SAN FRANCISCO (September 26, 2023)  –  Meeno, the relationship mentoring company, today announced its seed funding round led by Sequoia Capital with participation from AI Fund and NEA. The company, formerly known as Amorai, raised its pre-seed round in April this year, bringing its total funding to nearly $5 million. Meeno (pronounced ‘me-know’) is a relationship mentoring app that uses generative AI to provide personalized guidance for all relationships, from personal to professional. The company will use this funding to further develop its machine learning technologies and mobile app.

Founded by former Tinder CEO Renate Nyborg, the company also announced that anyone in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and Netherlands can pre-order Meeno on the App Store, and will receive a notification when the app launches later this year. Meeno has committed to never using data to sell ads, and will offer a premium subscription service for certain features. Users who sign up by January 31, 2024 will be able to claim 12 months of free Meeno Premium as a gift.

In May 2023, the US Surgeon General declared loneliness as a critical public health crisis affecting both individual and societal health – on par with tobacco, obesity and substance use disorders. Adults – especially Gen Z – struggle with lack of social connection. Meeno provides a solution to help address this epidemic.

Since raising Meeno’s pre-seed, Nyborg has relocated to San Francisco and hired a California-based team that includes former Tinder product leader Julia Ama as Head of Product. The founding team has experience hailing from Apple, Instagram, Headspace, Duolingo, Uber and a variety of AI/ML startups. 

“I believe that loneliness is the most important battle we’ll fight in our lifetime, on par with climate change,” said Nyborg, Founder and CEO at Meeno. “Loneliness is a really hard problem to solve, and generative AI offers a unique opportunity to enhance real-world relationships. Although fostering social connection with AI may seem counterintuitive, I believe that to make a dent in the loneliness universe, you need to meet people where they are – online. Just like Remy in Ratatouille helps you learn to cook, Meeno is designed to help you learn about relationships: from friends to romance, from family to work.”

“Meeno provides a non-judgmental AI mentor that empowers people to master the skill of social connection,” said Roelof Botha, Managing Partner at Sequoia Capital. “Unlike a chatbot, Meeno understands your history and the web of your relationships—ultimately, offering highly-personalized advice to help you foster better connections. We’re proud to partner with Renate and the Meeno team as they help address the loneliness epidemic.”

“The rise in loneliness is something I care deeply about. I know a lot more about science than relationships — ask my wife! — yet it concerned me that AI was being used by hundreds of millions of people to simulate friendship and romance,” said Andrew Ng, Managing Partner at AI Fund and Meeno board member. “Meeno is a perfect example of AI meeting a societal need and I’m excited to be involved in the company since inception.”

To find out more about the company’s mission, product and name, additional information can be found in a blog post by Nyborg.

About Meeno

Meeno is a relationship mentoring app powered by generative AI. Meeno’s mission is to help people master the skill of social connection. Its mobile app harnesses AI/ML to enhance all relationships: from friends to romance, from family to work. Meeno is founded by former Tinder CEO, Renate Nyborg, and backed by Sequoia, Andrew Ng’s AI Fund, NEA and Tony Fadell. To learn more, visit: https://meeno.com/

Press Contacts: 

US: Cassie Lawrence, cassie@jsapartners.co

EU: Paula Keve, paula@intrapr.com