The Upstart A look at who’s doing what in the tech sector

Toronto’s boldest innovators on what they’re making and how it works

ARASH ZOHOOR

Co-founder of Inkblot, a service that connects patients with mental health professionals

COMPANY HQ: yorkville FOUNDED: 2015 EMPLOYEES: 16

HOW MUCH YOU SPENT INITIALLY:

“It cost $100,000 to build the initial prototype. My co-founder, Luke Vigeant, and I didn’t pay ourselves salaries, so we worked other full-time jobs to make it happen.”

YOUR TURNING POINT:

“After a few months, hundreds of family physicians started using Inkblot and recommending it to their patients. We clearly tapped into a need for more accessible mental health care.”

YOUR BIG-TIME BACKERS:

“Amplify Capital invested $500,000 last year.”

THE BEST ADVICE YOU’VE RECEIVED:

“‘Ask yourself who you want to be.’ It makes the decision-making process much easier when you’re operating based on your principles—even if the decision seems bad for business.”

THE WORST ADVICE YOU’VE RECEIVED:

“‘Don’t look for investors at an early stage.’ There are many different types of investors. Some will put their money in early because they’re passionate about the project.”

HOW IT WORKS:

“Inkblot matches people experiencing mental health problems with certified health care professionals. Customers connect with their counsellor via secure video. The first session is free, and after that, it costs $75 an hour.”

EUREKA MOMENT:

“I’m a family physician, and I run a clinic in Brantford. Two of my patients died by suicide while they were waiting to see me. I also had patients travelling really long distances for their appointments. No matter how hard I worked, I couldn’t meet demand, so I started Inkblot as a way of combining technology and modern psychology to provide high-quality care.”

TECH JARGON YOU USE TOO MUCH:

“‘Conversion funnel.’ We look at the people who try our service, find it helpful and return for a second session.”

TECH JARGON YOU HATE:

“‘Scalable.’ People always confuse it with ‘growing.’ ”

COOLEST THING IN YOUR OFFICE:

“A whiteboard full of equations. It’s ridiculous, but we’re trying to define the mathematical equation for human psychology.”

YOUR TECH ROLE MODEL:

“Ali Parsa of Babylon Health. He wants to deliver the best health care possible to every person in the world.”

GO-TO OFFICE ATTIRE:

“A sweater, jeans and dress shoes. I’m trying to be business casual while comfortable.”

APP YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT:

“Google Calendar. Other people schedule my events, so I’m always surprised to find out what I’m up to.”

IF YOU WEREN’T RUNNING A START-UP:

“I’d run an innovation lab, like Bell Labs in the ’60s and ’70s—a mix of science and industry.”