Prince Harry’s Newest Gig: ‘Chief Impact Officer’ of Virtual Coaching Firm
Prince Harry is putting down more roots in the American business scene: He’s joined BetterUp, a San Francisco-based company that provides virtual coaching and counseling to employees and individuals, as a senior exec in the role of “chief impact officer.”
BetterUp, founded in 2013, runs a network of more than 2,000 workplace coaches who provide consultation in one-on-one video chats and offers interactive professional development content, analytics and real-time insights to track employee progress.
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In a blog post on BetterUp’s site, Prince Harry explained that his goal as part of the company’s team “is to lift up critical dialogues around mental health, build supportive and compassionate communities, and foster an environment for honest and vulnerable conversations.”
The prince, 36, and his wife Meghan Markle have relinquished their official duties with the British Royal Family. Last year they bought a posh compound in Santa Barbara County, and with their relocation to the U.S. they have been expanding their business interests. The couple have formed Archewell, an organization that includes a non-profit foundation as well as Archewell Productions, which has a five-year pact with Netflix, and Archewell Audio, which has a multi-year deal with Spotify for original podcasts.
Last month, Harry and Meghan sat for a widely viewed interview with Oprah Winfrey, in which, among other things, the prince said racism in the U.K. was a large reason why the couple left the country.
In the blog post Tuesday, the prince explained that he worked with one of BetterUp’s coaches and found the experience “invaluable” — and he noted that the entire Archewell team also has access to the BetterUp resources. His appointment with the company was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
As a member of the BetterUp executive team, “Prince Harry will expand on the work he’s been doing for years, as he educates and inspires our community and champions the importance of focusing on preventative mental fitness and human potential worldwide,” Alexi Robichaux, CEO of BetterUp, said in the blog post.
Privately held BetterUp says more than 300 companies use its services — including Warner Bros., Lyft, Hilton and Google — and that it’s coached more than 100,000 individuals to date. Last month, the company announced $125 million in Series D funding, which it claimed valued the company at $1.73 billion. The round was led by ICONIQ Growth with participation by existing investors Lightspeed Venture Partners, Threshold Ventures, and Plus Capital, and by new investors Salesforce Ventures, Sapphire Ventures and Mubadala Capital.
Additional BetterUp investors include Freestyle Capital, Crosslink Capital, Tenaya Capital, pro basketball player Pau Gasol and Olympic snowboarder and gold medalist Shaun White.
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