Former Tinder CEO Renate Nyborg’s latest venture, a startup called Meeno, has secured significant seed funding of $3.9 million, with leading investor Sequoia contributing to a total fund pool of $5 million. Meeno is an AI-based chatbot designed to tackle feelings of loneliness and is expected to launch in December in countries such as the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and the Netherlands. Unlike a virtual girlfriend or therapist, Nyborg envisions Meeno as a “personal mentor” that provides tailored relationship advice based on users’ individual usage data.
To ensure unbiased conversations, Meeno will collect personal information from users during the setup process, including age, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. This data will help facilitate personalized interactions. Initially, Meeno will be available exclusively on iOS due to its popularity among teenagers and Apple’s privacy settings. As an incentive, users who sign up before January 31, 2024, will gain access to premium features for 12 months.
However, Meeno faces a potential challenge as it targets Generation Z users between the ages of 18 and 25. The startup must establish appropriate behavior protocols to avoid the issues encountered by other AI chatbot platforms, such as Snap’s My AI. Balancing user protection while maintaining user-friendliness will be crucial for Meeno’s success.
According to my analysis, this article is 85% likely to be factual news based on the information provided by Ivan Mehta (original author) and available evidence. The article presents specific details about Meeno, its funding, projected launch, and intended target audience. Although there is some degree of opinion regarding the challenges faced by Meeno, the opinions are grounded in facts derived from the experiences of other AI chatbot platforms. There is no evident political slant in the article, which contributes to its overall factual nature.
