyday for one week.

"Historically, music has been used to promote social and emotional learning. The ability of music to promote well-being fosters neurological and physical healing following traumatic life experiences," said Sydney Bracht, Chief Research officer at SoundMind.

At NYC Pride, attendees responded with positive reviews of the app and the startup's efforts garnered over 150,000+ interactions throughout the weekend, and was joined by Getty Images. Mental health and chronic illness advocate Gigi Robinson, who narrates the anxiety segment in the App, noted that she loves the App because of its research-backed music therapy technologies, "the app uses binaural beats, a technology which uses different frequencies to elevate mood, reduce stress and decrease anxiety levels."

SoundMind's team is gearing up for its launch of their newest version, slated to launch late summer. The new version will include a complete revamped design, and will include an artist platform featuring up-and-coming songwriters including American Idol semifinalist contestant Allegra Miles and Top 4 artist Mackenzie Bourg; new memory games; an additional 10,000+ new sounds to its soundscape feature; and a tracking algorithm for the overall mental health of users.

About SoundMind
SoundMind is a mental wellness app that allows users to customize their audio-visual music therapy experience. Our mission is to improve the world's accessibility to mental health resources through interactive mobile technologies. We use sound technology to elevate mood, reduce anxiety, and alleviate stress for our users. Find out more at www.soundmind.app, or download our app on the App Store!

SOURCE SoundMind