First Voyage raises $2.5 million for its AI companion that helps you build habits

In a world rapidly filling up with AI-generated content, a startup called First Voyage wants to help people avoid all the AI ​​mistakes in their path and build the habits they want instead. This is done via an AI companion app: called Momo Self Care, the app offers a digital pet called Momo that you can take care of, and in return, it will remind you to complete habit-building tasks.

Users can set up reminders for tasks they want to complete, and Momo will remind you of them. Similar to the successful productivity app Focus Friend, Momo also rewards you with coins for completing tasks that can be used to purchase in-app items to further customize your pet. Users can also talk to Momo about self-care, and the AI ​​companion will recommend habits and tasks based on what you want to achieve.

“Momo helps users become the best versions of themselves, and users reward Momo with care, affection, and cute accessories,” co-founder and CEO Besart Kuba told TechCrunch. He launched the company with Ecehan Özsoy, who serves as CTO.

First Voyage said Monday it has raised $2.5 million in a seed funding round from a16z speedrun, SignalFire, True Global and other investors.

Cuba said Momo users have already created more than two million tasks on the platform, with the most popular habits related to productivity, spirituality and mindfulness.

But with the wave of AI apps and games hitting the market, not to mention the growing influence of AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude and Grok, there is growing concern that these new so-called “buddies” could do more harm than good.

Chuba believes that relationships between AI characters and humans will increase in the next few years. However, he noted that the growing number of AI applications aimed at health and self-care are at least better than those targeting basic incentives.

“We are happy with a lot of founders [and] “Startups are in the AI-based self-health care space rather than building Wayvos,” he said, adding that “the personalization power of AI will take the impact of these relationships to another level.”

He noted that Momo has enhanced safety barriers, such as quick filters to ensure that conversations between AI and users remain within appropriate limits.

The new money from the fundraising campaign will be used to help launch Momo on the Android App Store (it’s already available on iOS). The First Voyage team also hopes to make Momo smarter in how she interacts with people.

“We hope that Momo and the surrounding community will become an iconic consumer brand that uses the best of artificial intelligence, animation and gaming to improve the lives of as many people as possible,” Cuba said.