Ex-Tinder CEO’s Generative AI Relationship Mentor Startup Meeno Raises $3.9M
Generative AI relationship mentoring mobile app Meeno has raised $3.9 million in a seed funding round led by Sequoia Capital. Former Tinder CEO Renate Nyborg founded Meeno, formerly known as Amorai, as a way of combatting what she describes as a growing public health crisis of loneliness through personalized relationship guidance. The generative AI chatbot in the mobile app, set to debut in December, can offer advice on friendships, family dynamics, romance, and professional connections.
Meeno AI Advice
Meeno’s app will let users chat with an AI guide designed to understand the context and personal history of the user. The AI can offer tailored social and emotional advice and help build skills for forging real-world human connections. The ‘non-judgmental AI mentor’ is targeted toward enhancing a user’s relationships and helping counteract isolation. The app won’t sell user data but will have a premium subscription level. Meeno’s description emphasizes that it is a “personal mentor” as opposed to a therapist or romantic partner. The startup hasn’t said what LLMs are powering the chatbot, however.
“Meeno is your personal mentor. Not a virtual girlfriend, boyfriend, clinical therapist, or coach. A mentor to help you be your best self; like Remy from Disney’s Ratatouille. Except instead of helping you cook, we are helping you learn about relationships,” Nyborg explained in a blog post. “You’ll already find Meeno different from public LLMs. Meeno makes space for you to be heard, to be seen, and to feel secure sharing what’s really going on in your life. As more people use the app, Meeno will improve its relationship mentoring.”
Nyborg’s description is reminiscent of the “digital companion” Pi released by Inflection AI earlier this year. Meeno is designed to learn from users as a way of giving better relationship advice. The AI will initially ask for details like age, ethnicity, and sexual orientation so that the chatbot can avoid biased conversations. Meeno has raised $5 million in total following a pre-seed round in April. Nyborg explained that she renamed Amorai (presumably a combination of Amor, French for love, and AI) as Meeno in reference to Meno’s Paradox, a complex discussion of whether learning virtue is possible and the value of self-examination, among other philosophical dilemmas.
Follow @voicebotaiFollow @erichschwartz
Meta Introduces Generative AI Chatbot Assistant and a Cast of Celebrity Chatbot Characters
Snapchat Debuts Generative AI Lenses and Opens ‘My AI’ Chatbot to Everyone
