Stéphane Vial, founder

Stéphane holds a PhD in philosophy and a degree in clinical psychology, and is a Full Professor at the École de design of the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM). Over the course of his career, he has worked as a professor of philosophy, a psychologist and a web designer. It was in Paris, in 2011, that he first had the idea for a digital mental health platform. In 2019, in Montréal, the idea became a research project named “Mentallys,” conducted in collaboration with the Research Centre of the Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal.

In 2026, Stéphane founded Mentallys inc., an independent spin-off company of which he is President and CEO, to make the Mentallys solution available to the entire population and sustain it over the long term. Responsible for strategy, the business model and operations, Stéphane is building the conditions that will allow Mentallys to last without straying from its mission: making mental health care pathways easier through digital technology and design, with no advertising, no user tracking and no data monetization. He works daily with Camille and Sophie on designing our solutions, and with our technology partners on bringing them to life, always putting the experience of people with lived experience ahead of every other consideration.

For several years, in Quebec and in France, Stéphane cared for a loved one living with mental health challenges, and came to know many care services from the inside. He is also the father of a young boy.

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