While working as the lead engineer at a Naval robotics company, GuardBot Inc, founder Jacob Boyle faced two dilemmas with his position: his expertise was being used for harm rather than good, and his time was so consumed with work that he could not give his support to close loved ones battling mental health crises. From those two dilemmas emerged the start of MARCo Health Inc. – a company whose mission is to increase the quality and accessibility of mental healthcare for all with a line of compassionate robot companions. The vision was to provide a low cost robot friend so that anyone struggling with anxiety or mood disorders could have support whenever they needed, while caregivers could receive updates about the individual to make informed decisions about how to best support them. Under the clinical guidance of the counseling staff at The College of New Jersey, Jacob developed a prototype and brought it into an initial clinical trial at TCNJ’s counseling center. This vision and prototype were supported by a panel of business plan judges, who awarded top prize and $30k seed funding to move from prototype into product.