Welcome to the latest edition of Re-Humanizing HealthTech, where we amplify and connect voices bringing humans back into healthcare.

I’m releasing this issue amidst SF Tech Week, which is quite the bonanza of events. If you haven’t been to San Francisco in a couple of years, it’s time to plan a visit. The city is thrumming as AI reshapes what’s possible in tech and beyond.

There’s an increasing understanding that a holistic approach to wellbeing, which I’ll define as understanding the interconnected systems acting within and upon a human body, will create better health outcomes. Or, there’s at least an acknowledgement that care provision through this lens would create a superior patient experience. Going to seven different locations and providers for treatment feels more like being a car on Ford’s assembly line than being seen as a human being.

Unsurprisingly, our mental wellbeing underpins much (all?) of how this entity functions as a whole. Yet, discourse around mental health is challenged and the stigma remains very real. The argument in naming PTSD as a condition tracks back to 1980, where the struggle revolved around recognizing an external thing, meaning trauma, being imposed on a person, as opposed to a person being inherently “weak”. The concept of trauma as an external object is arguably only now becoming more widely accepted.

Treatments as well as diagnoses have evolved, and areas that were once considered woo-woo are becoming more mainstream. Headspace was founded in 2010 and brought meditation to the masses, Calm became the first mental health unicorn in 2019 (founded 2012), and somatic practices are currently emerging from the fringes. Aside from the demonstrated health benefits, the commonality here is a reminder for us to slow down and let our bodies be heard.

Framed another way, these practices are a container where internal communication can occur. Moving outside of that container and building a bridge to connects with others is another level. With the epidemic of loneliness we’re facing, reconsidering what we’re trying to accomplish with our mental health support systems is critical. In the absence of a well-functioning system, we’re seeing people in crisis turn to online AI companions, though, the pope said no (links below).

While there are upsides we’re yet to fully understand, one has to question the wisdom of emotional attachments to AI algorithms designed primarily to maximize engagement for profit. Care is eminently human.

Our featured founder knows this, and she’s built her company around supporting the emotional center of the family. Read more below.

In optimism,

Katie

Meet Amy. She’s building Mamaya Health, a behavioral health platform built for women and the people they love — blending virtual therapy, medication management, and AI-powered care navigation with culturally attuned, life-stage–specific support.

Why did you choose this path?

I founded Mamaya after experiencing three miscarriages and finding the path to care incredibly challenging — even as someone who works in mental health. I decided to build the solution I so badly needed but couldn’t find.

For years, I’ve worked at the intersection of mental health and women’s health and witnessed how often women’s emotional well-being is treated as secondary. During the pandemic, those gaps became undeniable. Women were burning out while holding up households, caregiving, and navigating profound identity shifts during life’s most vulnerable seasons: fertility, pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause, and beyond.

What began as a lifeline for women in crisis quickly evolved. Women started asking us to support not just them, but everyone they love — partners, children, caregivers, chosen family. It became clear that when you center women’s mental health, you strengthen entire systems of care.

That belief fuels everything we do at Mamaya: building a wraparound, hybrid model of care that is accessible, deeply personalized, and scalable — so no woman has to navigate these seasons alone, and every family can access the support they need.

What are the missing pieces for you right now?

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Expanding partnerships with health systems, payers, and employers to embed & partner with Mamaya in care delivery.

🚀 Scaling our clinical network to meet demand across more states and diverse populations.

🌱 Growing awareness so more women and families know help exists and can access care when they need it.

What gives you hope?

Katie’s musings

More information on behavioral and mental health

I help Seed & Series A healthtech startups design and build investor-grade revenue engines.