Journaling app Rosebud has raised $6 million in seed funding because it seeks to additional flesh out its app as an AI mentor for self-reflection and private progress.
Rosebud makes use of AI to investigate your journal entries, determine patterns over time, and supply insights, questions, and steering. The firm says its aim is to assist customers higher perceive themselves, construct new habits, and monitor targets, similar to a human mentor would.
Since its launch, Rosebud says, customers have journaled 500 million phrases and spent greater than 30 million minutes on its platform.
Rosebud was based in 2023 by Chrys Bader, a Y Combinator alum and co-founder of Secret; and Sean Dadashi, a UC Berkeley Cognitive Science graduate. The pair met at a males’s group, and got here up with the thought for Rosebud based mostly on their very own experiences with remedy and training.
“Everybody is totally different, and everybody has totally different languages, not simply spoken languages, however totally different emotional language, other ways of communication,” Bader stated in an interview with TechCrunch, explaining that AI permits for a degree of customized teaching and help that wasn’t out there up to now.
“So one particular person would possibly need validation and a delicate strategy, whereas someone would possibly need the actually exhausting, like, ‘hey, problem me, name me out on my BS’ strategy,” he continued. “Part of understanding someone is utilizing that understanding to finest help every particular person. That’s what AI unlocks; that’s by no means been potential earlier than, to scale that type of customized recommendation or help the place each particular person may have this wildly totally different expertise than the opposite, relying on what they shared.”
Rosebud says it isn’t trying to exchange therapists, and as an alternative desires to open up entry to high quality mentorship.
The firm plans to make use of the brand new funding to develop its crew of 4 with engineering and product expertise, and investing extra into advertising and marketing. The startup additionally plans to speculate extra in its proprietary reminiscence know-how, and construct out the app’s options.
In addition, Rosebud desires to discover methods to make its AI journal extra accessible, probably by partnerships with colleges, companies and clinics.
The seed spherical was led by Bessemer Venture Partners, with participation from 776, Initialized Capital, Fuel Capital, Avenir, Tim Ferriss, and different buyers.
Rosebud states that each one journal knowledge is encrypted, and that journal entries are by no means shared with third events or used to coach AI fashions.
Looking ahead, Bader and Dadashi envision Rosebud as a mentor, trainer and accomplice that may develop strategic, long run engagement plans with customers. For occasion, if somebody is about to turn into a father, Rosebud may create customized content material round that milestone with journaling and different sources.
“What if everyone had one thing that was searching for what’s finest for them? Or one thing that’s serving to them turn into their finest self? I believe that’s the thrilling factor that AI permits,” Dadashi stated. “I benefited a lot from having mentorship all through my life at numerous occasions, and I’ve suffered in occasions once I haven’t had that mentorship. I believe what we’re seeing is a future the place this may be out there to everyone in a method that it simply wasn’t potential for it to be out there earlier than. You can have one thing that’s truly fascinated with you, truly making an attempt to grasp you, and is aligned with who you need to turn into.”
Rosebud’s fundamental journaling options are free to make use of, however the startup gives a $12.99 month-to-month subscription that unlocks premium options, akin to long-term reminiscence, and voice and name modes.
The AI journal is accessible by way of the online, and on iOS and Android.
