Revolutionizing Mental Health: Laura Randa’s Mission to Make Therapy Accessible for All
Founder and CEO of Toivoa, Laura Randa witnessed firsthand how her daughter’s mental health was dramatically impacted due to her hearing disability. During COVID, Laura’s daughter sought therapy to handle her elevated stress and anxiety from the inability to read lips due to masks. Frustrated with the lack of accessible resources for her daughter, Laura left her career as a biopharma executive determined to revolutionize mental health treatment for people with disabilities by leveraging her expertise in leading 12 multi-billion-dollar product launches, including Dupixent, which achieved $10B in 6.5 years. Laura has assembled a passionate team of experts in cognitive behavioral therapy, digital therapeutics, and clinical psychology who designed a first-in-class therapy platform to close the treatment gap for people with disabilities.
What is it that excites you about what you’re building?
We are in a mental health crisis with a shortage of mental health clinicians. Unfortunately, there is presently a far greater need for in-person psychological treatments than exists in the vast majority of communities, with more than half of US counties lacking a single psychiatrist, and 60% of clinicians not able to see one more patient. Our solution to this deficit, digital mental health interventions, performs on par with in-person psychological treatments, while facilitating the urgent, large-scale dissemination of evidence-based therapies without restricting patient access due to location, impaired mobility, fear of social stigma, or lack of time. Our dual therapy — accessible CBT therapy and mental health coaches personalized for people with disabilities — will be the first to address this treatment gap.
What has been your biggest challenge when growing your startup?
I believe that people are the biggest assets that will define the success of Toivoa. Our biggest challenge has not been finding people, as many have emerged, but rather focusing on finding the right talent who have been highly successful in their field, fit our synergistic team culture, and have experience building emerging startups to high-growth companies.
What are your future plans for your startup?
Our plans are to launch our accessible, personalized dual therapy: CBT and board-certified mental health coaches for adults with disabilities struggling with mental illness, focused on health systems and VA Medical Centers in the first half of 2026. We plan to launch our adolescent dual therapy for those struggling with anxiety or depression in the second half of 2026.
If you had to share “words of wisdom” with a founder who’s about to start their own startup, what would they be?
You have to always look for customers, key talent, risks, and challenges. Be honest and open as you tackle issues. At the same time, try to find the best possible solution for your company today and then go do it. Even if the unexpected happens, which it does all the time, ask, “What’s the best thing I could do to turn lemons into lemonade?” Learn from every experience. Make it happen, get from an idea to a product! Just do it! And be nimble enough to respond to all challenges.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
linkedin.com/in/laura-randa-mpa-80118b11
