Slingshot AI
Category: AI in Healthcare
An AI-powered mental health company that has developed a therapy chatbot named Ash, built on a foundational model for psychology. Slingshot AI was founded in 2023. The company is led by Daniel Reid Cahn. Based in New York, USA. Team size: 11-50. Total funding raised: $93 million. Latest round: Series A. Key investors include Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Radical Ventures, Forerunner Ventures, Menlo Ventures.
- Founded
- 2023
- Headquarters
- New York, USA
- Team size
- 11-50
- Total funding
- $93 million
Value proposition
To provide accessible, personalized, and effective mental health care through an AI chatbot that adapts its therapeutic style based on user interactions.
Products and solutions
Ash (AI-powered therapy chatbot), A proprietary foundational AI model for psychology
Unique value
Slingshot's uniqueness lies in its specialized, proprietary foundation model for psychology. Unlike general-purpose LLMs, this model is trained on a unique dataset of real, anonymized therapist-patient conversations, allowing the AI to understand the nuances of therapeutic dialogue.
Target customer
Individuals seeking accessible and affordable mental health support.
Industries served
Mental Health Care, Healthcare Technology
Technology advantage
The core advantage is the AI's ability to adapt its therapeutic style (e.g., switching between CBT, psychodynamic, or other modalities) based on user responses. This creates a more personalized and effective therapeutic experience that is scalable and accessible 24/7.
How they differentiate
Slingshot AI differentiates its therapy chatbot, Ash, by training its AI model on real-life, anonymized therapy sessions. This approach aims to create a more human-like and effective therapeutic experience compared to competitors that rely on more generalized datasets.
Main competitors
Wysa, Woebot, Replika
Key partnerships
Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Radical Ventures, Forerunner Ventures, Felicis, Menlo Ventures
Notable customers
As a direct-to-consumer application, Slingshot AI does not have notable business customers in the traditional sense. Its user base consists of individuals seeking mental health support.
Major milestones
Successfully raised $93 million in total funding., Launched its AI-powered therapy chatbot, Ash., Secured backing from prominent venture capital firms like Andreessen Horowitz.
Growth metrics
The company's therapy chatbot, Ash, has been tested by 50,000 beta users.
Market positioning
Slingshot AI is positioned as a premium and clinically-focused player in the AI-powered mental health market. With significant backing from top-tier venture capitalists, it targets users seeking a more sophisticated and personalized alternative to existing mental health chatbots.
Geographic focus
Slingshot AI is headquartered in New York, USA, and London, UK, suggesting an initial focus on the North American and European markets.
Patents and IP
Information on specific patents is not publicly available. However, their primary intellectual property is their proprietary foundational AI model for psychology and the unique dataset of anonymized therapeutic conversations used to train it.
About Daniel Reid Cahn
Daniel Reid Cahn, an experienced AI engineer with a research background in technology for mental health crisis, is the Co-Founder and CEO of Slingshot AI. He is also the host of the "Thinking Machines" podcast, where he explores the intersection of AI and philosophy. His work at Slingshot AI is focused on building a foundation model for psychology to make mental health care more accessible.
Official website: https://www.slingshot.xyz/