NEW YORK—Meela Inc., a personalized artificial intelligence (AI) companion for seniors, has announced $3.5 million in seed funding led by Bain Capital Ventures (BCV). With these funds, Meela said it will invest in research and development to expand its product capabilities and clinical efficacy research.
Meela, a voice companion that supplements human interaction, selects insights from Meela conversations that are shared with caregivers to improve quality of care. The AI companion is designed to optimize caregiver interactions with patients while maintaining privacy sensitivities. It also claims to be the first AI companion for seniors that does not require devices or hardware and can be accessed with any phone.
"Loneliness is a rapidly growing epidemic in the United States that acutely affects the expanding senior population (age 65+)," Meela Inc. said. "One in three seniors report feeling lonely, and 24% are considered socially isolated. Loneliness is correlated with significantly increased risk of heart disease, stroke and early death, with a mortality impact similar to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. At the same time, the U.S. faces a significant shortage of caregivers both in homes and at senior care facilities, which affects the quality of care."
“We’re building Meela to be the trusted companion that every senior deserves, and every caretaker needs,” said Josh Sach, founder and CEO of Meela. “This is more than a company for us at Meela—it’s a mission that we take very seriously as we work toward alleviating a source of tremendous global human suffering.”
Meela reaches seniors through scheduled phone calls that acts as a familiar check-in: Meela greets the resident by name, recalls details from past conversations and asks personalized questions based on their interests.
Some questions are designed to evoke joy and memories, like, “What song always makes you smile?” Others open the door to discuss well-being, such as, “How have you been feeling?” If a senior is experiencing any concerns—like ongoing leg pain—Meela flags it for staff through a HIPAA-compliant dashboard and via notification, enabling proactive care in environments where care personnel resources are often stretched thin.
Meela is used by customers including RiverSpring Living which serves over 22,000 people daily across independent living, assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing, rehab and homecare services.
“Meela is transforming how we fight isolation and support emotional well-being,” said David V. Pomeranz, president and CEO of RiverSpring Living. “AI cannot replace human connection, but can be an impactful enhancement to our care teams.”