Janao
- Founder
- 2024 - present
The problem
The friends of mine who were struggling were not looking for a therapist. They were looking for somewhere to say the thing out loud without it getting back to their family, their school or their employer. In Bangladesh the first barrier to mental health support is not cost or availability. It is that asking is itself a disclosure.
What it is
AI-augmented confidential support for students and young professionals, with awareness material and resources alongside it. I led branding, platform design, and partnerships with mental health professionals and educational institutions.
The decision
The AI is a front door, not a clinician
It is technically straightforward to build something that will talk to a distressed nineteen-year-old at two in the morning and sound competent. It is also the fastest way to do real harm. The AI layer exists to lower the cost of the first sentence - to be available, private and unshockable at the moment someone decides to say something - and to route from there.
Which is why the partnerships came before the launch rather than after it. A platform in this category without qualified professionals attached to it is not a product, it is a liability.
Status
Live.
Next
A digital agency with UK and international clients, a team of six to seven, and close to a hundred websites shipped. Founded when I was fourteen.