The Mental health system Is failing kids—Here’s how I’m fixing It
B2B Healthcare
London
27 Years
My name is Sophia, and I’m the founder of Kanjo, the first pre-diagnostic model for pediatric mental health. I’m 27 years old, and I started this business when I was 24. Prior to this, I also founded a tech company at the age of 21.
I’m originally from London, though my family is Persian. My mother left Iran during the revolution in 1979 and has since rebuilt her life here in the UK as an entrepreneur herself. Her journey and resilience have greatly inspired me in my own path.
The mission behind my work is to address the gaps in mental health care, particularly in the context of pediatrics. Currently, the mental health system, both in the UK and globally, focuses largely on reactive care. This results in a significant burden on the system, with poor quality and limited access to care. Furthermore, our understanding of mental health is still lacking in many areas, especially when it comes to pediatric care. We know that clinical practice in this field is decades behind clinical research.
My goal with Kanjo is to bridge this gap, improving clinical practice and pushing it to match the advancements in research. By doing so, we aim to create better outcomes for children and families navigating the mental health system.
What inspired you to start your own business?
I’ve been deeply involved in the mental health space for nearly a decade, and my personal experience with mental health challenges played a significant role in inspiring me to start my own business. When I was doing my GCSEs, I struggled with severe anorexia nervosa and lost about 40% of my body weight within just nine months. During my recovery, I became acutely aware of the glaring lack of mental health education in schools. This realization sparked an idea, and alongside my best friend Amber, we decided to launch a campaign to get mental health included in the national curriculum in the UK.
Our campaign quickly gained traction and turned into one of the largest mental health initiatives in the country. We worked with governments, NGOs, the press, and media for over two years, ultimately achieving the rollout of peer-to-peer mental health education nationwide. After that success, I entered university with the belief that I had solved the problem of mental health education in schools, thinking I could step away from the space.
However, after the COVID-19 pandemic and the launch of my first company, I realized that the issues I thought I had addressed were far from resolved. I noticed several critical gaps: personalization was missing, education wasn’t tailored to the needs of individuals, and a lot of investment in mental health was focused on acute care for adults rather than prevention and pediatric care. These realizations brought me back to the mental health space, where I felt the need to address these gaps, which ultimately led to the creation of Kanjo.
How did you turn your idea into a product?
I went through a program called Entrepreneur First, which is somewhat like Love Island for co-founding relationships. I’d highly recommend it to any founder who doesn’t yet have an idea or a co-founder, as it really helped me focus on identifying the core problems rather than just jumping into solutions. One key thing I realized during that time was the significant disconnect between clinicians and parents when it comes to understanding and addressing pediatric mental health issues.
Initially, we explored the application of digital biomarkers—using consumer electronics like smartphones to infer health, behavior, and well-being insights for diagnosis. We thought this could be a great approach, but as we started building out games to collect this data, we quickly hit two roadblocks. First, the technology was challenging to implement effectively. Second, people weren’t trusting the insights we were gathering. There was no transparency regarding where the raw data came from, and that lack of trust became a major obstacle.
So, we re-evaluated our approach about a year ago and pivoted towards building a more robust solution: a proprietary Bayesian model. This model is mathematical in nature, which allows clinicians to better understand the data we’re analyzing—whether it's genetic, environmental, or maternal data. By doing so, we can ensure transparency and trust, providing more meaningful insights into pediatric mental health.
How have you grown your business?
Growing a business in the B2B healthcare space is definitely different from traditional B2C models. Our focus has been on building strong relationships with key stakeholders in the healthcare sector. This involves speaking directly with clinicians to understand their real-world problems and working closely with them to develop solutions. It's a very relationship-driven process, where the goal is to gain their trust and align our product with their needs.
One of our main strategies has been to engage with hundreds of clinicians, asking them in-depth questions about the challenges they face in pediatric mental health. By fostering these conversations, we've gradually been able to convert these discussions into opportunities. Healthcare sales cycles tend to be long, typically spanning nine to twelve months, so we’ve had to remain patient and tenacious. This includes following up persistently—sometimes sending 12 or even 14 emails before getting a response.
As we grow, we're also expanding our team, having recently brought on a new salesperson who is proving to be a key asset in helping us scale. With this new focus on sales and conversion, we're entering a phase of growth where we can more effectively convert the interest we've built into actionable outcomes. In the long term, our goal is to establish Kanjo as a clinically regulated product, which will further increase trust and allow us to make a larger impact in pediatric mental health. This step will also open up new opportunities for strategic partnerships and scalability.
How are you funding your startup?
We're a venture-backed company. We also have family offices and angels. We did not bootstrap the company as we went through Entrepreneur First instead. From there, we raised our pre-seed round and have recently closed the first part of our seed round. We're currently in the process of closing the second tranche.
What is your average monthly revenue?
We are hoping to break even in the next 18 months.
How are you doing today and what plans for the future?
Looking back, some of my biggest mistakes have been spreading myself too thin and not relinquishing control early enough. I wanted to be involved in every aspect of the business, even those I wasn’t great at, because it’s your baby. But I quickly learned that this spread me too thin and didn’t allow me to focus on what really mattered. I’ve since learned to delegate and trust my team more, which has been key to growing the business.
Another lesson was in how I handled advice. Early on, I accepted all advice without questioning it, which isn’t always helpful. Now, I follow the principle of “strong opinions, loosely held,” meaning I take advice but make decisions based on what aligns with the vision for our business. It’s helped me refine our approach and grow more confidently.
I've also learned the importance of recognizing when a partnership or opportunity isn't going anywhere. We’ve spent over a year working on deals that didn’t convert, and I've had to become better at deciding when to move on to more promising opportunities. That’s been a tough but necessary realization.
In terms of strengths, resilience has been essential. I’ve learned to push through setbacks, adapt when needed, and keep moving forward. Timing has also played a role, with the growing focus on mental health after COVID providing an opening. Ultimately, persistence and adaptability have been crucial as we navigate the challenges of scaling up.
What advice would you give to budding founders?
For budding founders, I'd say a few things. I think identity is one of the most important things and you know, making sure your whole identity is not wrapped up in being a founder, because when that is compromised, you feel empty.
And you know, your identity will consistently be compromised, whether it's poor fundraising, losing a deal, having to fire someone, having no money. And over time, I've tried to realise my identity is not solely a founder, you know, I'm an athlete, I'm a friend, I'm a sister, I'm a daughter.
Making sure all those identities are the things that make you whole and giving some focus to each of them is really important. I think also the appreciation of work-life balance not being the same as for everyone else, I think is also really important.
What’s the most unexpected thing you’ve learned about entrepreneurship?
The most unexpected thing I’ve learned about entrepreneurship, especially coming from someone who tends to be a people pleaser, is that not everyone liking what you’re building can actually be a good sign. If everyone thinks your product or idea is amazing, it probably means you’re not pushing the envelope or doing something truly unique.
What I’ve realized is that there’s value in being really bullish about your idea and staying confident in the space you’re in, even if it means not everyone is on board. Being ahead of the curve, and sometimes even challenging conventional thinking, is a sign that you’re building something special. It’s a tough lesson, but one that’s been crucial in helping me stay focused and true to our vision.
What is your proudest achievement so far?
My most meaningful achievement with Kanjo has definitely been building and bringing on my team. The company has truly become Kanjo because of them. It's no longer just me, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have two amazing co-founders and a team of eight people that I can truly rely on. Their dedication, talent, and support have been essential in bringing our vision to life.
But I think the most meaningful compliment I can get is when my friends and family feel that I’m present with them. Balancing work and personal life is tough, but knowing that I’m truly there for the people I care about means a lot to me.
What role has your family or support system played in your entrepreneurial journey?
My support system has been incredible. My parents have supported me entirely the whole way through. My mum is a founder and my dad is very understanding. Having people that consistently are in my corner, but also holding me back rather than pushing me forward; in the sense of doing less rather than doing more has always been really important.
All the men I've dated or my friends that I've had have always been remarkably supportive and understanding of the job that I have and how different that is to other people. I think these people are in my life not because they have to, but because they want to.
Are you currently hiring?
We recently completed a big hiring batch, so we’re not currently hiring at the moment. However, if anyone is interested in future roles or feels they can contribute, they can always reach out to us at contact@mykanjo.com.
We’re always looking to work with clinicians and parents, so if any parents find this interesting or if there are clinicians who want to collaborate, feel free to email me directly at sophia@mykanjo.com. We're always open to connecting with those who are passionate about making a difference in pediatric mental health.
Where can we find you?
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