Meet Jaron Soh, Co-founder and CEO of Voda
The award-winning mental health app designed by leading LGBTQIA+ psychologists. Voda offers blends clinical expertise with lived experience insights, offering discreet, evidence-based support for LGBTQIA+ challenges such as coming out, gender dysphoria, hate speech and stigma.
Since its launch, Voda has supported over 36,000 users globally, was named “App of the Day” in 35+ countries, and was recognised as a “Rising Star” at the UK National Startup Awards in 2024.
Jaron grew up in Singapore, where same-sex activity between men were criminalised up until 2 years ago. His personal journey to overcoming shame fuels Voda’s mission to make affirming mental health support accessible to LGBTQIA+ people everywhere. Under his leadership, the startup has raised over £900k from impact-driven investors and built a globally recognised platform that is both purpose-led and commercially smart.
Listening to Jaron’s session is a chance to hear how mission-driven startups can thrive in competitive markets. Founders will come away with tangible insights on building community-first tech, securing values-aligned funding, navigating stigma in brand storytelling, and scaling with authenticity. Jaron’s story is not only inspiring—it’s a blueprint for building with impact.
Voda has just closed their (oversubscribed!) funding round, and Jaron will share how we raised from a diverse, values-aligned group of VCs and angels – and why that alignment really matters.