Slingshot AI

Can AI truly step into the deeply human realm of mental health care? The founders of Slingshot AI think so. Founded by Neil Parikh sling and Daniel Reid Cahn, the company is training AI models to understand the mind and scale access to therapy, addressing one of the most pressing issues in mental health: the shortage of therapists. In this episode, Neil and Daniel join Julie Yoo, General Partner at a16z, to explore how AI can reimagine mental health care. Listen on Raising Health: https://lnkd.in/dG5HJiPd None of the above should be taken as investment advice or an advertisement for investment services; please see https://lnkd.in/gjmYWkHi for more information.

Prince William recently got to try out one of the AI models we’ve developed with Mental Health Innovations & Shout over the past year. Thank you Mark Ungless and the whole MHI team for your work! We’re excited to support the mission and help scale access to care. Learn more about Shout and the incredible missionaries who help run it below ⬇️ From MHI: https://lnkd.in/emDS8_9v BBC article: https://lnkd.in/e4CWM_vT

So many people around the world struggle silently with mental health issues. There is an opportunity to make care available to everyone with AI, and this team is doing it:

Congrats to Slingshot AI on the $40M Series A led by a16z Bio + Health and Menlo Ventures. We originally invested in the first round in 2022 and couldn't be more excited about the opportunity ahead of them - to build the world’s first foundation model for psychology. Matthew Weinberg Max Ventures https://lnkd.in/gGeTxq4A

I have had times in my life where my mental health has suffered. I've seen close family members and friends have their own experiences too. The biggest problem in these moments is finding someone who can provide you with world-class help. I recall asking friends for referrals and reaching out to different practitioners. Honestly the majority of people I spoke to were total "quacks" of whom the majority had degrees from places I'd never heard of. The people who were good had long waitlists and often did not accept insurance. We all need access to world-class mental health care. Excited to see Daniel Reid Cahn and Neil Parikh share more about what they are building at @slingshot + for Original Capital to have been a day zero backer.

We have been super bullish on mental health as a market and one of the earliest high conviction bets we made on the intersection of mental health and AI is Slingshot AI led by our co-managing partner Sundeep Peechu (we led their pre-seed). Not only are Daniel Reid Cahn & Neil Parikh great founders but this is likely one of the most critical applications of AI in a market that’s quite uncapped and have huge positive implications as these solutions scale… We couldn’t be more excited about what’s more to come and celebrating the announcement of this great milestone: 🔥🚀🤩👇🏻

What if AI could redefine how we approach mental health? We believe Slingshot AI’s foundation model for psychology can transform access to mental health support by empowering individuals, without replacing human connection. Slingshot is designed to help people take control of their lives and deepen their relationships. Cofounded by Neil Parikh + Daniel Reid Cahn and backed by a team with expertise spanning AI, clinical psychology, and behavioral science, Slingshot combines cutting-edge generative AI with a deep understanding of human needs. As Neil puts it, “Mental health deserves a foundation model built specifically for the complexity of psychology.” Welcome Slingshot to the a16z Bio + Health portfolio! Learn more about the investment from Vijay Pande, PhD, Daisy Wolf, Bryan Kim, Zach Cohen: https://lnkd.in/gmzW2R_s None of the above should be taken as investment advice or an advertisement for investment services; please see https://lnkd.in/gjmYWkHi for more information.

So excited to be supporting Slingshot AI in their mission to build the world's first foundation model for psychology and democratize access to high-quality mental health care. For early access to the model join the waitlist on their website: https://t.co/A6Yr2BxnOt

Congratulations to the Slingshot AI team on bringing together this stellar funding round. We're delighted to be a part of it as sequel. Mental health is one of the largest opportunities for both impact and returns for AI. Looking forward to sharing more soon...

🌟 As we head into 2025, I find myself reflecting on the incredible community we've built here. I'm eager to engage more deeply on LinkedIn, a platform that genuinely aligns with my values and vision. Some of this decision was prompted by the election making me feel as though our world is more divided than united, and there are small acts of unity we could all take to bridge that gap. Even by posting our stories and delighting in the reading of others. 👩🏾💻 For those who don't know me well: Soraya here, a founder of TMV Funds I-III and previously an entrepreneur x angel investor who began investing in startups while still paying down student debt, because my passion for innovation is insatiable. Call me a nerd - my kind of compliment - , but my approach to investing is to read all the publicly available data (like census reports) I can find and to make educated bets on what that data tells us. More on that later. ✏️ My work extends beyond investing - I serve on the board of a human rights organization that champions "speaking truth to power" and created Transact Global almost a decade ago to empower women to launch and raise their own venture funds (700 members strong across 18 countries). 💡 My investment focus? Tech-enabled early stage startups rethinking legacy industry, and lately that's meant a lot of: - Ethical AI (Slingshot AI, Weave, Topline Pro, Anthropic) - Healthcare (Cityblock Health, Millie, Novellia) - Sustainable Solutions (Ridwell, Signol) 👥 But there's more to life than work, right? I'm also a proud mother of two sweet, inventive little maniacs, a wife, a sister, a daughter caring for an aging parent, a food enthusiast, a formerly avid fiction reader (I have kids, remember?)... My roots are an eclectic mix of Iranian-Hungarian-Irish-German ancestry - what my grandfather Donald Fennelly would lovingly call a "mince-meat pie," and with French in-laws I'm fortunate to spend time on two sides of the Atlantic. 🔍 Fun fact: My first professional paper was titled "Multiple E-Dentity Disorder" back in 2008, when I worked on social-media for The New York Times. That report explored our various digital personas and how we tailor our online selves to whomever we *think* we are reaching. I've probably shied away from leaning into LinkedIn in part because I believe we are all so multi-dimensional and presenting as too one-sided felt cringe. Yet, I'm here now to post authentically about my professional journey and pepper in some of real life because the two are intertwined. And because we are all multifaceted, not just links to online profiles, I'd love to know more about YOU. Drop a comment and introduce yourself if you have some time to spare, I'll write back. ✨ Here's to meaningful connections in 2025 and a promising year for all, SD #career #life #venture #entrepreneurship #health #tech #sustainability #innovation