# Why We Built Althea Room | Founding Story

> **Canonical URL:** [https://althearoom.com/stories](https://althearoom.com/stories)  
> **Last Reviewed:** 2026-10-09  

A founding letter on surviving the dark, broken digital systems, and our vow to heal together.

## The Need for a Sanctuary

Modern digital interfaces are frequently engineered around behavioral addiction, intrusive advertising, and late-night engagement traps that erode natural human biology and sleep rhythms. Althea Room was founded by students and engineers who experienced academic burnout, sleep deprivation, and screen exhaustion firsthand.

## Core Principles

1. **Rest-First Technology:** We build tools that help you finish your tasks, wind down your evening, and disconnect peacefully from your screen.
2. **Zero Cloud Surveillance:** We do not package your emotional state, listening logs, or focus sessions into commercial ad profiles.
3. **Peer Empathy & Community:** Creating supportive spaces for students and educators with zero tolerance for toxicity.

## Navigation

- [About Althea Room](/about.md)
- [Leadership Team](/team.md)
- [Return to Home](/index.md)

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*Althea Room · Clermont, FL · Support: hello@althea.room*