The Duke of Sussex has left his royal duties behind for a position at BetterUp.
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March
23, 2021
3 min read
Prince Harry will ditch his royal duties for a position at a startup in Silicon Valley, the Wall Street Journal has reported.
The Duke of Sussex will serve as the chief impact officer of BetterUp Inc., a coaching and mental health firm. Since 2013, the company has brought together coaching, AI technology and behavioral science experts to help clients “unleash personal and professional potential,” according to its website.
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“I intend to help create impact in people’s lives,” Prince Harry told the Journal in an emailed statement. “Proactive coaching provides endless possibilities for personal development, increased awareness, and an all-around better life.”
According to the publication, the duke will play an important role in product strategizing and charitable contributions, while also publicly advocating around issues related to mental health. The news comes weeks after Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle confirmed that they would not return to their royal duties.
In a blog post, the duke expressed excitement over his new position, citing his background in the military and prior experience with a BetterUp coach as reasons for joining the firm.
“As BetterUp’s first Chief Impact Officer, my goal is to lift up critical dialogues around mental health, build supportive and compassionate communities, and foster an environment for honest and vulnerable conversations,” he wrote. “And my hope is to help people develop their inner strength, resilience, and confidence.”
Last month, BetterUp announced that it had raised $125 million in Series D funding, bringing the firm’s valuation to $1.73 billion.
“We’re standing at a once-in-a-lifetime crossroad of opportunity as a society,” CEO and Entrepreneur contributor Alexi Robichaux wrote in a blog post, explaining his decision to bring the duke on board. “We have the economic, technological, and scientific means to positively impact human potential at scale. But to achieve this, we must ‘reframe’ how we think about human flourishing (the potential we all have), peak performance, and mental fitness.”
The announcement is one of several recent headline-making stories about the duke. Earlier this year, the duke and his wife revealed in a bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey that members of the royal family had isolated the couple and made racially charged comments.