Understand

What Understand does

ПОНИМАЮ (Understand) is a Moscow-based, privately held limited liability company (ООО «ПОНИМАЮ», founded October 2016) that operates a B2B corporate well-being (EAP) platform for Russian employers and their employees. Its core product is a subscription-based Employee Assistance Program delivered through a web application (online.ponimau.com) and native iOS/Android mobile apps, providing unlimited access to consultations with a curated network of 290+ specialists spanning psychology, coaching, legal, personal finance, nutrition/healthy lifestyle, fitness, mindfulness, pet care, and sexual health. Consultations are delivered remotely via video, audio, and chat, and the platform adds a 24/7 psychological crisis hotline, employer-customized educational webinars, and bespoke corporate programs (addiction prevention, screening, change management, accident prevention).

The company sells almost exclusively to enterprise HR and benefits buyers through direct field sales, personalized demos, and content marketing; employers fund subscriptions and distribute access codes/identifiers to employees, preserving 100% confidentiality through anonymized reporting. Monetization is recurring subscription revenue on multi-year contracts, augmented by add-on modules (hotline, webinars, custom programs). The company reports having served 28,000+ employees across 350+ projects in industries including IT, banking, insurance, FMCG, mining, and heavy industry, with named reference clients such as PSB, Allianz, Barilla, and Itella. It holds Healthcare License No. Л041-01137-77/01308746 (Moscow Department of Health, July 2024) and operates exclusively within Russia, including remote regions such as the Far North.

Ownership is concentrated with founder Anton Kushner and General Director Daria Fedorova; no external institutional investors, funding rounds, parent company, or M&A activity are disclosed in the source data. The firm is functionally a regulated, human-services marketplace with moderate tech enablement rather than an AI- or automation-led platform, and revenue, headcount, and growth metrics are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Understand

Legal name

Общество с ограниченной ответственностью «ПОНИМАЮ» (ООО «ПОНИМАЮ»)

Website

https://ponimau.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ПОНИМАЮ (Understand) operates a Russia-based B2B corporate well-being platform, selling subscription Employee Assistance Programs to employers and delivering employees unlimited remote consultations with 290+ specialists across psychology, coaching, legal, finance, fitness, and mindfulness via web and mobile apps.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Corporate Wellness / Employee Assistance Programs

NAICS

Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420)

SIC

Hospital & Medical Service Plans (6324)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLALADAB

Behavioral & Mental Health Virtual Care (EAP/Teletherapy)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Telehealth Platforms/Employer-Sponsored Virtual Care Platforms

SECONDARYHLALADAJ

Care Navigation, Advocacy & Benefits Guidance Platforms

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Telehealth Platforms/Employer-Sponsored Virtual Care Platforms

Keywords

• Employee assistance programs
• Corporate wellness platform
• Mental health services
• Wellbeing consultations
• Remote counseling services

Headquarters

HQ city

Moscow

HQ country

Russia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Corporate Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Subscriptions: B2B subscription model where employers pay for unlimited access to all specialists on the platform for their employees. The program is provided free to employees, fully funded by the employer.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Understand (ПОНИМАЮ) operates a B2B corporate well-being platform that delivers Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) to employers. Subscribing companies receive unlimited access for their employees to consultations with psychologists, coaches, lawyers, financial advisors, nutritionists, fitness trainers, mindfulness instructors, pet consultants, and sexual-relationships experts, delivered remotely via web and mobile apps in video, audio, or chat formats. Add-on offerings include a 24/7 psychological hotline, educational webinars, and custom employer programs.

Product overview

ПОНИМАЮ operates as a unified corporate well-being platform offering multiple integrated service modules. The core product is the corporate well-being platform accessible via web (online.ponimau.com) and mobile applications for iOS and Android. The platform provides an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) with unlimited access to 15+ specialist types including psychologists, coaches, lawyers, financial advisors, health/nutrition specialists, fitness trainers, mindfulness practitioners, pet consultants, and sexual relationships experts. Additional modules include a 24/7 psychological hotline, educational webinars/seminars, and custom employer-specific programs. All services are delivered remotely via video, audio, or chat, with no limit on consultation quantity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Corporate Well-being Platform ПОНИМАЮ (Understand) A comprehensive corporate well-being platform providing employees of subscribing companies with unlimited access to consultations with psychologists, coaches, financial consultants, lawyers, health specialists, fitness trainers, and mindfulness practitioners, delivered remotely via web (online.ponimau.com) and native iOS/Android mobile applications.
• ПОНИМАЮ Mobile Application (iOS/Android) Native mobile application for iOS and Android enabling employees to book consultations via video, audio, or chat, browse specialist profiles, schedule sessions, and add family members to the EAP; also available via Google Play.
• ПОНИМАЮ Mobile Application (Google Play / Android) Android version of the ПОНИМАЮ mobile client for accessing the well-being platform on Google Play, with full consultation booking and account features.
• Employee Assistance Program (Программа поддержки сотрудников / EAP) An unlimited-access subscription program through which employer clients provide their employees free access to consultations with all specialists on the ПОНИМАЮ platform, including psychologists, coaches, financial advisors, lawyers, and health experts. Pricing is by arrangement with custom quotes based on company size and program scope.
• 24/7 Psychological Hotline (Горячая линия) A round-the-clock emergency psychological support hotline in which a professional psychologist answers calls within approximately one minute, providing immediate assistance for employees in crisis, including remote and shift workers.
• Educational Webinars and Seminars (Информационно-просветительские мероприятия) Expert-led webinars, seminars, and educational events on topics such as stress management and work-life balance, with content programs customizable to employer needs; delivered to employees of subscribing companies.
• Custom Employer Programs (Специальные программы под задачи работодателя) Tailored programs addressing specific employer needs such as addiction prevention, healthy habit implementation, organizational change support, occupational stress management, and accident prevention, delivered through the same specialist network and platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• 13% productivity increase among satisfied employees
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Modern Health: US-headquartered mental health and well-being platform sold via employer-sponsored subscriptions; offers therapy, coaching, and self-serve digital tools across multiple modalities — directly comparable to Understand's B2B EAP model.
• Lyra Health: US mental health benefits platform providing employer-sponsored therapy, coaching, and medication management. Closely aligned with Understand's enterprise subscription delivery model.
• Spring Health: Employer-sponsored mental health benefits provider combining therapy, coaching, and digital wellness tools; identical go-to-market (B2B EAP subscriptions) and similar multi-modal offering.
• Unmind: UK-based employee mental health and well-being platform sold to enterprises; comparable in subscription structure, multi-modality content, and employer reporting.
• Calm Business: B2B arm of the consumer mindfulness app Calm, delivering subscription well-being benefits to employers; comparable product category (mindfulness/well-being delivered via mobile/web) and employer sales motion.
• Spill: UK-based employer mental health platform providing therapy and coaching via subscriptions; comparable in B2B distribution and modular service structure.
• Meru Health: Digital mental health program sold through employers and health plans; comparable employer-distributed subscription model with focus on outcomes-based mental health treatment.

Broad incumbents

• Headspace Health: Combined entity of Headspace and Ginger, offering mental health, therapy, and well-being content to both consumers and employers; broader product portfolio but overlapping enterprise EAP / teletherapy features.

Emerging players

• Wysa: AI-augmented mental health chat platform serving both consumers and employer/health-plan customers; overlapping EAP-adjacent employer distribution channel though narrower modality mix.

Others

• Lark Health: Digital chronic care and well-being platform contracted with health plans and employers; adjacent rather than directly competing, but comparable in B2B employer distribution of virtual health services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ponimau24

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Understand