TL;DR:
- Sunnyside secures $11.5 million in Series A funding led by Motley Fool Ventures.
- Funding supports the launch of Sunnyside’s AI mindful drinking coach, “Sunny.”
- Key participants in the funding round include Uncork Capital, Offline Ventures, and more.
- Steve Lloyd joins as Chief Product and Technology Officer, sharing his personal connection to Sunnyside.
- Sunnyside’s app offers daily drink tracking, coaching, and community features for $99 per year.
- The app competes with Reframe, pricing similarly at $8.33 monthly or $100 annually.
- An analytics dashboard tracks cost and calorie savings, and challenges promote accountability.
- A premium subscription at $298 per year offers more immersive coaching options.
- Sunnyside’s AI coach, Sunny, provides support and guidance while human coaches remain integral.
- The app is founded on ChatGPT and relies on a dataset of members’ drinking patterns.
- Sunnyside’s coaching team consists of peers with empathy, not licensed counselors.
- Co-founders Nick Allen and Ian Andersen have personal missions rooted in their experiences with alcoholism.
- Since 2020, Sunnyside has helped over 200,000 people cut 13.5 million drinks, with a 32% average reduction in alcohol consumption.
Main AI News:
In recent years, the terms “sober curious” and “mindful drinking” have gained traction, reflecting a growing desire among 47% of the U.S. adult population to reduce their alcohol consumption. Sunnyside, the app dedicated to promoting healthier drinking habits, has just secured an impressive $11.5 million in Series A funding. The funding round was led by Motley Fool Ventures and featured significant contributions from Will Ventures. Sunnyside plans to utilize these funds to introduce its innovative AI mindful drinking coach, known as “Sunny,” which will assist the Sunnyside team of human coaches by generating recommended responses.
This substantial investment round also drew support from other notable participants, including Uncork Capital, Offline Ventures, Joyance Partners, Wisdom Ventures, Eudemian Ventures, Adjacent, Scribble Ventures, Cooley LLP, and MyFitnessPal founder Michael Lee. With this latest funding, Sunnyside has now raised a total of $14.6 million, signaling strong investor confidence in its mission and potential impact.
Steve Lloyd, the newly appointed Chief Product and Technology Officer, brings his expertise to Sunnyside after serving the same role at fitness app Strava. Lloyd shared his personal connection to Sunnyside, stating, “Two years ago, I started using Sunnyside to help me get my own drinking habits under control. From day one, there was never any guilt or shame about missing my weekly commitment, only positive and motivating reinforcement and acknowledgment that it’s not always easy to change entrenched habits.”
For an annual fee of $99, Sunnyside’s app offers a comprehensive suite of features, including daily drink tracking, SMS reminders to help users stay committed to their goals, personalized one-on-one coaching programs, and a community chat section for members to share their challenges and successes. This pricing aligns with Reframe, a similar app that charges $8.33 monthly or $100 annually.
The app’s analytics dashboard calculates the financial and caloric savings achieved through reduced alcohol consumption. Additionally, Sunnyside encourages accountability through challenges such as a 30-day alcohol reset and friendly competitions with friends to reduce alcohol consumption by 50%.
For those seeking an even more immersive experience, Sunnyside offers a premium subscription at $298 per year, providing weekly Zoom check-ins with coaches and faster response times. If you’re uncertain about committing, the app also offers a free 15-day trial, allowing users to quickly assess their alcohol consumption habits and then decide whether to subscribe.
Sunnyside’s innovative AI mindful drinking coach, Sunny, aims to support coaches by offering guidance on simple questions from members. For example, if you’re attending a social gathering and wish to limit your alcohol intake to one drink, Sunny can provide tips on maintaining that commitment. Importantly, Sunny’s responses are reviewed by a human coach before being sent as SMS, underscoring the app’s commitment to human involvement in the coaching process.
Sunnyside CEO and co-founder Nick Allen, formerly of Lyft for Business, highlighted the app’s foundation on ChatGPT and its rich dataset encompassing members’ drinking patterns, long-term behavioral changes, and habits related to drinking. Sunnyside’s coaching team comprises around 20 coaches who have all completed an independently developed coaching certification program in collaboration with a licensed counselor.
Drawing inspiration from the sponsor-sponsee model, Sunnyside places a strong emphasis on empathy and peer support in its coaching experience. However, it’s essential to note that Sunnyside coaches are not licensed counselors or therapists; they offer friendship and support to users on their mindful drinking journey.
Founded by Nick Allen and Ian Andersen, Sunnyside emerged as an alternative to sobriety-focused programs, sparking conversations among alcohol consumers about the negative effects of unmanaged drinking. With its mission to catalyze the mindful drinking movement and differentiate itself from traditional alcohol health services, Sunnyside aspires to become a household name for individuals seeking to transform their relationship with alcohol.
The personal mission of the co-founders is deeply rooted in their own experiences with alcoholism, emphasizing their commitment to making a meaningful impact. Since its launch in 2020, Sunnyside has already assisted over 200,000 people in reducing their alcohol consumption, collectively eliminating 13.5 million drinks. These achievements are particularly noteworthy in light of the increase in alcohol use during the pandemic. Sunnyside reports that its members have reduced their drinking by an average of 32%, shedding 1,500 calories and saving over $50 within their first month of joining the platform.
Source: Sunnyside
Conclusion:
Sunnyside’s substantial funding and innovative AI coach signify a promising direction in the mindful drinking market. Their user-friendly app and strong focus on community support position them well to make a significant impact on transforming individuals’ relationships with alcohol. With a competitive pricing model and measurable results, Sunnyside is poised to become a prominent player in this growing space, challenging traditional approaches to alcohol health services.
