Timothy Shaw and Pavel Stepanov, co-founders of the newly launched therapy app Lusea, addressed advertisements referencing a UM DUI bus driver accident in an interview with The Hurricane on March 5, 2026.
The flyers — which included the words, “I got off the bus. The stress stayed — but Lusaea helped” — were posted around campus at Ungar, Whitten and Dooley Memorial.
The flyers appeared just days after a University of Miami RSMAS shuttle driver was arrested for driving a shuttle with students while allegedly under the influence of alcohol.
Lusaea is a small startup created by two University of Miami students, and was made in an effort to bridge the gaps between therapy sessions “where the most progress is made,” according to Shaw.
The team first came up with the idea of a mental health related app in 2024 after Shaw lost his best friend and father to suicide. The app was later developed in September 2025.
“We wanted to find a way to give people who are struggling tools that they need to improve,” the founders said. “Our mission drives every decision we make.”
“We’re a small start up and we don’t have a marketing budget,” Shaw said. “I recognize that using some of the people who are still processing and going through [that] might not have been the smartest choice.”
According to Stepanov, they did not receive approval from the University to post the advertisements around campus, nor did they speak to any of the students who were on the bus during the incident.
Stepanov stated that they are in contact with therapists and several other University of Miami students to extend this app as a tool for individuals struggling with mental health.