Prince Harry's New Job With Silicon Valley Startup Explained
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It was announced on Tuesday that Prince Harry would begin his new role as Chief Impact Officer for the Silicon Valley startup, BetterUp Inc. The company provides coaching and mental health services to businesses and individuals globally.
The announcement came a year after the Duke of Sussex and his wife, actress Meghan Markle decided to step back from official royal duties and move from The United Kingdom to Santa Barbara, California.
Prince Harry, a longtime advocate for mental health issues, along with the Duchess, gave a bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in early March. During the interview, they both discussed the mental strain of living life as British royalty as being one of the main contributing factors in their decision to move to America.
In another interview with late-night television host James Corden, Harry explained his decision to move the family. “It was a really difficult environment, as I think a lot of people saw. We all know what the British press can be like. And it was destroying my mental health. I was like, 'This is toxic.’ So I did what any husband and father would do... I need to get my family out of here.”
Since moving to L.A. last March with the Duchess and their newborn son Archie, Prince Harry has continued his leadership roles with several other non-profit and charitable organizations. He continues his role as patron for the Invictus Games Foundation, the children's charity Wellchild, and Rhino Conservation Botswana.
He and Meghan also started the non-profit Archewell Foundation, which focuses on classes, lectures, and seminars for the purposes of physical and mental health. Based on his previous and present charitable works, the duke's new role with BetterUp seems like a perfect fit.
About The Company
BetterUp Inc., which was founded in 2013, is a mobile-based leadership development platform for groups and individuals of Fortune 500 companies. The platform uses on-demand and virtual coaching sessions to increase performance and reinforce behaviors and skills necessary for their clients to thrive both professionally and personally.
According to the company's website, "The BetterUp experience brings together world-class coaching, AI technology, and behavioral science experts to deliver change at scale — improving individual resilience, adaptability, and effectiveness. The results? People living more meaningful, vibrant lives with greater clarity, purpose, and passion."
About The Role
The company announced on Tuesday that Prince Harry would be joining them as their first Chief Impact Officer. In the new role, Harry will focus on product strategy and public advocacy related to mental health. Founder Alexi Robichaux told the WSJ it was a "meaty role."
Having used the BetterUp app himself, Harry said that his BetterUp coach had given him sound advice and a better perspective. So much so that the duke's entire Archewell team was given access to the site.
According to a blog posted Tuesday to the BetterUp website, Harry has chosen to focus on four key areas within the company. These include driving advocacy and awareness for mental fitness, guiding BeterUp's social mission, influencing their platform, community, and user experience, and expanding their global community.
Later, he writes, "My hope is to help people develop their inner strength, resilience, and confidence. I firmly believe that focusing on and prioritizing our mental fitness unlocks potential and opportunity that we never knew we had inside of us. As the Royal Marine Commandos say, ‘It’s a state of mind.’ We all have it in us."
Though His Royal Highness will spend some of his time in BetterUp's San Fransisco offices, he will not directly oversee any of their employees. What remains unclear is how much time the new dad, film and podcast producer, and philanthropist will have for his new job. Whether he serves in a more ceremonial role as a glorified brand-ambassador or if the duke will take a more hands-on approach to the inner workings of the company remains to be seen.
It is also unclear what kind of salary he will earn from the job. When asked about Prince Harry's salary, the companies co-owner, Alexi Robichaux, declined to comment. However, after securing almost $300 million in investment capital in 2020, the company is now valued at over $2 billion. When comparing the salaries of individuals with similar positions in other comparable Silicon Valley companies, the prince could be looking at a seven-figure deal.
With an estimated net worth of over $42 million, along with a recent deal with Netflix for $100 million, the prince is probably less focused on the salary than on the cause itself. At the end of his interview with Cordon, Prince Harry reflected on his move from the royal family and where he sees himself in the future. "I will never walk away. I will always be contributing – my life is public service, so wherever I am in the world, it is going to be the same thing.”
Sources: The Sun, WSJ, Linkedin, BetterUp, Vogue, CBS
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