AI-based app Manifest has raised $3.4M for its wellness products for Gen Z users
Manifest, an AI-powered wellness app designed to combat loneliness among young adults by offering empathetic responses, personalized affirmations, and bite-sized meditation sessions, has emerged from stealth with $3.4 million in funding as it scales operations to meet growing demand.
Manifest, a digital wellness company whose flagship product is an AI-powered app of the same name, recently emerged from stealth and secured $3.4 million in funding from a16z Speedrun, HF0, Florida Funders, Soma Capital, Stand Together Ventures Lab, Transpose Platform, 305 Ventures, Mack Ventures, and others. Manifest's products help mitigate the alarming levels of loneliness reported by young people by meeting them where they are.
Motivated by her experience of "navigating big, life-altering decisions–breakups, career shifts, identity crises–without a reliable emotional compass", Manifest founder and CEO Amy Wu set out to build a platform tailored to those young adults looking for a sense of direction. At the heart of the Manifest app is a 'push to talk' feature that lets users choose between typing or recording whatever is on their minds at a given time, or responding to a series of prompts, such as "What limiting beliefs do you have?", and "What would be useful for us to talk about?".
Once the users are finished typing or recording, Manifest offers an empathetic AI-generated response acknowledging the users' feelings, followed by some likewise generated affirmations that could be helpful to users. Generated affirmations live in a feed where affirmations can be read by a synthetic voice, favorited, shared, and even turned into a short meditation. Over time, Manifest adapts to users' preferences and context, ensuring it always delivers guidance that resonates with its users.
Although it may appear counterintuitive to address loneliness—an issue partially caused by social media and increased screen time—using AI and more screen time, Wu believes that the fact that Manifest lives right in its target audiences' devices is key to its success: the philosophy behind the app is to make using Manifest as delightful and approachable as possible. Its bite-size sessions aim to empower users to build a habit of checking in with themselves, encouraging them to transition from "passive observers to becoming active creators of their own narratives."
The Manifest team may be up to something, as it reports that the app has been used to create 15.8 million manifestations before the company emerged from stealth. The raised funds will enable Manifest to scale its operations as it continues to address the growing demand for its app.
