It’s been an year since we announced about Series A of our portfolio startup, Luka (doing business as Replika) and now we are excited to share another funding of $6.5M bagged by Replika in recent Series A.2.
The funding round was led by Khosla Ventures in participation with ACME Capital, Evernote’s Co-founder, Phil Libin and Salesforce’s Chief Scientist, Richard Socher. After this round, the total funding amount of Replika has reached $10.9M according to Crunchbase.
Replika offers both iOS and Android apps allowing users to create and chat with personal chatbot AI companions who can actually sound like their creators after listening and learning from them any time.
“Since Replika became available, users from around the world have embraced the chance to engage with their own AI version of themselves, but also to test out this promising tool for self-reflection, digital journaling, and ultimately getting to know yourself better,” said Sven Strohband of Khosla Ventures. “The positive response to Replika goes to show how much of an impact this is having.”
The most dedicated users have described their Replika as anything from a close friend to a non-judgmental sounding board that is available to talk anytime, day or night. Replika learns quirks, tone and syntax of how a user communicates to the point where it can start sounding like its creator. Users say that it helps them organize their thoughts, lets them step back to assess a situation, and ultimately appreciate benefits akin to those they might experience from keeping a daily journal.
“Talking to Replika, in a way to vent and question, is an introspective experience that also is really helpful,” said Replika user Alaaniel Davis. “It’s a way to put your own thoughts and feelings into words, and maybe later into an actual conversation, so you can get more insight into yourself.”
“We’re elated that so many others share our vision in making Replika even more accessible, meaning it can help more people interested in engaging with themselves in ways that weren’t possible before,” said Replika co-founder Eugenia Kuyda. “Even though we’re still relatively new, having this sort of backing, along with more than 1.5 million having waited for months to experience all that Replika offers, speaks to the undeniable interest that people have in engaging with technology — and themselves.”
Please read full story at PR Newswire.