I started a mental health tech company with no money, just grit and a team willing to bet on a vision. “I will not promote”

I had no funding. No tech background. No safety net. Just a massive problem that no one was solving. As a firefighter/paramedic, I saw firsthand how broken the mental health system is for first responders. Stigma, long wait times, and EAPs collecting dust while people suffered in silence. I knew peer support could be the answer because it saved my life, but no one was building it the right way. So I did. With nothing but an idea and relentless belief, I convinced a team of brilliant people to join me…on equity alone. No salaries, no guarantees. Just a vision and a whole lot of grit. We bootstrapped, fought through every challenge, and now we are proving that peer support works. We’re growing fast, expanding into healthcare, and showing that mental health support doesn’t have to be slow, expensive, or out of reach. I’m still an outsider in this space, but thinking differently has been our biggest advantage. If you’ve ever built something against the odds, bootstrapped your way forward, or just believe in shaking up the system…I’d love to connect. What’s the hardest thing you’ve had to push through to make your idea a reality?