The Path secures $14.3m seed funding for AI therapy platform backed by Tony Robbins
Co-founded by Anson Whitmer and Tyler Sheaffer, The Path utilises a post-trained AI model to address the limitations of consumer chatbots in mental health support.
The Path, a new artificial intelligence therapy and coaching application, has closed a $14.3 million seed funding round led by Prime Movers Lab. The startup was co-founded by Anson Whitmer and Tyler Sheaffer, both former employees of the meditation app Calm, alongside motivational speaker and author Tony Robbins. The investment also saw participation from speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno, boxer Deontay Wilder, and Designer Fund.
Whitmer, who holds a PhD in psychology, and Sheaffer previously worked at Calm until 2021. Their venture into mental health technology was driven by personal tragedy, including the suicides of Whitmer’s uncle and cousin during his university years. These events prompted Whitmer to pivot from academic research towards developing scalable solutions for mental health support, identifying a significant gap where the idiosyncratic nature of personal problems outstrips the global supply of human therapists.
The application distinguishes itself by utilising a specially trained AI model that is post-trained from open-source models, rather than wrapping major consumer large language models. The founders argue that standard consumer chatbots are optimised for engagement and reinforcement, which contradicts therapeutic goals. In contrast, The Path’s model is designed to challenge users and facilitate deep understanding to reach resolution. The platform currently offers 11 virtual AI therapists that users can customise based on preferences for directness and interaction style.
A key selling point for the startup is its performance on safety metrics. The Path’s AI model achieved a score of 95 on the Vera-MH mental health safety benchmark, significantly higher than the top score of 65 recorded by consumer chatbots. This safety focus is central to the app’s value proposition, aiming to provide a safer alternative to the general-purpose bots that OpenAI reports are already being used by at least 900 people weekly for mental health queries.
Tony Robbins joined the venture after expressing enthusiasm for the founders’ previous startup, Mental, and has helped shape the app’s therapy-plus-coaching approach. The application is currently available to users at no cost as it builds its user base. Once established, The Path plans to introduce a subscription fee of $40 per month. The long-term clinical efficacy and user retention rates remain to be seen as the platform moves from its early launch phase.
