A Letter from Our CEO: Why Sentra Exists

Dear Sentra Community,

I'm Tom, the co-founder and CEO of Sentra. My story truly begins at age 12, when I came home from school on September 11th, 2001. Watching the towers collapse on TV profoundly shaped my sense of purpose, particularly given that my dad served in the anti-terrorist branch of the Met Police. From that day onward, I knew my life's path was in public service.

At 16, I joined the British Army in 2005 (coincidentally, on the 11th of September), serving operational tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Afghanistan was especially challenging, marked by violence and intense experiences. After leaving the Army in December 2010, I transitioned into the corporate world, eventually working with leading tech companies like Apple, Spotify, and Snapchat.

"In 2014, PTSD caught up with me. I experienced intense anxiety, hyper-awareness, and debilitating stress."

However, in 2014, PTSD caught up with me. I experienced intense anxiety, hyper-awareness, and debilitating stress. Thankfully, support from Help for Heroes and my family helped me navigate this difficult period. Yet, this experience exposed significant gaps in existing mental health systems, particularly around continuous companionship and accessibility.

Fast-forward to 2022, when I co-founded Koios with Martin Lukac, a PhD in computational social science. While developing advanced conversational AI solutions, we gained deep insights into how technology can effectively support human emotional well-being. We realised these insights could directly help address the growing crisis of PTSD and trauma, not just among military veterans but also within frontline and emergency services, paramedics, firefighters, police, coast guard, prison officers, and emergency call centre staff.

The scale of PTSD is enormous, up to 14% of veterans under VA care in the US, and around 10% of UK veterans from recent conflicts experience PTSD. Incredible charities and support organisations tirelessly work to address these challenges, yet they face limitations in resources, accessibility, and reach, leaving many individuals underserved when they most need help.

Understanding these challenges, we founded Sentra. Alongside Martin, we've welcomed Oliver Blackford, an ex-Royal Marines captain turned NHS doctor, as our Clinical Lead, and Chrissy Neafsey as our Head of Community. Chrissy, a proud wife of an NYC first responder (FDNY & NYPD) and granddaughter of a police chief, brings extensive experience as a former Global Lead of Yahoo's VALOR ERG and advocate for veterans and first responders. Her passion for leveraging technology to enhance mental health and prevent burnout has been invaluable. Chrissy and I previously worked together at Snapchat, and she was one of our earliest investors at Koios.

Together, we're building Sentra, a secure, private, AI-powered companion offering personalised support grounded in proven therapies like EMDR, CBT, grounding exercises, and breathing drills. We collaborate with leading charities and support organisations to ensure Sentra complements and enhances their critical work.

"Our vision is simple yet powerful: to make Sentra available 24/7, 365 days a year, to everyone dealing with trauma."

Our vision is simple yet powerful: to make Sentra available 24/7, 365 days a year, to everyone dealing with trauma. Whether you're processing a difficult shift today or carrying experiences from years past, Sentra is here, ready to listen, support, and guide you toward healing.

Thank you for joining us on this critical journey.