In a time when psychological well being challenges proceed to surge and expertise evolves at breakneck velocity, entrepreneur and former information engineer Jiaru Cai is carving out a path that merges innovation, mindfulness, and cultural heritage. Her platform, JoinSangha, stands on the forefront of an rising area that prioritizes community-based psychological well being assist, whereas additionally pioneering a novel income mannequin—Zen merchandise that features high-quality teas, handcrafted teapots, and incense. “I’ve lengthy believed that expertise ought to increase our deeper human connections,” says Cai. “We have to do greater than present meditative tracks; we have to foster actual communities.”
Cai’s journey begins within the information analytics sphere, the place she amassed three years of expertise within the promoting and psychological well being expertise sectors. Earlier than transitioning into the entrepreneurial world, she served as an information engineer at TikTok, main initiatives associated to promoting integrity and danger mitigation. It was throughout this time that she seen a regarding development: the fixed grind of tech life was taking a toll on psychological well being, exacerbated by relentless efficiency metrics and, extra not too long ago, waves of layoffs. “My determination to pivot from information engineering was pushed by a imaginative and prescient,” Cai explains. “I noticed too lots of my colleagues—good folks—overwhelmed by anxiousness and stress. There needed to be a method to mix technical capabilities with a extra holistic method to wellness.”
That preliminary spark led to the founding of JoinSangha in 2023. The platform presents peer meditation periods, group gatherings, and a digital area the place members can share their struggles and triumphs. “Once you’re surrounded by like-minded individuals who actually pay attention, it transforms the way you deal with stress,” Cai notes. “It’s this sense of unity—this sangha—that inspired me to call the platform the way in which I did.” The time period ‘sangha’ finds its roots in historic Buddhist communities, reflecting a tradition of togetherness and shared studying that Cai sees as important in fashionable life.
The significance of this group method is underscored by information. In accordance with the Nationwide Institute of Psychological Well being, one in 5 adults in america lives with psychological sickness. On the identical time, a 2021 survey by the American Psychological Affiliation discovered that 84 p.c of U.S. adults reported feeling burdened a minimum of as soon as within the two weeks previous to their report (Supply: American Psychological Affiliation). “For me, these numbers level to a disaster in the way in which we deal with psychological well-being,” Cai observes. “We’d like options that handle the social dimension of psychological well being, not simply the person one.”
What units JoinSangha aside in a crowded area of meditation apps is its distinctive income mannequin, which locations Zen-inspired merchandise on the coronary heart of its technique. Cai traces the inspiration for this method again to her hometown, Yongchun, in China’s Fujian province—a area famend for its tea tradition and artisanal crafts. Drawing on these roots, she named this collection of her work after her grandfather, Yanmo Cai, whose title interprets to “ethereal ink.”
Cai’s grandfather’s story was considered and shared by greater than 300,000 folks in China, and it was coated by main media retailers together with Southern Metropolis Each day, China Information Service, and Folks’s Each day. “We realized that whereas mindfulness apps usually depend on subscriptions or donations, we may create a stronger sense of connection by weaving tangible merchandise into the expertise,” she explains. “It’s not nearly ingesting tea; it’s in regards to the ceremony and custom behind it. When somebody holds a handcrafted teapot and sips tea from Yongchun, they’re reminded of the centuries-old knowledge that underpins these rituals.”
By sourcing native supplies and partnering with rural artisans, Cai’s enterprise invests within the native financial system and offers an alternate revenue stream, all whereas supporting the psychological well being platform.
Past the enterprise mannequin, Cai has additionally demonstrated a ardour for constructing inclusive communities within the tech world. She has mentored members at Techstars Startup Weekend San Francisco and served as a choose at international hackathons like Main League Hacking and the AI Engineer World’s Truthful Hackathon in 2024. “It’s inspiring to see so many younger folks energized by what expertise can accomplish,” she says. “However I additionally remind them: The true breakthroughs occur once you hold folks on the coronary heart of your answer. Whether or not it’s psychological well being, training, or social impression, empathy is the engine that drives innovation ahead.”
That sense of empathy is palpable in how JoinSangha fosters human interplay. Whereas apps like Headspace and Calm give attention to particular person meditation periods, Cai’s platform actively encourages group discussions and collaborative studying. Customers can uncover “focus rooms” the place they drop in for guided periods, join with friends dealing with related life transitions, and have interaction in group challenges that mix mindfulness methods with real-life targets, like establishing higher sleep routines or lowering display screen time. “We take a look at the previous monastic traditions, the place tea and incense performed an integral function in meditation, and adapt them for a contemporary viewers,” Cai says. “Our merchandise isn’t only a product; it’s a conduit for participating extra deeply with the observe.”
The corporate’s milestones up to now replicate the viability of its method. By natural social media efforts—significantly on TikTok, the place JoinSangha has already amassed round 2,000 followers—Cai and her crew attract people trying to find community-based mindfulness. Native gatherings and partnerships with psychological well being teams, equivalent to Sangha by the Ocean, have expanded the platform’s attain. “We’re not only a digital platform,” Cai emphasizes. “We sponsor in-person occasions, volunteer alternatives, and networking circles as a result of that’s the way you create real connections.”
Such community-building efforts are additionally supported by broader market information. The World Wellness Institute estimates that the psychological wellness financial system—encompassing the whole lot from mindfulness apps to wellness tourism—was valued at $121 billion as of 2020 (Supply: World Wellness Institute). Furthermore, the mindfulness meditation apps market itself is projected to develop considerably within the coming decade, pushed partially by rising consciousness round psychological well being and the seek for accessible types of wellness. “I hope to see meditation acknowledged because the go-to psychological well being answer for managing anxiousness, very like yoga is embraced for supporting bodily well being,” Cai explains.
But whereas scaling up could be profitable, Cai stays targeted on guaranteeing that JoinSangha’s core values endure. “Progress is just significant if we protect what makes us particular,” she says. “For us, that’s authenticity, cultural grounding, and real social assist. I hope to see meditation acknowledged because the go-to psychological well being answer for managing anxiousness, very like yoga is embraced for supporting bodily well being.”
In her function as each founder and CEO of the overarching firm, Familia io, Inc., Cai has a transparent roadmap forward. The JoinSangha platform will proceed to refine its social options, including extra regional chapters and specialised circles—like periods tailor-made for company staff or girls navigating profession transitions. On the identical time, the Zen merchandise line will broaden to incorporate further artisanal gadgets that evoke the serenity of conventional tea rituals, together with ideas and workshops on aware residing. “We plan to ultimately maintain occasions in numerous cities the place members can study immediately from native tea farmers and artisans, melding training, tradition, and mindfulness in a single expertise,” she reveals.
However how does Cai gauge success? Conventional metrics like each day lively customers or merchandise gross sales would possibly convey the platform’s progress, but she notes that actual success is measured by optimistic testimonials and life modifications. “I obtain messages from folks saying they lastly discovered to handle their anxiousness or that they found a brand new sense of function by our group,” she says. “These tales hold me going. They remind me why I’m doing this.”
Simply as noteworthy is Cai’s dedication to empowering different founders—particularly girls in expertise. Having been certainly one of simply three feminine judges on the AI Engineer World’s Truthful Hackathon, she is aware of the challenges girls face in an business that usually lacks gender parity. “As somebody who’s navigated the tech world from the within, I see how necessary it’s for extra girls to be on the decision-making desk,” she displays. “We deliver experiences and views that result in extra inclusive options. I hope my story encourages different girls to step ahead, whether or not it’s in AI, information analytics, or psychological well being startups.”
That spirit of collaboration and mentorship could also be what actually units Cai aside. Whereas some entrepreneurs focus solely on disruptive expertise, she prioritizes sustainability, native partnerships, and cultural ties. Her “Zen merchandise” is a living proof—a tangible reminder that custom can inform up to date enterprise fashions, and that commerce could be a automobile for social good. “The tech world continues to be determining the right way to steadiness profitability with ethics and impression,” Cai says. “In my opinion, heritage is an untapped supply of innovation. It reminds us that folks have been discovering methods to scale back stress and construct group for hundreds of years. We simply have to deliver these classes into our fashionable frameworks.”
Trying forward, Cai envisions JoinSangha rising past a single app or merchandise line, evolving into a worldwide group fueled by shared experiences, cultural exchanges, and aware residing. For her, success isn’t a end line however an ongoing journey of studying, iteration, and empathy. “In the end, all our expertise, all our information pipelines, ought to function instruments for human flourishing,” she says. “After I see folks coming collectively—serving to one another, sharing tea, training mindfulness—I see actual hope for the way we navigate the complexities of contemporary life.”
In that sense, Cai’s story is each deeply private and universally related. She’s an engineer who traded information tables for meditation mats, a strategist who present in her hometown’s tea tradition a contemporary answer for income era, and a mentor who channels her expertise to information the following wave of innovators. It’s a story that underscores how entrepreneurship, when guided by compassion and cultural consciousness, could be a transformative drive—for people, native economies, and whole industries. “Each step I’ve taken,” says Cai, “has been to indicate that expertise and mindfulness aren’t simply appropriate, they’re vital companions in constructing a greater future.”
