Berlin-based clare&me, a conversational bot designed to help people manage anxiety and build long-term mental resilience, has raised €3.7M in funding.
The round was led by Munich-based healthtech investor YZR, with participation from Kodori Ventures, Material Ventures, existing angels, and Antler, an early-stage investor.
The startup also secured grant funding from the Development Bank of Berlin (IBB), European funds, and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
Christoph Klink, Partner at Antler, says, “Emilia and Celina (co-founders of clare&me) really excited us as a founding team when we first invested and still do today. They 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 and we are delighted to have supported them since day zero.”
Everything you need to know about clare&me
Founded in 2021 by Emilia Theye and Celina Messner, clare&me aims to address the shortage of therapy places and long waiting times in the UK. The company offers Clare, an AI-driven virtual mental health coach that provides scalable, low-threshold psychological support via smartphone.
The founders developed Clare to offer an accessible and cost-effective alternative for those facing barriers to accessing conventional mental health services.
Clare, the conversational bot, offers users guidance for reflection, emotional processing, and support on their mental health journey. It is designed to provide 24/7 personalised psychological support, particularly for individuals dealing with anxiety and excessive worry.
Clare’s interventions are based on cognitive-behavioural therapy through phone calls and messages. Users can follow their weekly schedule and either answer Clare’s incoming calls or trigger a call at a time that suits them best.
According to the company, initial results show that using Clare as a voice-bot for eight weeks reduced stress, anxiety, depression, and loneliness, especially for those facing psychological barriers. The studies also suggest the development of a therapeutic relationship.
With around 374 million people affected by anxiety and 246 million by depression worldwide, clare&me seeks to make mental health support more accessible and reduce stigmas.
Markus Feuerecker, Founding Partner at YZR Capital, says, “We have been impressed since day 1 by Emilia and Celina’s vision and what they have achieved in such a short time. At a time when there were still many dissenting voices, we all agreed: it can be done!”
“It’s a lot of fun to watch the team convert their thoughts into strong learnings, approach the topic with a medical mindset and act as role models for many. 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.”
Capital utilisation
clare&me will use the funds to develop the first Clinical Large Language Model (CLLM), trained by psychotherapists to enhance mental health support.
The funds will also support the company in accelerating technical development, expanding its team, initiating partnerships with clinics in Germany, and scaling operations to broaden the reach and impact of its solutions.
Co-founder Theye says, “Over three years ago we had a vision that was critically questioned for a long time – it’s hard to believe that the same vision is now a no-brainer for so many and that we have received so much great support along the way.”
“With this funding, we continue to focus on building clinical AI that is based on the latest research and ethical foundations and has lasting psychological impact.”
Co-founder Messner adds, “I am proud of what we have achieved with our team. Reimagining technology in a field like mental health is not only fun but also hard work. The research funds are a seal of our technical quality and show how great our pioneering work is in the field.”
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