Talking with mental health professionals, we kept hearing the same stories: by the time most people seek help, they're already in crisis. It's not that people don't care about their mental health—it's that we often don't recognize our own decline until we're already struggling to stay afloat. The longer the wait, the more complex, and complicated the healing journey.

And then there's the stigma. Despite all the talk about mental health awareness, the numbers don't lie. Suicide rates continue to rise, especially among certain age groups. People still whisper about therapy. They still worry about using their company's EAP resources because "what if someone finds out?"

We found ourselves asking: What if checking in on your mental wellness could be as normal as checking your blood pressure? What if we could create something that helps people see themselves clearly, before they're in crisis?

The societal cost of mental health challenges is too enormous to ignore. It affects not just individuals but entire communities and workplaces. That's why we designed Okaya to work on two levels: empowering individuals with insights about their own wellbeing while also helping organizations support their people more effectively.

We believe organizations have both a responsibility and an opportunity to foster environments where mental wellness thrives. By providing anonymized, aggregated insights to organizations, we help them understand patterns and needs without compromising individual privacy. This dual approach means better support systems, more targeted resources, and cultures that truly prioritize wellbeing—not just with words, but with action.

We've learned a lot building Okaya. We've seen firsthand how many AI tools are built on problematic data that doesn't represent the diversity of human experience. That's why we committed to developing our own research datasets, studying potential biases, and building technology that works for everyone.