The Lalitha Foundation

What The Lalitha Foundation does

The Lalitha Foundation is a Bangalore-headquartered non-profit organization founded in 2019 by Swetha Kannan in honor of her grandmother Lalitha, who battled cancer. It is described as India's first and only non-profit solely dedicated to improving the mental health of patients battling cancer or post-sepsis syndrome (PSS), serving cancer patients and their caregivers, sepsis survivors, school students aged 12-17, and non-specialist healthcare workers through education, evidence-based screening, and personalized support services. Its primary verticals are psycho-education programs delivered at hospitals, community-care centres and hospices, PSS-specific screening protocols developed in collaboration with oncologists, mental-health education programs delivered in partnership with schools and child-welfare organisations, and training programs that equip non-specialist healthcare workers (nurses, physiotherapists, allied health professionals) to deliver basic psychological support.

Its product surface spans in-person education and screening programs, an AI-driven school screening program co-developed with Heilen Mindcare, a Google Classroom-based volunteer training curriculum, and two digital products: the Lalitha Care telemedicine platform — positioned as India's first telemedicine platform dedicated solely to the psychological needs of cancer and PSS patients, offering virtual consultations with psychologists, psychiatrists and trained non-specialist providers, personalized medical records storage, follow-up reminders, mood trackers, and expert-led mindfulness sessions — and a COVID-19 resources mobile app developed with the Clinton Foundation and Hearts for Homeless International, available on the Google Play Store with self-screening, support booking, and vaccination awareness features.

The organization is funded entirely through donations and grants from foundations and individuals, with the Clinton Foundation CGI U (2019) being the only specifically disclosed grant instrument. Services are provided free of charge to patients. Distribution is community-led and event-driven, relying on 6 paid staff and over 100 volunteers across India, the UK, Nigeria, and Cambodia, channeled through healthcare facility partnerships, school partnerships (over 30 to date against an aspirational 200-school target), and digital/app distribution.

Name

The Lalitha Foundation

Legal name

The Lalitha Foundation

Website

https://thelalithafoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Lalitha Foundation is a Bangalore-based, India-registered non-profit that delivers mental-health education, screening, and telehealth support to cancer patients, post-sepsis syndrome survivors, school students aged 12-17, and non-specialist healthcare workers across India, the UK, Nigeria and Cambodia, operating through donations, grants and a volunteer workforce.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mental Health Services

NAICS

Offices of Physicians, Mental Health Specialists (621112), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Mental Health Counseling & Psychotherapy Services (EDALAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Student Support Hotlines & Digital Wellbeing Tools (EDAJAIAL), Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK), Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Programs & Supports (EDAJAIAC)

Keywords

• Psycho-oncology support
• Mental health screening
• Telemedicine platform
• Psychosocial care training
• Sepsis awareness programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Bangalore

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: As a non-profit organisation, The Lalitha Foundation relies on donations and grants from foundations and individuals to fund its operations and programs.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Lalitha Foundation delivers evidence-based mental health education, psychological screening, and personalised support services for patients battling cancer and post-sepsis syndrome (PSS) in India and globally. Through its proprietary telemedicine platform 'Lalitha Care', in-person programs at hospitals, and trained non-specialist healthcare workers, the foundation provides free psycho-oncology and PSS-specific psychological care to patients, caregivers, and school students.

Product overview

The Lalitha Foundation offers a multi-component mental health support ecosystem focused on cancer and post-sepsis syndrome patients. At its core is 'Lalitha Care' - India's first telemedicine platform dedicated to psychological care for these patient populations. This platform is complemented by in-person and virtual Health-Education Programs using proprietary training modules, Psychological Screening and Support Programs conducted with oncologists, Public Education of Sepsis initiatives, and Research-Driven Personalisation of Psychological Care. The organization also provides Non-Specialist HealthcareWorker-Led Psychosocial Support (training non-specialists to deliver basic psychological services), Mental-Health Education and Screening in Schools (partnering with over 30 schools), COVID-19 Support services, and a Volunteer Training Program delivered via Google Classroom. Together, these products and services form an integrated approach to educate, screen, and support patients while building healthcare system capacity through evidence-based protocols and training.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Lalitha Care: India's first telemedicine platform dedicated solely to the psychological needs of patients battling cancer and post-sepsis syndrome, offering virtual consultations, personalized medical records storage, follow-up reminders, mood trackers, and expert-led mindfulness sessions.

Products and services

• Lalitha Care Telemedicine Platform Telemedicine platform dedicated solely to the psychological needs of patients battling cancer and post-sepsis syndrome; provides virtual consultations with psychologists, psychiatrists and trained non-specialist healthcare providers, personalised medical records storage, follow-up reminders, post-treatment mood trackers and expert-led mindfulness sessions.
• Health-Education Programs

Quantifiable outcome

• Reached 50,000 patients and caregivers, 10,000 healthcare providers, 200 schools, 4 countries
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Clinton FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019The Lalitha Foundation received extensive support from the Clinton Foundation through Swetha Kannan's selection onto CGI U in 2019. The Clinton Foundation also collaborated with the foundation on the COVID-19 resources app development.
• Hearts for Homeless InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Hearts for Homeless International, USA to launch the COVID-19 resources app to help patients and families access healthcare support resources during the pandemic.
• HCG Cancer Center BangalorecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr Vishal Rao, Director of Head and Neck Oncology at HCG Cancer Center Bangalore, has been instrumental in assisting with the design and development of psychological screening programs. Ongoing collaboration aims to improve screening protocols for depressive disorders in patients with advanced stage cancers.
• Dr Rani BhatcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOncologist who supports the foundation's programs and has conducted cancer awareness programs targeted at the female population. Brings passion and compassion to the work, inspiring patients and caregivers to take charge of their road to recovery.
• Dr Shekar PatilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstrumental in providing key insights into psychological stressors encountered by cancer patients and their caregivers, considering factors such as age, rural/urban residence, and sex. Has helped identify collaborators for distinct aspects of the foundation's work.
• UK Clinicians and PsychologistscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThrough collaboration and guidance from psychologists and clinicians in the UK, the foundation has been investigating the efficacy of non-specialist-led psychotherapeutic interventions in the management of mental illnesses in patients.
• USA Clinicians and PsychologistscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with mental health professionals from the USA to develop and deliver psychological screening and support services for cancer and post-sepsis syndrome patients.
• Heilen MindcarecoreTechnology or IntegrationTech-based mental-health screening startup collaborating with the foundation to establish mandatory mental-health screening programs in schools using AI-driven screening modalities specific to student age and gender.
• Academic InstitutesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating with academic institutes to develop training modules and facilitate research efforts for psychological screening and support services.
• Hospitals and Healthcare CentrescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnerships with hospitals and healthcare centres across India and the UK for patient and caregiver targeted surveys, psychological screening programs, and delivery of health education services.
• Schools and Child-Welfare OrganisationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with over 30 schools and child-welfare organisations to deliver mental-health education and awareness programs to students aged 12-17.
• Healthcare Professionals in NigeriaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraining of medical students and healthcare professionals in Nigeria to conduct studies and facilitate similar mental health programs in the country.
• Healthcare Professionals in CambodiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExpanding research-driven efforts by facilitating similar studies with partners in Cambodia through training of medical students and healthcare professionals.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CanSupport: India non-profit delivering home-based palliative and psychosocial care to cancer patients across North India. Closely comparable in serving Indian cancer patients with non-clinical psychological and emotional support, hospital partnerships, and volunteer-driven programs.
• Cancer Patients Aid Association (CPAA): Mumbai-headquartered Indian non-profit offering cancer awareness, early detection, patient aid, and psychological support. Comparable as one of India's leading cancer-focused patient-support NGOs with hospital partnerships and patient-navigation services.
• National Sepsis Trust (UK Sepsis Trust): UK-based charity focused on sepsis awareness, support for sepsis survivors, and post-sepsis syndrome education. Directly comparable in addressing the under-recognised post-sepsis syndrome burden and providing survivor-and-caregiver psychological support.
• Sepsis Alliance: US-based non-profit advancing awareness, education, and support for sepsis survivors and post-sepsis syndrome. Comparable in mission around PSS recognition and survivor psychological support, with broader national scope.
• V Care Foundation: India-based non-profit providing emotional, psychological and rehabilitative support to cancer patients and their families. Directly comparable in mission (psychosocial support for Indian cancer patients) and operational model (volunteer-driven, hospital-partnered programs).
• SNEHI: India-based mental-health NGO working on emotional support, suicide prevention, and community mental-health programs. Comparable as an India non-profit addressing mental-health stigma and providing community-based psychological support, with overlap in school and community programs.

Broad incumbents

• Pallium India: India-based non-profit working to integrate palliative care (including psychosocial support) into the healthcare system for patients with serious illnesses. Comparable in addressing the gap between physical treatment and psychological well-being for chronic-illness patients in India.
• Global Sepsis Alliance: International coalition supporting the global fight against sepsis, including post-sepsis syndrome. Comparable as a broader international entity operating in the sepsis awareness and survivor-support space.
• Indian Cancer Society: One of the oldest and largest cancer-focused non-profits in India, supporting cancer patients across detection, treatment and survivorship. Comparable as a broader incumbent operating in the same cancer-patient support space with a wider mandate.

Emerging players

• Heilen Mindcare: India-based tech-enabled mental-health startup collaborating with The Lalitha Foundation on AI-driven school mental-health screening. Comparable as an emerging mental-health player using AI screening tools, intersecting with Lalitha's school program.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-lalitha-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Lalitha Foundation