Innovative Approaches to Mental Health: New Sobriety App Secures Funding

Empathy Health Technologies announced Wednesday that it raised $7.6 million to support its Sober Sidekick app, which helps prevent relapse by connecting those struggling with substance use disorder with peers.

Sober Sidekick provides access to a sobriety tracker, 24/7 Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, messaging with peers, daily motivations, and professional help. The app prompts users to send supportive messages to others in the app and receive messages back when they need support.

It also leverages predictive technology like its Empathy Algorithm, which analyzes behavioral patterns and language to predict relapse risk and engage members. If a member self-reports a relapse, they automatically receive a compassionate support message from the company, and if they reply, they can enter a chat with a virtual support team.

Chris Thompson, founder and CEO of Empathy Health, emphasized that relapses, suicides, and overdoses do not occur in clinics but when individuals are alone. He stated that the Sober Sidekick platform ensures that any user posting at any time will receive a written response from six peers in their community.

The $7.6 million funding round was led by HealthX Ventures and included participation from Nina Capital, Ikigai Healthcare Funds, American Heart Association Ventures, Suncoast Ventures, Cortado Ventures, and Wilson Sonsini Investment Company.

This brings the total funding for the company to $11.4 million. Kristi Ebong, a partner at HealthX Ventures, noted that Empathy Health is addressing a significant unmet need in healthcare by detecting relapse risk while it unfolds, allowing for timely intervention.

The financing will help Sober Sidekick scale value-based partnerships with payers, enhance its predictive technology, and expand member support operations. Since its launch in 2019, Sober Sidekick has been downloaded about 1.1 million times, with over 145,000 monthly active users and more than 2 million peer engagements.

An analysis from the Validation Institute found that users who engage five times with Sober Sidekick are 68% less likely to experience a relapse. Thompson aims to redefine success in substance use disorder care by promoting continuous support rather than reactive crisis management, envisioning a future where recovery is not defined by relapses but by consistent support.