Draft:Doro (chatbot)
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Comment: The submitter, User:HappyworldRaz has been paid by Razroze Inc. for their contributions to Draft:Doro (chatbot). (Proof: ) BSH🌸 (talk) - (she/her) 19:37, 2 September 2026 (UTC)
| Doro | |
|---|---|
| Developer | Razroze Inc. |
| Release | September 2024 |
| Operating system | iOS, Android, web |
| Type | Chatbot, mental health application |
| Website | doro |
Doro is a Canadian artificial intelligence chatbot designed to act as a mental-health coach for people experiencing early signs of anxiety and depression.[1][2] It was developed by Razroze Inc., a startup founded in 2023 by brothers Rastin and Ramtin Rassoli and based at Velocity, the University of Waterloo's startup incubator in Kitchener, Ontario.[3][4] The app conducts sessions by text or voice, draws on techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy, and assigns users small tasks between sessions.[5][1][6]
History
[edit]Rastin Rassoli began developing Doro in 2023 while studying computer science and psychology at the University of Waterloo, after earlier helping to build Joyi, an app delivering short psychology lessons to teenagers, during a co-op placement.[1][3] He continued the work through the university's Enterprise Co-op program with the support of a CA$30,000 government grant.[7][2] A first version was released to about 100 trial users in June 2024, followed by a wider release in September 2024, when the University of Waterloo's Campus Wellness service began offering the app to students.[7][2][3]
By late 2024 the university reported that Doro had been deployed at some 30 mental-health clinics in Ontario and Alberta, and in January 2025 the student newspaper Imprint reported that the app had more than 2,000 users.[2][7] Mobile apps for iOS and Android followed in 2025,[6] and in August 2025 the Waterloo Region Record reported that the company had signed a contract with a chain of clinics in Alberta.[3] By 2026 the company was working with hospital systems in Canada and the United States and collaborating with University of Waterloo researchers on clinical applications, according to the university.[8]
Features
[edit]Doro replaces questionnaire-style intake with a conversational assessment and delivers exercises drawn from about 20 psychotherapeutic techniques, such as journalling or the TIPP skill for managing panic, while tracking each session.[7][1] It is positioned as an early-intervention tool for people whose symptoms have not reached a clinical diagnosis, rather than as treatment for diagnosed conditions.[1][3] The developers state that the chatbot maintains a defined therapeutic stance and conversational boundaries rather than acting as a general-purpose assistant.[5]
If a user's symptoms indicate a crisis, the app stops the session and directs them to a built-in directory of crisis helplines organized by country and province, or to a therapist in their region.[1][5] Doro also partners with therapists, providing them with summaries of a user's prior conversations, and its exercises include prompts to attend social events and build connections outside the app.[5]
Reception
[edit]In September 2024, CBC News profiled Doro in a report on AI mental-health apps for students; experts quoted in the report said such apps cannot replace conventional treatment and raised concerns about safety, privacy and the lack of regulation of AI mental-health apps generally.[1][9] In a 2025 episode of the TVO series Big If True on AI chatbots and therapy, host Molly Thomas tested the app; when she described thoughts of self-harm, it directed her to crisis resources.[5] The Waterloo Region Record also covered the startup in 2025.[3]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Wong, Jessica (September 13, 2024). "New AI apps promise mental health support at a student's fingertips. But can you trust a chatbot?". CBC News. Retrieved September 1, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "New AI chatbot could be a door to mental health". Waterloo News. University of Waterloo. November 6, 2024. Retrieved September 1, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Pender, Terry (August 14, 2025). "UW startup creates AI chatbot for mental health". Waterloo Region Record. Retrieved September 1, 2026.
- ↑ "Doro". Velocity. University of Waterloo. Retrieved September 1, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 AI Chatbots & Therapy. Big [If True]. TVO. November 2, 2025. Retrieved September 1, 2026 – via YouTube.
- 1 2 "Doro: Anxiety & Stress Relief". App Store. Apple Inc. Retrieved September 1, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "How this Waterloo student created an AI therapist". Imprint. January 19, 2025. Retrieved September 1, 2026.
- ↑ "AI: bridging the gap between health care visits". Waterloo News. University of Waterloo. March 19, 2026. Retrieved September 1, 2026.
- ↑ A quick walk-through Doro, a chatbot mental wellness app. CBC News. September 13, 2024. Retrieved September 1, 2026.