Takalam
Arabic-language online mental health platform offering counseling, coaching, and self-help tools.
Takalam ('talk' in Arabic) is an online mental health and counseling platform founded in 2020 by Emirati entrepreneur Khawla Hammad together with co-founder Inas Shashieh, and is based at Hub71 in Abu Dhabi, UAE. It connects Arabic-speaking users with licensed counselors and coaches for one-on-one video, audio, or text sessions covering depression, anxiety, burnout, and couples counseling, alongside free self-help tools such as mood tracking, journaling, and mindfulness exercises, and an AI chat companion called Aila. The company raised a $1 million pre-seed round led by Emirates Angels Network with participation from Nowaisi Investments, Plug and Play, and a Jordan-based fund, and separately received a grant from the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO).