Kanpassorn Eix Built Ooca to Help People Speak When Words Felt Hard to Find

Kanpassorn Eix is a dentist turned entrepreneur who has made access to care more open and human. Her journey began far from the startup world, shaped by her time in military clinics where unspoken stress often ran deep. While serving in the Thai army, she met people who needed help but had nowhere to turn or feared being judged for asking. That experience stayed with her long after she left her uniform behind.

Ooca grew from that frustration and from a simple belief that help should never feel out of reach. Kanpassorn wanted anyone to be able to speak to a professional without stigma, delay, or long travel. She imagined a digital bridge connecting those who needed care with those trained to provide it. In 2017, that vision became a company offering video and text consultations with licensed mental-health professionals.

Her shift from medicine to technology might seem unexpected, but both paths share a common purpose of empathy and care. Dentistry taught her to listen, to steady anxious patients, and to act with precision. She carried those instincts into Ooca, trading drills and instruments for screens and code but keeping the same goal of easing pain and restoring confidence.

The first version of Ooca was small, just a handful of people linking users and psychologists through video calls. Yet the response was immediate. Many who had never before spoken to a professional found comfort in the privacy of their own space. Companies began offering Ooca as part of their employee wellness programs. Within a few years the platform had expanded beyond Bangkok, reaching offices and homes across Thailand.

What Makes Ooca Different

Built from Personal Experience: Ooca was never a Silicon Valley experiment. It grew from lived experience. When Kanpassorn worked in remote areas she saw how long it could take for someone to see a psychiatrist. For many, the journey to a clinic meant hours of travel and the risk of being seen by someone they knew. Ooca was designed to remove those barriers. Users could log in, stay anonymous if they wished, and reach a professional without leaving their homes. Privacy was not an add-on. It was the foundation.

For Individuals and Companies: While Ooca began as a consumer service, it quickly expanded into corporate care. Many employers in Thailand now use the platform to support their staff. This dual structure has helped the company reach both personal and organisational users. The individual side keeps Ooca rooted in empathy. The corporate side gives it scale and sustainability. Together they form a balance that few startups manage to achieve.

These two forces, personal empathy and corporate structure, define Ooca’s identity. It is technology with a heartbeat, and business with a conscience.

Why Does This Matter?

Mental health has long carried stigma in Thailand, where seeking therapy was often seen as weakness or luxury. Professionals were concentrated in large cities, leaving rural and working communities underserved. Ooca challenged that landscape by making access easier, cheaper, and more private. Instead of waiting for a crisis, users could reach help early, from wherever they were.

The simplicity of the experience also changed attitudes. Conversations that once felt taboo became ordinary. Families began to discuss therapy without shame. Companies started including mental health in their wellness budgets. Kanpassorn often says that the hardest part of healing is not the therapy itself, but the first step of asking for it. Ooca makes that step less daunting.

When the platform secured investment from one of Thailand’s largest hospital groups, it marked a turning point. Mental-health tech was no longer seen as an experiment but as a serious part of healthcare. For Kanpassorn, that validation mattered less than the message it sent: that caring for the mind is as important as caring for the body.

What Lies Ahead?

Kanpassorn now looks beyond Thailand to Southeast Asia, where the same barriers exist in different forms. In many countries, professionals are few and stigma runs deep. She sees technology as a bridge that can connect cultures and care. Ooca’s next phase includes partnerships with hospitals, employers, and governments to make digital therapy a standard option rather than a backup.

She is also exploring hybrid models that blend online and offline care. Digital conversations can open doors, but sometimes people need in-person follow-ups. Ooca aims to build those pathways, so that help continues seamlessly beyond the screen.

Her leadership style reflects a mix of precision and compassion. The discipline from her military background taught her to act decisively. The empathy from her medical work reminds her why she leads. She is known for being hands-on, speaking directly to users, and reminding her team that technology is only as good as the trust it earns.

As Ooca grows, maintaining that personal touch becomes harder, yet Kanpassorn keeps it at the heart of the company’s identity. Every update, partnership, and hiring decision is guided by one clear idea that it should make it easier for someone to speak up and find help.

Kanpassorn built Ooca from her experience as a dentist in the Thai army into one of Southeast Asia’s most original mental-wellness platforms that helps people speak freely, find help, and feel heard.