Toronto-based TranQool, which connects people with online therapists, will cease operations as of October 31.
The company shared the news with clients in an email, adding that they can continue meeting with their therapists through other means. “The past two years have been extraordinary for us and our team at TranQool because we had the opportunity to serve you,” CEO Chakameh Shafii wrote. “We have been blown away by your support and reviews and want you to know that this is not the end of your journey to better health.”
Shafii launched TranQool with co-founders Saeed Zeinali and Babak Shahabi in 2015. By offering 45-minute online sessions with therapists for $60, TranQool sought to make mental health care more affordable and accessible; in Ontario, wait times for a therapist commonly reach six months to a year.
“We still believe in the mission and are proud of the positive impact we’ve had in this industry,” Shafii told BetaKit in a statement. She added that since announcing the news, her inbox has been flooding with emails from clients about how the platform helped them. “This is exactly what kept us and our employees so motivated and passionate about the work we did,” she said.
As a tech company, TranQool also worked to help the 72 percent of entrepreneurs that struggle with mental health issues. TranQool partnered with the DMZ to provide startups with free and discounted sessions. The company also donated sessions to Guelph University students following a string of suicides on the campus earlier this year.
BetaKit named Shafii one of our BetaKit Spotlight Selectees because of TranQool’s work.
“Saeed, Babak and I started this company because we believed in making therapy accessible and affordable for all Canadians. I’m proud to say we were able to do that for thousands of Canadians,” Shafii said in the statement to users. “I wish you the very best and hope that you will continue to build resilience and joy in your life.”