Meeno, a relationship mentoring startup, has successfully raised a $3.9M seed round led by Sequoia Capital, with participation from Andrew Ng’s AI Fund and NEA. The company, formerly known as Amorai, had previously raised funds during its pre-seed round in April (read more here), which brings its total funding to nearly $5M.
Meeno, pronounced ‘me-know,’ is an AI-powered relationship mentoring app that offers personalized guidance for various types of relationships, including personal and professional connections. The funding secured in this round will be go towards advancing the company’s machine learning technologies and improving its mobile application.
“I believe that loneliness is the most important battle we’ll fight in our lifetime, on par with climate change,” said Nyborg, Founder and CEO at Meeno. “Loneliness is a really hard problem to solve, and generative AI offers a unique opportunity to enhance real-world relationships. Although fostering social connection with AI may seem counterintuitive, I believe that to make a dent in the loneliness universe, you need to meet people where they are – online. Just like Remy in Ratatouille helps you learn to cook, Meeno is designed to help you learn about relationships: from friends to romance, from family to work.”
“Meeno provides a non-judgmental AI mentor that empowers people to master the skill of social connection,” said Roelof Botha, Managing Partner at Sequoia Capital. “Unlike a chatbot, Meeno understands your history and the web of your relationships—ultimately, offering highly-personalized advice to help you foster better connections. We’re proud to partner with Renate and the Meeno team as they help address the loneliness epidemic.”
“The rise in loneliness is something I care deeply about. I know a lot more about science than relationships — ask my wife! — yet it concerned me that AI was being used by hundreds of millions of people to simulate friendship and romance,” said Andrew Ng, Managing Partner at AI Fund and Meeno board member. “Meeno is a perfect example of AI meeting a societal need and I’m excited to be involved in the company since inception.”
In addition to the funding announcement, Meeno has made its app available for pre-order on the App Store in several countries, including the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands.
