Michael Lai

Co-Founder and CEO, Cress Health

New York City

Michael is the founder and CEO of Cress Health, a tech company that creates disruptive technologies to enhance individual mental wellness. He is also the creator of Cress Health’s flagship product, Callie, the world’s first AI-driven personal wellness companion. Cress Health was named one of Fast Company’s 2020 World-Changing Ideas and is backed by the Clinton Foundation, 1517 Fund, Accelerate New York Seed Fund, and Microsoft. Michael is a passionate advocate for destigmatizing mental health and has spoken at the Rhode Island Medical Society about the importance of mental health awareness and self-care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Outside of Cress Health, Michael is extremely passionate about impact-based social entrepreneurship and has founded Cress Cares (Cress Health’s non-profit arm) in which he works with community partners in Africa to deliver cost-free mental wellness resources and increase mental health literacy for refugees in the Kakuma refugee camp, adolescent youth in Nairobi, Kenya, and for women affected by sexual and gender-based violence in Liberia. He is also the founder of SciSquare, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that connects underprivileged high school students from backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in STEM to mentorship and summer research immersion opportunities. For his efforts, Michael was named to Rhode Island Inno’s Under 25 list and a 2020 Innovator of the Year by Innovate Long Island.