About us
Healing starts with someone to talk to.
Solace Care is a mental-health platform for Africa, starting in Cameroon. We connect people with verified specialists by audio or video, discreetly and in their own language.
Why we're building it
Across much of Africa, there are far too few mental-health specialists, and most work in a few big cities. Cameroon, where we start, has fewer than 500 for nearly 28 million people. Many families first turn to a pastor or a traditional healer, or wait until things are very hard.
At the same time, almost everyone has a phone and Mobile Money. We think a well-built, private, bilingual app can bring a first conversation with a qualified specialist within reach of far more people, and give specialists a fair way to grow their practice. We start in Cameroon because we live and work here, and we're building for the rest of the continent from day one.
What we hold to
Supply before promises
We recruit and verify specialists before we invite the public, so the people who come to us find someone available, in their language.
Privacy by default
No cold messages about mental health, no advertising on health behaviour, and tracking data never used for marketing.
People decide
Seekers choose their specialist. Specialists set their rate. AI suggests and drafts; people decide and sign.
The team
Makang Norah
Co-founder and CEO
9+ years running operations and customer experience at tech companies in Cameroon, including the digital health platform Waspito and the delivery service Potolo.
Lucienne Melo
Co-founder and clinical lead
Registered nurse with 5+ years in frontline care, specialising in PCOS and women's health. Has cared for more than 1 000 women. Leads care protocols and cycle-tracking content.
Banseka Jude
Co-founder and technical lead
Senior Java full-stack engineer with 6+ years building payment, loyalty and subscription platforms in Douala.
Advisors: Collins Fomba Ken, founder and CEO of IWOMI Technologies (fintech and mobile money), and Epaphrate Minuifuong, founder and CEO of Bongalo (accommodation booking with mobile money).
Where we are
Done
Product design
Every app screen in English and French, a design system and the system architecture.
Months 1–2
Build the app
Booking, audio sessions, Mobile Money and specialist verification.
Months 3–8
Pilot
Our founding specialists and the first people from the waitlist, based in Douala.
From month 9
Grow
Yaoundé and more regions, video sessions and tracking, then our first countries beyond Cameroon.
Before launch: our clinical lead signs off the crisis protocol and all messages, emergency numbers are verified, and we complete a data-protection review.
Photography
Photos from Unsplash, used under the Unsplash licence.
- Vitaly Gariev / Unsplash
- Edouard Tamba / Unsplash
- proudlyswazi / Unsplash
- Christina @ wocintechchat.com / Unsplash
- Kame BGCREATIONS / Unsplash
- Iwaria Inc. / Unsplash
- Vitaly Gariev / Unsplash
- Trust "Tru" Katsande / Unsplash
- Vitaly Gariev / Unsplash
- Seth Ebenezer Tetteh / Unsplash
- Emmanuel Ikwuegbu / Unsplash
- Adeniji Abdullahi A / Unsplash
- Edouard Tamba / Unsplash
- Vitaly Gariev / Unsplash