Pune Inc: Why thousands are dialling this mental health startup
From rape victims to children in conflict with law, Pune startup The Full Circle is fighting mental health challenges in the country by entering spaces where one does not usually look.
What we are trying to do with the minors is to calm them down and empower them so that they don’t go back to the wrong path again, says Nupoor Mohan, founder, The Full Circle. (Special Arrangement)
Lashkar police station in Pune’s Camp has become the site of an initiative that addresses an often-overlooked problem—the mental health of children in conflict with law. For the next one-and-a-half months, Marathi-speaking therapists, psychiatrists, and doctors will conduct 90-minute workshops here, twice a week, to help such children address aggression, anger, and other related issues.
For this, Pune police have collaborated with a city-based startup, The Full Circle, which provides professional care and personalised solutions for daily stress management, mental well-being and developing self-care practices to negotiate life’s challenging circumstances through online sessions.
“These children are in conflict with the law because they have not been groomed well or have gone through so much trauma that it is very difficult to handle them. What we are trying to do with the minors is to calm them down and empower them so that they don’t go back to the wrong path again. This is a stepping stone for us to have a better community. We start with where it’s already hampered,” says Nupoor Mohan, founder, The Full Circle.
An alumnus of the Indian School of Business, Nupoor is the founder of another startup, Flexisales. With both parents as doctors, she saw healthcare stresses during the COVID-19 pandemic, when her father set up a 200-bed hospital. “I realised that people did not even have time to grieve the loved ones they had lost. There was a time when people were not even coming to claim the bodies that were there in the hospital,” she says.
A personal crisis in Nupoor’s life plunged her into a deeper awareness of the paucity of institutions that look after the well-being of people. “What if somebody is going through a difficult phase in life? It can be financial stress, or it can be mental stress. It can be a relationship issue, or you have lost your parents. I felt the need for a brand name that one can easily approach and get experts helping one pass that journey gracefully. In India, mental health is still a taboo subject,” says Nupoor.
Filling the mental health gap
The Indian government defines mental health as “an individual’s emotional, psychological and social well-being”. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare states that “70 per cent to 92 per cent of people with mental disorders do not receive proper treatment due to lack of awareness, stigma, and shortage of professionals. According to the Indian Journal of Psychiatry, India has 0.75 psychiatrists per 100,000 people, whereas the WHO recommends at least 3 per 100,000”.
The Full Circle is fighting mental health challenges in the country by entering spaces where one does not usually look. They are working on collaborating with Mumbai police to reach out to rape victims and domestic violence cases, where an intervention can help survivors find their strength and dignity again.
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“These are some mindful collaborations that we are working hard on. In the last couple of weeks, we have seen many suicides in the corporate sector. So, we are aggressively targeting B2B companies on the importance of a work-life balance, among other factors. We want to be there with HR while the corporate sector goes through layoffs or terminations, so that these are handled more emphatically,” says Nupoor.
The company is collaborating with banking institutes on emotional and holistic mental wellness and with top schools and institutions that have more than 1,000 children, so that mental health becomes a priority and is talked about in school. “We are in an era where there is so much happening in everyone’s personal life. How much does it impact children? We want to be there for workshops. We want to be there so that we can talk to the parents. We want to be there so that we can train the teachers to, for instance, identify a bubbly child who has turned very quiet,” says Nupoor.
A significant part of the company budget is invested in content creation. An in-house content team of 20 people works on generating posts to create awareness. “My main vision of the company right now is to make people aware of where to go. We also have a podcast channel, where we invite top leaders, from politician Supriya Sule to owners and co-founders of companies. Once a leader talks about making therapy very normal, it is accepted by the crowd,” says Nupoor, adding that taking the services offline is next on the agenda.
Dipanita Nath is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. She is a versatile journalist with a deep interest in the intersection of culture, sustainability, and urban life.
Professional Background
Experience: Before joining The Indian Express, she worked with other major news organizations including Hindustan Times, The Times of India, and Mint.
Core Specializations: She is widely recognized for her coverage of the climate crisis, theatre and performing arts, heritage conservation, and the startup ecosystem (often through her "Pune Inc" series).
Storytelling Focus: Her work often unearths "hidden stories" of Pune—focusing on historical institutes, local traditions, and the personal journeys of social innovators.
Recent Notable Articles (December 2025)
Her recent reporting highlights Pune’s cultural pulse and the environmental challenges facing the city during the winter season:
1. Climate & Environment
"Pune shivers on coldest morning of the season; minimum temperature plunges to 6.9°C" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on the record-breaking cold wave in Pune and the IMD's forecast for the week.
"How a heritage tree-mapping event at Ganeshkhind Garden highlights rising interest in Pune’s green legacy" (Dec 20, 2025): Covering a citizen-led initiative where Gen Z and millennials gathered to document and protect ancient trees at a Biodiversity Heritage Site.
"Right to breathe: Landmark NGT order directs PMC to frame norms for pollution from construction sites" (Dec 8, 2025): Reporting on a significant legal victory for residents fighting dust and air pollution in urban neighborhoods like Baner.
2. "Hidden Stories" & Heritage
"Inside Pune library that’s nourished minds of entrepreneurs for 17 years" (Dec 21, 2025): A feature on the Venture Center Library, detailing how a collection of 3,500 specialized books helps tech startups navigate the product life cycle.
"Before he died, Ram Sutar gave Pune a lasting gift" (Dec 18, 2025): A tribute to the legendary sculptor Ram Sutar (creator of the Statue of Unity), focusing on his local works like the Chhatrapati Shivaji statue at Pune airport.
"The Pune institute where MA Jinnah was once chief guest" (Dec 6, 2025): An archival exploration of the College of Agriculture, established in 1907, and its historical role in India's freedom struggle.
3. Arts, Theatre & "Pune Inc"
"Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak were not rivals but close friends, says veteran filmmaker" (Dec 17, 2025): A deep-dive interview ahead of the Pune International Film Festival (PIFF) exploring the camaraderie between legends of Indian cinema.
"Meet the Pune entrepreneur helping women build and scale businesses" (Dec 16, 2025): Part of her "Pune Inc" series, profiling Nikita Vora’s efforts to empower female-led startups.
"How women drone pilots in rural Maharashtra are cultivating a green habit" (Dec 12, 2025): Exploring how technology is being used by women in agriculture to reduce chemical use and labor.
Signature Style
Dipanita Nath is known for intellectual curiosity and a narrative-driven approach. Whether she is writing about a 110-year-old eatery or the intricacies of the climate crisis, she focuses on the human element and the historical context. Her columns are often a blend of reportage and cultural commentary, making them a staple for readers interested in the "soul" of Pune.
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