Why Heydave exists

Men are not great at asking for help. That's not an insult — it's just how most of us were brought up. You get on with it. You don't make a fuss. You figure it out yourself.

The problem is that approach has a cost. Male suicide is the biggest killer of men under 50 in the UK. Not cancer. Not heart disease. Suicide. And behind most of those statistics is a man who didn't talk to anyone about what was going on.

Heydave exists because we think that needs to change — and because we think the way to change it isn't to tell men to “open up more” or hand them a leaflet about therapy. It's to meet them where they are.

The research backs this up

In 2024, MHRA and NICE — the UK's medicines and healthcare regulators — commissioned independent research into how people actually use and feel about digital mental health tools. The findings were clear: men are more likely than women to engage with digital mental health support precisely because it feels private, in their control, and free from judgment. The same research found that the biggest barriers to men getting help were stigma, long NHS waiting times, and the feeling that existing services weren't built for them.

Heydave was built with those findings in mind. Not as a replacement for professional help — but as somewhere to talk before things get that far, or while you're waiting, or when you just need to say something out loud to someone who isn't going to make it a big deal.

Dave isn't a therapist

Dave is an AI companion — built to talk the way a good mate would. Plain language. No jargon. No worksheets. He listens before he offers anything. He asks one question at a time. He says something useful when the moment is right. And he remembers what you've talked about, so you don't have to start over every time.

He's not a replacement for professional help. If you need that, he'll tell you — and point you in the right direction. But for the times you just need to talk something through, or say out loud something you haven't been able to say to anyone else, he's here.

Why it's free

The same research found that cost is one of the biggest barriers to men using mental health tools — and that charging for support makes people trust it less, not more. Heydave's core experience is free. It will always be free to talk to Dave. If that ever changes, we'll be upfront about it.

Who built this

Heydave was built by Marc Keating — self-funded, no investors, no advertisers, no agenda beyond getting men talking. Marc built it after watching friends struggle in silence with things they never spoke about to anyone. As a marketer and early AI adopter, he had the tools to do something about it. So he did. If it helps you, you can support it here. If it doesn't, tell us why at feedback@heydave.co.

What we believe

Talking isn't weakness. Asking for help isn't failure. And you don't have to be in crisis to deserve somewhere to say how you're actually doing.

That's it. That's the whole thing.