We built CanMindful
because we needed it.
In 2022, our founding team was burned out, scattered, and looking for tools that actually worked. We found a dozen apps with a hundred features — and none of them got out of the way. So we built our own.
A breathing exercise on a flight changed everything.
Yuki was 40,000 feet above the Pacific, cortisol-flooded from a conference talk, when a flight attendant quietly showed her a 4-7-8 technique. She landed calmer than she had been in months.
She spent the next year reading every paper on respiratory-paced breathing, vagal nerve stimulation, and HRV biofeedback. The science was clear. The apps were not.
She called Marco. Marco called Lin. Six months later, CanMindful shipped its first build — one breathing exercise, one timer, no accounts required. It still works exactly that way.
Four principles that guide every decision.
Simplicity First
We remove everything that is not essential. Mindfulness should not require learning an app — it should feel natural from the first breath.
Grounded in Science
Every technique is backed by peer-reviewed research. We translate neuroscience into practice without the jargon.
Respect Your Time
Twelve minutes can change your day. We design for real lives — not ideal ones. No streaks that guilt, no dashboards that overwhelm.
Privacy as Default
Your inner world is yours. We collect the minimum required to make the product work. No selling, no profiling, no exceptions.
Three people, one mission.
Yuki Tanaka
Co-founder & CEO
Former neuroscience researcher. Spent six years studying the cortisol response before deciding to build tools instead of papers.
Marco Bianchi
Co-founder & Design
15 years designing human interfaces. Believes the best design is what you do not notice — until you are already calm.
Lin Wei
Head of Engineering
Built distributed systems at scale before pivoting to products that actually slow people down. The irony is intentional.
Want to build with us?
We are always looking for passionate people to help shape the future of mindfulness.