Jimini Health, an AI-powered mental health startup, has secured $8 million in pre-seed funding to revolutionize talk therapy through artificial intelligence. Founded in 2023 by Luis Voloch (former CTO of cancer biotech Immunai), the company has developed Sage, an AI assistant designed to enhance traditional therapy by providing continuous patient engagement beyond the typical one-hour weekly session.
The funding round, closed in November, was backed by prominent investors including Zetta Venture Partners, LionBird, PsyMed, BoxGroup, Arkitekt Ventures, and SCB. The startup has been gradually rolling out its technology since spring 2024, deliberately taking a measured approach to prioritize safety and efficacy.
How Jimini’s AI Works: Sage conducts comprehensive patient intakes, offers 24/7 messaging support, and provides personalized activities between therapy sessions. The core philosophy is that mental health improvement happens not just during the weekly therapy hour, but throughout all the other hours of the week. By maintaining continuous engagement, the platform aims to help patients retrain their brains more effectively.
Safety-First Approach: Voloch emphasized that Jimini intentionally moved slowly to avoid the pitfalls that have plagued other healthcare startups. The company’s cautious strategy responds to controversies like government investigations into startup Cerebral and concerns about unregulated AI chatbots that may worsen isolation. Multiple lawsuits against Character.AI in 2024 alleged harm to teenage users, highlighting the risks of rushing AI mental health products to market.
The founding team brings substantial healthcare technology expertise. Beyond Voloch, the team includes Mark Jacobstein (former chief business officer at Immunai) as president and Sahil Sud (founding team member of Ribbon Health) as chief product officer. David Feinberg, former CEO of health data giant Cerner, serves as an advisor.
Market Strategy: Currently, Jimini treats patients with low to moderate mental healthcare needs and sells directly to consumers. The startup plans to expand to B2B contracts with businesses in 2025 and eventually serve patients with serious mental illness. Voloch noted that therapists are receptive to the technology due to overwhelming demand driven by a shortage of mental health professionals.
The fresh capital will fund AI model fine-tuning, feature development, and business expansion throughout 2025.
Key Quotes
The way to improve this is not about that one hour a week of therapy. It’s really about all the other hours in a week and helping people as much as possible there
CEO Luis Voloch explained Jimini’s core philosophy to Business Insider, emphasizing that mental health improvement requires continuous engagement beyond traditional weekly therapy sessions. This insight drives the company’s AI-powered approach to mental healthcare.
One of them is going to end up on the front page of The New York Times with a disaster story that could’ve been prevented
Voloch warned potential investors about competitors who might rush AI mental health products to market without adequate safety measures. This statement reflects Jimini’s commitment to responsible development in response to recent AI chatbot controversies and healthcare startup failures.
They know there’s so much more demand than they could ever handle
Voloch described why therapists are interested in Jimini’s technology, highlighting the severe shortage of mental health professionals. This market reality creates both opportunity and urgency for AI solutions that can extend therapists’ capacity without replacing human expertise.
We’re going to be spending a lot more on fine-tuning and model training and development in 2025. We feel like we’ve created an amazing patient journey that just scratches the surface of what we can do
Voloch outlined how the $8 million funding will be deployed, emphasizing continued AI development and feature expansion. This indicates the company views its current product as just the beginning of what AI can accomplish in mental healthcare.
Our Take
Jimini Health’s approach represents a mature evolution in AI mental healthcare, learning from predecessors’ mistakes. The emphasis on safety over speed is refreshing in an industry often criticized for moving fast and breaking things—particularly problematic when mental health is at stake.
What’s particularly compelling is the augmentation rather than replacement model. By positioning AI as a tool to enhance therapist effectiveness rather than substitute for human care, Jimini addresses both practical capacity constraints and ethical concerns about AI in sensitive healthcare contexts.
The $8 million pre-seed valuation suggests sophisticated investors believe responsible AI mental health solutions can succeed despite recent setbacks. However, the real test will be demonstrating measurable outcome improvements. If Jimini can prove its continuous engagement model produces better results than traditional therapy alone, it could reshape mental healthcare delivery fundamentally and establish the gold standard for AI integration in behavioral health.
Why This Matters
This funding represents a significant moment in the convergence of AI technology and mental healthcare, an industry facing critical capacity constraints. With a severe shortage of mental health professionals and growing demand for services, AI-powered solutions like Jimini could help bridge the treatment gap affecting millions.
The startup’s safety-first approach sets an important precedent for the AI healthcare industry. Following high-profile controversies involving AI mental health chatbots and healthcare startups, Jimini’s deliberate, evidence-based methodology demonstrates how responsible AI deployment should work in sensitive healthcare contexts.
The $8 million pre-seed round is notably substantial, reflecting investor confidence in AI-augmented mental healthcare despite recent industry setbacks. This signals that the market still sees enormous potential in AI mental health solutions when developed responsibly.
Broader implications include the potential transformation of therapy delivery models, shifting from episodic weekly sessions to continuous AI-supported care. If successful, this could improve patient outcomes while helping therapists manage larger caseloads, ultimately making mental healthcare more accessible and effective across populations.
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Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/jimini-health-pitch-deck-raise-8-million-mental-health-ai-2024-12