Prince Harry lands job as executive of a Silicon Valley startup

Prince Harry during the Invictus Games 2018 in Sydney. Image from Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Prince Harry is now a tech startup executive!

Silicon Valley startup, BetterUp, announced on a press statement that the Duke of Sussex is joining the company as its chief impact officer.

Prince Harry’s stint in the company will allow him to “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.”  No detail, however, was provided as to how much will he be paid for this position. 

The 36-year-old royal, described in the company’s website as “a humanitarian, military veteran, mental wellness advocate, and environmentalist,” is also expected to share his insights into product strategy decisions and charitable contributions, and advocate publicly on topics related to mental health, according to Wall Street Journal, which was the first report the news.

BetterUp, founded in 2013, aims to "unlock greater potential, purpose, and passion" through custom support and strengthening mental fitness.  It has recently secured $125 million from different international investors, boosting the company’s value to $1.7 billion and making it a so-called “unicorn” – a term used to call a startup valued at more than $1 billion. Betterp claims to employ 2,000 coaches and to have 300 business clients including Hilton, Nasa, Chevron and Mars.

In an interview with Alexi Robichaux, the company’s co-founder and CEO, Prince Harry said he was excited to be a part of the BetterUp community  citing “the company’s mission to unlock the potential in people everywhere necessitates innovation, impact, and integrity” as the reason why he agreed to join the company’s management team.

He also explained that his role as BetterUp’s first chief impact officer is “to lift up critical dialogues around mental health, build supportive and compassionate communities, and foster an environment for honest and vulnerable conversations.”

The sixth-in-line to the British throne, who now lives with his family in California, also hopes “to help people develop their inner strength, resilience, and confidence.”

The announcement of Prince Harry’s engagement with the U.S. coaching firm came just two weeks after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s tell-all interview on American TV.  The CBS special with Oprah Winfrey drew more than 17.1 million viewers and has stirred conversations around the world.