The insight.
Behaviour changes before mood change can be verbalised.
Our Story
We built Téra because the problem is concerning and growing. The gap has been existing for a while and a bridge was needed to cover it.
Postpartum mental health issues can be mitigated. The window for intervention is short, but pre-emption is always better. And in most of the world, nobody is watching during that window. Téra exists to change that.
The gap that is critical to be filled.
Most existing tools for detecting postpartum mental health problems depend on a mother being honest in a clinical setting. She has to report how she feels, in a language that pathologises her experience, to a professional she may have only just met or may share social circles with. Stigma and fear mean she rarely does.
The result is that most postpartum depression, for example, goes undetected until weeks 6 to 8 after birth (if lucky), well past the window where early intervention makes the most difference.
In low to middle income countries, where midwives and health care providers are stretched across large distances and clinics can be hours away, the gap between need and visibility is especially wide.
What if the detection did not require her to say anything at all?
The method.
A weaving practice that makes observation invisible.
The result.
The midwife acts before the window closes.
Built with the people who already do this work.
We are not a technology company that decided to enter healthcare. We use technology to solve a real issue.
Téra has received support from HEC Venture Labs, Sanofi's Accelerator and has been awarded through a competition with Institut Pasteur. Téra is now looking to collaborate with clinical partners to validate the model. Their clinical relationships, community trust, and on-the-ground understanding of what midwives and health care providers actually need shape every decision made.
The team.
The team.
Ishita Kedia
Co-founder
Tanaka Dhombo
Co-founder
Téra was built by Tanaka Dhombo and Ishita Kedia, two students who met the problem before they met each other. Having both seen the impact of mental health stigma and its interaction with relationship dynamics, gender norms and roles and individual wellbeing over the years, both Ishita and Tanaka are passionate about building technology that catches what stigma and silence often hide.
Get in touch.
Clinical partnerships: Via the For Professionals page