Meet Johanna Strauss, Founder & CEO of Look Up!

Tell us more about Look Up!
At Look Up!, we’re building a smart, AI-powered navigator that helps individuals make sense of their mental health challenges and find the right support—faster and with greater clarity. Powered by a proprietary 360-degree assessment and navigation system, Look Up! is not just another app: it’s a revolutionary approach that goes beyond treating symptoms to understanding the whole person and delivering personalized, adaptive guidance. But we don’t stop at the individual. We aim to reimagine the entire mental health value chain—from patient to insurer—to address the inefficiencies of a fragmented system. We rethink mental health not as a series of isolated transactions, but as a continuous, human journey.

Please give some more details of your startup story: what was the “aha” moment that led to the idea for your startup?
Look Up! was born at the intersection of personal passion and professional insight. With a deep interest in psychology and nearly 20 years of experience in strategy and operations across global blue-chip companies, I became increasingly aware of how broken and confusing the mental health system truly is. The idea came from witnessing and experiencing how the system labels symptoms without understanding the person, over-medicalizes emotional distress, and leaves people lost in disconnected, one-size-fits-all solutions. It became clear that we need a fundamentally different approach to mental health, and Look Up! was founded to tackle this challenge.

So, what’s next for you—what’s a bold goal you’re chasing right now?
In 2025 we will finalize our MVP and set the foundations for regulatory alignment. With that, we’ll be ready to run pilots with health ecosystem partners. Our long-term vision for Look Up! is to move beyond traditional industry beliefs and redefine how mental health is understood—shifting from the disease model to a holistic, person-centered approach. We put people at the center of the system and support them in navigation using AI, data, and science. Beyond that, we’re building the future infrastructure to reduce both the emotional and financial burden of today’s “maze system”—not just for individuals, but also for insurers, employers, and providers. Mental health deserves better, and we’re here to redesign and rewire the end-to-end value chain.

Which decision (big or small) had the most unexpected positive impact on your startup?
First, bringing together a prominent multidisciplinary team—clinical psychologists, neuroscientists, tech experts, and business leaders—gave us early credibility and united us around a bold, shared vision. Second, the decision to build a one-of-a-kind, AI-powered dynamic assessment was transformative. Instead of reducing people to symptoms or diagnoses, we chose to understand them through a genuine biopsychosocial lens. People deserve to have their experiences understood—not reduced to labels. This shift set us apart, moving Look Up! from a mental health tool to a system-level solution. By unlocking end-to-end value, we gained early traction with insurers, partners, and Innosuisse.

If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently? What are your biggest learnings?
We’re still early in our journey, but one clear lesson already stands out: I would put less time pressure on myself. Health innovation isn’t a sprint—it requires deep system understanding, trusted relationships, and alignment across diverse stakeholders. The pace of tech startups can create a false sense of urgency, but in healthcare, real impact demands patience, credibility, and thoughtful execution.

Building a startup requires resilience, how do you stay focused during tough times?
I stay focused because this isn’t just a startup—it’s a purpose. What drives me, and the team who believes in this vision as deeply as I do, is the ambition to radically shift the mental health system from a clinical, symptom-labeling machine to one that sees people as human beings with real stories and real needs. Every tough moment becomes fuel—and as a team, we empower each other to keep moving the mental health needle.

One piece of advice for someone who is just starting out with their startup?
Focus on purpose and meaningful impact—and don’t let fear of competition define your journey. Seeing others as threats traps you in a zero-sum mindset that limits true growth. Choose collaboration over comparison. Strive together, not against each other, to build solutions that truly matter.

What value do you see in being part of the Swiss Startup Association?
For me, being part of the Swiss Startup Association means access to a supportive network, valuable events, and great content. SSA strengthens Switzerland’s startup ecosystem, encouraging entrepreneurship and innovation—it’s a key reason why Switzerland leads in global innovation.

Is there anything else you would like to share with the community?
Health innovation needs long-term, systemic thinking—especially from investors. Unlike fintech, mental health operates under different rules and timelines. It’s not about quick fixes or flashy tech; it’s about sustainable transformation and systemic impact. There’s no magic pill, but there is real magic in redesigning the system with empathy, evidence, and purpose. This space holds immense value, but it must be approached with the right mindset. Let’s build something that truly matters.

Check out Johanna’s LinkedIn and Look UP! here!

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About the Swiss Startup Association

The Swiss Startup Association (SSA) is the umbrella organisation and the voice of Swiss startups. As a sector-independent non-profit organisation, the SSA gives startups a strong voice vis-à-vis politics, business, and works to improve the conditions for startups in Switzerland.
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