Using AI to Revolutionize Mental Health Support: Feeling Great App Raises $8 Million in Seed Funding
Seeking mental health support can be a complex and inaccessible process for many individuals. However, some founders believe that leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) can help bridge this gap by formalizing therapeutic techniques like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Dr. David Burns, a renowned psychiatrist with over 40 years of experience, has developed an app called Feeling Great based on his methods.
Teaming up with Jeremy Karmel, a growth expert who previously led teams at Doordash and Reddit, Burns created Feeling Great, which is also the title of one of his bestselling books on mental health. The startup, founded in 2022, has just announced raising $8 million in seed funding. The funding round was co-led by Learn Capital and TitleTownTech, with participation from Lux Ventures, WaveMaker Three-Sixty Health, Pacific Health Ventures, and Treble Capital.
Feeling Great, which was in beta with approximately 3,000 users, is now launching its app to the public. The company plans to use the funding to further develop and market the app. Rob Hutter, founder and managing partner at Learn Capital, expressed his deep interest in Burns’ work after reading his book and attending one of his seminars. Recognizing the potential of Burns’ expertise and Karmel’s growth mindset, Hutter decided to invest in the startup.
The Feeling Great app consists of two main components. Firstly, it offers interactive courses on mental health and emotion management through illustrations and stories. Secondly, it features a chatbot that engages in conversations with users about their issues and provides a platform for practicing techniques to cope with negative emotions.
The AI models used in the app are based on Burns’ T.E.A.M. (Testing, Empathy, Assessment of Resistance and Methods) approach, which prioritizes empathetic responses and actionable advice. Karmel explained that the company has developed an empathy model focused on connecting deeply with users. Additionally, they have created an evaluation framework to gauge the AI’s effectiveness in understanding users.
Burns highlighted that the app’s primary focus is on improving users’ well-being and transforming negative emotions into joy. It also equips individuals with strategies to handle challenging emotional situations when negative thoughts resurface. Burns emphasized that training human therapists to be empathetic towards patients can be challenging, but an AI model can be trained to act according to instructions.
However, the startup is clear that it does not intend to replace human therapists. The onboarding process includes ample warnings reminding users that the app is not a substitute for professional therapy. It also advises users experiencing thoughts of suicide to seek professional help.
In the mental health space, marketplace startups like BetterHelp and Talkspace connect users with therapists, while apps like Calm and Headspace focus on meditation. Feeling Great enters the market competing directly with Woebot, Wysa, and Sonia. Hutter believes in the power of leveraging therapeutic approaches proven to work and using that data to develop a transformative product. He suggests that the current AI revolution enables computational intelligence to communicate with humans in ways that can unlock psychological transformation at scale.
Both Hutter and the co-founders of Feeling Great emphasize that therapy can be expensive and therapists may not always be available. They argue that the app can be a constant companion and provide support even when users are consulting a therapist.
Looking ahead, Feeling Great aims to develop an app that addresses clinical conditions and seek FDA approval. Calm, another mental health app, has recently introduced its own clinical offering. Feeling Great is also working on introducing new features such as voice-based AI, long-term memory, and an anonymous mode.
Feeling Great is available for both Android and iOS users, but initially, it will only be accessible to customers in the United States. The app offers a free trial for seven days, after which it costs $99 per year.