What SuperFriend does

SuperFriend is an Australian not-for-profit organisation, founded in 2007 and headquartered in Melbourne, that operates at the intersection of the superannuation, life insurance, and workplace mental health sectors. Its core product is the Indicators of a Thriving Workplace (ITW) annual survey — Australia's largest workplace mental health survey, now in its tenth consecutive year, expanded in 2024 to include quarterly seasonal data collection and six industry deep-dives, covering 19 ABS industries and informed by data from over 75,000 workers. SuperFriend's flagship digital product is the Thriving Workplace Index, a diagnostic and benchmarking tool developed in partnership with PwC, which converts the ITW research framework into workplace-level assessment reports with customised recommendations. The MySuperFriend e-learning platform hosts training products including the Mental Health Essentials course (priced at $49+GST per learner, free to partner fund members), supplemented by the Psychosocial Hazards THINK Workbook, Think Tanks peer collaboration sessions, speaker services, and a free research library.

Name

SuperFriend

Legal name

SuperFriend – Industry Funds' Mental Health Initiative

Website

https://superfriend.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SuperFriend is an Australian not-for-profit that delivers workplace mental health research, diagnostic tools, and training to employers, funded by partnerships with major superannuation funds and life insurers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Workplace Mental Health Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Human Resources Consulting Services (541612)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Employee Helpdesk / HR Service Center (Tier 1) (BPAAAIAH)

Keywords

• Workplace mental health
• Mental health training
• Psychosocial hazard management
• Employee wellbeing programs
• Workplace mental health research

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Partner Funding: SuperFriend is funded by profit-to-member superannuation funds and life insurers who pay for partnership benefits including access to research, training resources, and industry insights.
2. Training Course Fees: Organisation pays $49+GST per learner for Mental Health Essentials online training. Additional evaluation reports available for $129+GST per report.
3. Workshop and Training Services: Customised training solutions including workshops with evaluation reporting provided to enterprise customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

SuperFriend is an Australian not-for-profit that delivers evidence-based workplace mental health research, diagnostic tools, training courses and advisory services. Its core offerings include the annual Indicators of a Thriving Workplace national research report, the Thriving Workplace Index benchmarking tool, the Mental Health Essentials online course, and customised workshops and speaker services. Products and services are primarily distributed through funding partnerships with superannuation funds and life insurers, and made available to their employer clients.

Product overview

SuperFriend is a workplace mental health not-for-profit organisation that offers a multi-product portfolio of research, diagnostic tools, digital resources, and training services. The core research product is the Indicators of a Thriving Workplace (ITW) Report — Australia's largest annual national workplace mental health survey (now in its tenth edition, expanded to include seasonal quarterly data collection). SuperFriend's flagship digital product is the Thriving Workplace Index, a diagnostic and benchmarking platform developed in partnership with PwC that enables organisations to assess their mental health performance against national and industry benchmarks, powered by the ITW framework. The Psychosocial Hazards THINK Workbook is a digital e-book tool for identifying and managing psychosocial risks. Training is delivered via the MySuperFriend e-learning platform, which hosts the Mental Health Essentials online course alongside custom workshops. Additional services include Think Tanks (peer collaboration sessions), Speaker Services, and a resource library of free guides and tools. All products and services are made available to Super Fund and Life Insurance Partners and their employer clients, with the Partner Hub providing exclusive access to partner-specific content and benefits.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MySuperFriend: E-learning platform offering mental health and wellbeing training courses for workplaces
• Thriving Workplace Index
• Indicators of a Thriving Workplace

Products and services

• Indicators of a Thriving Workplace (ITW) Report Australia's largest annual national workplace mental health research report, surveying over 10,000 Australian workers across 19 industries and benchmarking mental health across five Domains (Work Design, Capability, Safety, Connectedness, Leadership) and nine Psychosocial Hazards. Used by employers, super funds, life insurers, government and industry bodies for benchmarking and policy development.
• Thriving Workplace Index Workplace-level mental health diagnostic and benchmarking tool that provides comparison against national and industry Domain scores, psychosocial hazards, and mental health outcomes, generating interactive dashboard reports with customised recommendations and enabling before/after measurement of interventions. For employers, super funds and life insurers.
• Psychosocial Hazards THINK Workbook Interactive e-book for business owners and managers to identify and manage psychosocial hazards in the workplace, supporting compliance with workplace health and safety obligations and helping build a psychologically safe, thriving workplace. For Australian employers and WHS leaders.
• Mental Health Essentials Online Training Introductory online course covering five short learning modules (75 minutes total) on mental health awareness, employee legal rights, peer support, building positive relationships and self-care. Delivered via MySuperFriend at $49+GST per learner, with free access for members and employer clients of Partner Superannuation Funds.
• Think Tanks Facilitated peer group sessions bringing industry colleagues together to collaborate around workforce mental health challenges, providing expert knowledge of consequences of workplace mental ill-health, industry-wide trend data, and statistical insights. For HR, WHS and people leaders across industries.
• Speaker Services Keynote presentations and expert speakers for events and webinars on workplace mental health across Australia throughout the year. Speakers include CEO Darren Black, Chief Research Officer Dr Ross Iles, Chief Mental Health Advisor Dr Natalie Flatt, and Workplace Mental Health Advisor Stephanie Thompson.
• Workplace Mental Health Training Solutions Practical training courses built on positive psychology approaches to develop workplace mental health capability and confidence, including Mental Health Essentials for All Staff, Mental Health Essentials for Leaders, and custom workshop offerings delivered online and in-person with evaluation reporting and learner activity tracking. For employers, super funds and life insurer partners.

Quantifiable outcome

• Mental health claims among Australian workers aged 30-40 have increased by more than 730 percent over a 10-year period
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Healthy Heads in Trucks & ShedscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 October 2025Joint initiative focusing on improving mental health and wellbeing of workers in the Transport & Logistics Industry.
• PwCcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2020Developed the Thriving Workplace Index tool in partnership with PwC, combining SuperFriend's research framework with PwC's technical capabilities.
• AustralianSupercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading profit-for-member super fund providing workplace mental health support to employer clients. AustralianSuper has been partnered with SuperFriend for nearly a decade.
• CbuscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading industry super fund for construction and building industries with over 775,000 members and $65 billion in funds under management.
• Australian Retirement TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of Australia's largest super funds formed through merger of Sunsuper and QSuper, responsible for over $240 billion in retirement savings for 2.2 million members.
• RestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmongst the largest funds by membership with over 1.8 million members, established in 1988.
• CSC (Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrustee of superannuation schemes for Australian Government employees and ADF members, managing approximately 720,000 Australians and $45 billion in assets.
• Brighter SupercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerQueensland-based superannuation fund providing trusted and reliable investment, advice and insurance for more than 56 years, managing $29 billion for 259,000 members.
• NGS SupercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry fund for teachers in independent schools with $11.46 billion in funds under management and almost 115,000 members.
• Prime SupercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHigh-performing fund with strong regional Australia connection, managing over $6.2 billion for over 124,000 members.
• AIA AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading pan-Asian life insurance organisation serving over 20 million customers across 14 markets.
• TALcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of Australia's leading independent life insurance specialists committed to making life insurance well understood and valued.
• MetLifecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpecialist provider of life insurance to affinity partners, superannuation trustees and employers.
• WIP (Windsor Insurance Partners)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorks closely with clients, brokers, intermediaries, corporate entities and employers in building valued workplace benefits.
• ZurichcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the world's most experienced insurers with knowledge, expertise and financial stability.
• MATES in ConstructionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkplace-based suicide prevention program recognised by WHO as global best practice.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Headspace (the meditation app): Global consumer and B2B mental-wellness platform offering meditation, sleep, and wellbeing content with employer offerings; comparable as a broad incumbent providing digital mental-health training tools competing for the same employer wellbeing line-item.
• ComPsych: Global provider of Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), behavioural health, and workplace wellbeing services to large employers; comparable as a broad incumbent enterprise mental-health services provider that competes with SuperFriend's employer clients.
• Calm: Global consumer and employer mental-wellness subscription offering meditation and sleep content, including Calm Business; comparable as a broad incumbent digital mental-wellness platform with employer distribution.

Direct peers

• Black Dog Institute: Australian medical research institute focused on mental health; comparable as an Australian evidence-based mental-health research and workplace/clinical resource producer that informs employer mental-health programs.
• Smiling Mind: Australian not-for-profit delivering digital mindfulness and mental wellbeing education via a consumer and education app/platform; comparable as an Australian NFP mental-health education provider with a digital training product competing for similar employer and educational customers.
• ReachOut Australia: Australian mental-health not-for-profit providing online support, resources, and education for young people and workplaces; comparable as an Australian NFP digital mental-health education and support provider.
• Headspace (headspace.com.au): Australian non-profit providing youth and adult mental health services, education, and resources; directly comparable as an Australian mental-health organisation offering evidence-based programs and digital tools to workplaces, schools, and individuals.

Emerging players

• Spring Health: Global workplace mental-health platform combining EAP, therapy, and digital self-serve tools for employers; comparable as a workplace mental-health solution that competes for similar employer training and intervention budgets.
• Modern Health: Global workplace mental-health platform providing therapy, coaching, and self-guided courses to enterprise employers; comparable as a paid employer-sponsored mental-health training and benefits provider.
• Lyra Health: US workplace mental-health benefits platform providing therapy, coaching, and digital tools to enterprise employers; comparable as a directly enterprise-facing workplace mental-health solution competing for the same employer budget.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/superfriendmhf
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/superfriend

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 SuperFriend