Tony Robbins co-founds AI therapy app that raised $14.3 million

When the founders of Mental, a mental health app for men, noticed their AI interactive audio feature was hugely popular with users, they spotted an opportunity. That observation led to The Path, a new AI therapy app that aims to be safer than existing consumer chatbots for mental health support.

The startup has raised $14.3 million in seed funding led by Prime Movers Lab, with participation from speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno, boxer Deontay Wilder, and Designer Fund. The company also added a notable co-founder along the way: motivational speaker Tony Robbins, who is a partner at Prime Movers Lab.

How does it work?

The Path lets users choose from 11 virtual AI therapists and customize their preferences for directness and other interaction details. Co-founder and CEO Anson Whitmer says the app combines therapy with coaching methods inspired by Robbins' self-improvement approaches.

The key difference from consumer chatbots lies in how the AI is trained. Rather than being "optimized for engagement" like ChatGPT or other consumer bots, The Path's AI is designed to:

• Challenge users rather than simply agree with them
• Help users understand problems deeply instead of solving them quickly
• Set up structure that leads to resolution through understanding
• Dig out assumptions and help people discover their own solutions

Whitmer says the startup uses specially trained models based on open source technology, rather than wrapping existing consumer LLMs. The company claims its AI scored 95 on the Vera-MH mental health safety benchmark, compared to a top score of 65 for consumer bots.

Why does it matter?

The app addresses a real scale problem in mental health care. "There just aren't enough therapists in the world" for everyone to have individual therapy or coaching, Whitmer explains. His background includes a PhD in psychology and early work at meditation app Calm alongside co-founder Tyler Sheaffer.

Whitmer's motivation is deeply personal. When he was 19, a beloved uncle committed suicide. Later, while in college, a cousin left him a voicemail that he didn't recognize as a cry for help until it was too late - the cousin also took his own life. These experiences drove Whitmer from academic psychology research toward bringing mental health tools to more people.

The Path is currently free as it builds its user base, but plans to charge $40 per month eventually.

The context

AI-powered mental health support is already happening at massive scale. OpenAI reports that at least 900 million people use ChatGPT for mental health-related queries every week. But Whitmer argues that consumer chatbots aren't designed for therapeutic purposes.

"Consumer chatbots try to solve problems quickly for users, and engage in 'reinforcement' of ideas, to keep users coming back for more," he says. "But therapy and coaching doesn't work that way. You're trying to understand the problem deeply."

The involvement of Tony Robbins shows how established figures in the self-help industry are embracing AI tools. Robbins initially provided input on branding and other details after Prime Movers invested, but his enthusiasm grew to the point where the founders offered him a co-founder role. His methods now shape the app's approach to combining therapy with coaching.