LGBTQ+ mental health app Voda raises £650,000 in funding to help struggling queer communities
Voda founder Jaron Soh said the funding will "give us the ability to support thousands more LGBTQIA+ people across the UK"
By Gary Grimes
Voda, the LGBTQ+ mental health app, has announced it has raised £650,000 in funding to scale its services to queer communties around the world.
The app, which launched last year, has been built by and for LGBTQ+ people. It aims to offer inclusive, therapist-developed mental health support to its users. The London-based app says it now supports more than 35,000 + users worldwide, with a growing UK user base.
This recent spike in funding comes in the wake of a particularly challenging time for queer people in the UK, following renewed attacks on trans rights (including the recent Supreme Court ruling on the definition of the word ‘woman’ under the Equality Act 2010), the scrapping of NHS LGBTQ+ inclusion initiatives, and widening gaps in access to mental health support.
The company says that this new funding will help Voda to “scale its reach, develop new therapeutic content with LGBTQIA+ clinicians, and introduce community-led features that support everyday wellbeing.” Voda offers accessible tools for building self-worth, processing difficult emotions, and fostering emotional wellbeing in the face of adversity.
“Our community, particularly trans, non-binary and gender-diverse people are not struggling because they are unwilling to seek help,” said Chris Sheridan, Lead Therapist at Voda. “They’re struggling because the system is increasingly hostile to them.”
The app’s founder Jaron Soh echoed Sheridan’s sentiments, commenting: “In a time where LGBTQIA+ rights are being rolled back and anti-LGBTQIA+ sentiments are on the rise, we’re proud to be building a queer-led platform that centres care and dignity.
“This funding will give us the ability to support thousands more LGBTQIA+ people across the UK with the mental health support they deserve,” Soh continued.
In an op-ed published on Attitude earlier this year, Soh wrote about the dire situation trans people find themselves in here in the UK.
“We must be clear: trans people deserve genuine compassion, care and support,” the app founder wrote. “To do that, we must first call out and reject narratives that continue to weaponise a language of care for women, children, and trans people.
“Trans people, like all of us, deserve their fundamental rights, safety, and to be accepted by society,” Soh also wrote. “Through Voda’s work in interfacing with thousands of trans people, we believe that the latest ruling will undoubtedly worsen mental health outcomes for an already incredibly marginalised group.”