Berlin-based healthtech startup clare&me has raised €3.7M in a funding round led by YZR, a Munich-based healthtech investor, with participation from Kodori Ventures, Zug-based private investment company supporting early-stage mental health innovations, Material Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on transformative technology and innovation, existing angels and Antler, an early-stage investor. The company also landed grant funding from the Development Bank of Berlin, European funds and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
How will it use the investment?
clare&me will use the investment to develop the world’s first Clinical Large Language Model (CLLM), which psychotherapists will train in three core areas:
- Matching user symptoms to evidence-based cognitive behavioural therapy exercises
- Understanding and managing memory within a mental health context
- Cultivating a therapeutic tone of voice – the essence of effective AI-human interaction in mental healthcare.
The capital will also expand a second product for automating clinical anamnesis (patient history) interviews. This technology will enhance clinic collaboration, foster patient trust, and improve efficiency by addressing the critical need for digitalisation in Germany, where many clinics still use paper-based methods.
What does clare&me do?
Founded in 2021 by Emilia Theye and Celina Messner, an ex-Google employee, clare&me addresses the critical shortage of mental health professionals and long wait times for care. In the UK alone, community mental health services saw an 11% increase in referrals, with patients facing up to 18 months to access therapy.
The platform delivers clinically proven behavioural therapy techniques through voice-based conversations on smartphones. Users can access the AI assistant through WhatsApp or phone calls for sessions that last up to 45 minutes — a feature still rare in the industry. This aims to remove the stigma surrounding mental health and provide accessible support to people struggling with conditions such as anxiety and depression. While the core user base is 35-45, younger demographics show interest in the platform’s bot-like nature, which overcomes accessibility barriers often associated with human therapy.
The AI assistant redefines human-AI interaction in a conscious, ethical, and evidence-based manner. It can discuss mental health from a clinically accurate perspective and evaluate symptoms based on user input. The company has opted not to incorporate additional biometric data points at this stage, ensuring a focus on user privacy and safety.
Speaking to TFN, Celina Messner, CEO and co-founder of clare&me, said, “To address potential biases, we have implemented ethics workshops and developed guidelines integrated into its training data sets. The platform also has safeguards to detect and manage misuse, with the AI able to trigger specific conversations or disable users if certain keywords are detected.”
clare&me’s approach earned recognition as a global expert, with appearances at the World Economic Forum. Upcoming studies with Charité Berlin will further validate the effectiveness of their model, which has already demonstrated improvements in stress, anxiety, depression, and loneliness for users.
Investors’ views
Markus Feuerecker, Founding Partner at YZR Capital, commented, “We have been impressed since day one by Emilia and Celina’s vision and what they have achieved in such a short time. We strongly believe in clare&me’s vision and are pleased to continue to support the team and lead this round after our initial investment in 2021.”
Christoph Klink, Partner at Antler, added, “Emilia and Celina are building world-class AI technology to address a major health and social challenge about which they care deeply. They are uniquely placed to build a product which is already helping to improve the lives of people across Europe.”
Emilia Theye, CEO and co-founder of clare&me, concluded, “With this funding, we continue to focus on building clinical AI based on the latest research and ethical foundations, and it has a lasting psychological impact.”
What do we think about clare&me?
The startup’s focus on developing a CLLM demonstrates its technological advancements, and its traction with users struggling with mental health challenges suggests a strong foundation for future growth. As the demand for accessible and scalable mental health support continues to rise, clare&me is well-placed to redefine human-AI interaction in the mental healthcare space.
