Interview
In conversation with
Emilia Theye
Emilia Theye is building Synthetic Therapy Lab, a platform for clinical-grade conversational AI in mental health. Think B2B APIs and token-based pricing that let clinic groups, pharma, or digital providers spin up specialty-trained agents—grounded in medical guidelines and clinical data, not generic chat models. The wager is disciplined and humane: make support scalable without losing safety, transparency, or cultural nuance.
We can only transform healthcare if we do it together.
Theye’s path—from clinical psychology to product strategy and an MBA—shaped a simple rule: in healthcare, pace follows responsibility. Synthetic Therapy Lab enables partners to build their own agents via APIs, but insists on clinical data, guideline adherence, and explainability to keep conversations safe and relevant. She warns C-suites against copying playbooks from other industries: progress demands patience, frontline listening, and long-cycle collaboration across providers, payers, and policymakers. Ethically, the bar is higher—privacy by design, accountable systems, and cultural adaptability across regions—while talent strategy must value execution as much as “impact passion.” Fundraising remains tough; success favors persistent teams, credible traction, and early outreach beyond Europe, where adoption and capital can move faster.
Lessons from Clinical Conversational AI:
Safety, Specificity, Fit
What we cover
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How API-based, guideline-trained agents differ from generic AI—and why providers build their own
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Why healthcare’s tempo requires patience, cross-stakeholder collaboration, and frontline listening over borrowed playbooks
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What ethics demand—safety, transparency, cultural adaptability, and privacy by design—when conversations affect care
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Where hiring and upskilling should focus—execution strength, data/AI fluency, and human-centered design beyond “impact” alone
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Which funding routes work—persistent traction, phase-fit investors, and looking to the U.S. early for capital and adoption
Emilia Theye is a psychologist and scientist by training, with a deep passion for mental health and innovation. She started her career working in clinical settings before moving into the tech and business world, where she spent over four years working at Jung von Matt Strategy helping corporates and start-ups develop products and strategies. Along the way, Emilia completed an MBA at Technical University of Munich (TUM) to bridge the gap between psychology and entrepreneurship. In 2021, she founded Synthetic Therapy Lab (previously clare&me), where she now serves as CEO.
About
Emilia Theye
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