Bangladesh-based Relaxy focuses on making mental healthcare accessible, convenient, and stigma-free. Relaxy co-founder and CEO Jahnnobi Rahman came up with a solution after dealing with the darkest time of her life. It all began when she realized that she was not alone in struggling with this issue, as nearly 29 million people out of 180 in Bangladesh are facing the same problem. Furthermore, she realized that this issue is a global issue, affecting nearly a billion people worldwide.
Relaxy’s CEO and co-founder, Jahnnobi Rahman:
Meet this inspiring young female CEO, Jahnnobi Rahman, co-founder of Relaxy. She completed her graduation in the course of computer science and engineering at Rajshahi University of engineering and technology. Jahnnobi has an impressive track record of achievements in mathematics and innovation. She secured Bronze in the International Youth Math Challenge in 2020 and 2022, ranking in the top 20% and 25% of participants, respectively.
She was also a world finalist in 2020, competing with over 10,000 mathletes from 98 countries. Jahnnobi won the National Champion title in the Generation Unlimited Youth Challenge 2020 by UNICEF and ICT Division, showcasing her talent internationally. Additionally, IEEE YESIST12 recognized her as a Champion in Innovation in 2021, and she was a finalist in the prestigious Bangabandhu Innovation Grant. Her work with Relaxy also earned her a spot in the top 10 of the She Loves Tech Global Startup Competition in 2021.
Jahnnobi Rahman’s struggle:
It all began when Jahnnobi left her home to attend college. This was the first time she lived apart from her family. This was a different chapter in her life. She was trying to adjust to this new phase, but she struggled and found herself alone. This time, she realized that there are many people who struggle with the problem of social isolation and loneliness.
Later, she was juggling a part-time job, final exams, and numerous project deadlines. She was desperate for even a short sleep and some peace and quiet. It became difficult for her to communicate with her family, and she spent a significant amount of time on social media, which led to feelings of loneliness and constant reflection.
In late 2020, she received a diagnosis of major depressive illness and anxiety disorder. Her co-founder also received a diagnosis of ADHD. Even if she scheduled an appointment, it would be several months in the future. It was also challenging to identify the appropriate specialist.
Additionally, society stigmatizes mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, and ADHD, making it more difficult for people to get the help they need. 92% of Bangladeshis don’t get the mental health care they need. To this day, 29 million people have a mental disease. Many factors make it difficult for these individuals to seek professional assistance. Even worse, it’s hard for them to always get help. This is how she found a gap in the mental health care sector.
Personal Frustration to Business, Relaxy:
At the time, dealing with this mental disorder was extremely painful for her. Today Jahnnobi states that, “Some of my friends laughed at my situation and joked about it, which only intensified my symptoms.”
After going through all of this, she came to the realization that there was a need for accessible mental health care services. This realization prompted her to take action. With her background in computer science, this problem intrigued her from a technology-based service perspective, and she started digging deeper into solutions. With her friends, she designed Relaxy to enable a community of supportive members.
The solution: Relaxy.
Jahnnobi Rahman, along with her friends Naimul Hoque Joy, Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer, and Shamiul Islam Shopnil, Co-Founder & Chief Technology Officer, founded Relaxy in 2021. It connects people with similar feelings, allowing them to talk and lighten their minds. They are now a community of over 85000 people and counting.
Relaxy is an app that allows users to share their psychological challenges without suffering from prejudice or stereotypes. The service helps them get assistance from professionals on a temporary or ongoing basis.
Thus, from the user’s point of view, this is a service that lets people share personal experiences and receive psychological care anytime, anywhere.
Future plan of Relaxy:
Jahnnobi wants to build this digital platform, Relaxy, as the largest mental health care app in APAC. Even though each Asian country has its own language and society, she thinks that they all have some things in common.
They want to talk to experts in every area and eventually spread around the world. Relaxy’s goal is to make mental health services easy and smooth for people in APAC, but they still have a long way to go.
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