Five investors sue Selena Gomez over the Wondermind startup

Five investors have filed a lawsuit against Selena Gomez, her mother Mandy Teefey and former partner Daniella Pierson. At the centre of the case is Wondermind, the mental health startup founded in 2021.

The plaintiffs allege fraud and breach of contract. They say they invested 1.2 million dollars in 2022 after being misled about the company's growth prospects and about the extent of Gomez's personal involvement. They are seeking the return of their investments, together with damages and legal costs.

According to the filing, investors were told the company was valued at 95 million dollars and that corporate partnerships with the likes of JPMorgan, advertising deals and an app that would reshape the sector were expected. The document states that those partnerships did not exist, that the initiatives never materialised and that the app was never created.

The roles and the discovery

Gomez was listed at the company as co-founder, chief impact officer and head of marketing. The plaintiffs say they only learned of the company's difficulties after an article published in 2025 by the magazine The Cut, which described internal problems and conflicts among the leadership.

The case touches on a pattern common in the startup sector, in which the fame of a public figure serves as implicit reassurance to investors. What the court will have to establish is whether the information provided during the fundraising matched the company's actual condition.