Rainer Yesaya Villareal@RainerYesaya

Over 166 million young people live with a mental health condition, yet most go untreated. Many want to talk but fear judgment, feel like a burden, or don't know where to start. By the time anyone notices, help is already late. Soba is a voice-first AI emotional companion built around three steps: Listen, Support, Connect. Users simply talk out loud, and Soba answers in real time with a warm voice that adapts to their mood. It guides breathing and grounding when things feel overwhelming. When a conversation shows signs that more help is needed, Soba offers to connect the user with a trusted person, guardian, or professional support, always with consent. Every reply passes through a three-stage safety pipeline (assess, reply, check) that fails closed. Conversations are sorted into green, yellow, and red risk tiers, so Soba knows when to keep supporting, when to gently suggest human help, and when to surface emergency resources. The working MVP is Soba Web. Users can talk to Soba, track mood patterns, keep journal reflections, personalize Soba's personality and voice, and choose which memories it keeps. A separate guardian view shows only the wellbeing trends and safety signals the user has approved, never private conversations. Privacy is built in: consent first, data minimization, and no raw transcripts by default. We are also designing the Soba Companion, a plush bear with a built-in voice module for a more present, physical experience. The hardware is currently in the planning and validation phase. Soba is a companion, not a therapist, and it does not diagnose. Its role is to make the first conversation easier and bring the right human support closer.

🌎 Hybrid Hackathon | 💻 Online Build: October 16–19, 2026 | 📍 On-site: October 19–20, 2026 The official hackathon of AI & Big Data Expo Europe, organized by TechEx Events and lablab.ai. Build AI applications and agents across AI, cybersecurity, cloud, IoT, automation, edge computing, digital transformation, and data infrastructure, then showcase your project live at one of Europe's largest enterprise technology events. 📍 On-site Venue (October 19–20): RAI Amsterdam Europaplein 24, 1078 GZ Amsterdam, Netherlands 📍 If approved for the on-site experience, you'll also have the opportunity to showcase your project live. Travel and accommodation will not be covered.

🌎 Hybrid Hackathon | 💻 Online Build: September 10–16, 2026 | 📍 On-site: September 15–17, 2026 The official hackathon of AI Infra Summit — co-organized by Kisaco Research and lablab.ai. Build production-grade AI applications on the modern AI infrastructure stack, alongside 8,000+ attendees, researchers, founders, and infra leaders. 📍 On-site Venue (September 15–17): Santa Clara Convention Center 5001 Great America Pkwy, Santa Clara, CA 📍 On-site participation is by invitation only. Travel and accommodation expenses will not be covered.

🌎 Online Hackathon | 💻 Month-long challenge | Dates: Sep 1–30, 2026 | 🏆 $10,000 Prize Pool ($5k cash + $5k in AAI credits) A month-long online challenge run by lablab.ai together with AssemblyAI, the Voice AI infrastructure company for builders. Every participant builds on AssemblyAI. You can join at any point — registration stays open for the whole build window, so you can start on day one or pick the project up halfway through and still submit. 🌍 Fully online hackathon. Join and build from anywhere in the world.