STOCKHOLM, November 15: First Voyage has raised $2.5M in seed funding to scale Momo Self Care, an AI companion that helps users develop new habits through playful, pet-like experiences. The round is backed by a16z Speedrun, SignalFire, True Global, and other investors, who will help the company extend beyond iOS, improve its AI personalization, and broaden community features around its digital companion.
A pet-style trainer for daily habit building and consistency
Momo works like a digital nurturer that encourages users to be consistent with patterns of behavior. You establish goals and reminders; the accompanying chatbot checks in, gives you encouragement, and suggests tweaks to your habits based on the outcomes you report. Completing tasks earns in-app coins that unlock items to customize Momo—a classic feedback loop that makes adherence feel more like play than work.
The format follows a wider trend of consumer productivity apps that emphasize companionship and accountability. Like Focus Friend, Momo relies on psychological principles of positive reinforcement and gentle friction to encourage follow-through in habit building.
Users have already created over 2 million tasks, and popular habits include productivity, spirituality, and mindfulness, the company said. Those categories, along with the larger wellness boom, signify a move away from raw output tracking to routines that involve mental recharge and reflection.
Seed backers and early traction for First Voyage
The seed round—led by early-stage specialists and AI-focused operators—reflects investors’ belief that consumer AI companions can achieve durable engagement when linked to clear outcomes—in this case, better daily routines—instead of open-ended chat. The company will use the capital to launch an Android version, improve Momo’s conversational intelligence, and invest in safety systems now that it has a bigger user base.
First Voyage’s main goal, says Çopa, who serves as First Voyage’s lead, is to create a brand that sits at the intersection of animation and AI, with game mechanics that create large-scale incentives for healthier behavior. The team contends that personalization—adjusting prompts and rewards to an individual user’s rhythms—will be a differentiator as more AI companions crowd into app stores.
Why gamified companions are booming in habit building
Behavioral science helps explain why this approach resonates. Sustained motivation is key. One widely cited study from University College London found that habits often take weeks to form—on average about 66 days in that study. Short feedback loops, unpredictable rewards, and a sense of visible progress have been shown to decrease drop-off during that stretch—particularly when the system feels emotionally engaging.
Consumer AI companions like Replika and Character.AI have already acclimated people to interacting daily with digital characters. In wellness, the “Tamagotchi effect” can be used for good: tending to a virtual friend who helps you learn how to tend to yourself. It’s not a matter of punishing people into productivity but of investing in them as partners.
The market backdrop is favorable. The U.S. Surgeon General has warned about rampant loneliness, and big companies are pouring money into products that promote mental fitness and routine stability. And while Momo isn’t a clinical tool, its emphasis on small but repeatable actions aligns with established methods (habit stacking and implementation intentions) that behavioral psychologists often recommend.
Safety and guardrails for intimate AI companions
When AI companions grow intimate, safety is table stakes. First Voyage says it has built-in swift filtering and conversation parameters to keep interactions appropriate, with escalation mechanisms for sensitive topics. This is akin to advice from groups like the American Psychological Association, which recommends clear boundaries between wellness coaching and therapy by placing control in the hands of the user rather than algorithmic persuasion.
The trick will be balancing warmth and usefulness without overdependence. Transparent data use, opt-in personalization, and clearly understood session limits may reduce this risk while maintaining the motivational affordances offered by companions for habit support.
What’s next for Momo and the roadmap ahead
The short-term roadmap is simple: launch on Android, make the coaching model richer, and maintain a meaningful reward economy that doesn’t feel like an empty grind.
For long-term viability, Momo will need to show that its engagement loops translate into tangible results—better meals, consistent routines, continued practices of wellness—and fewer smushed-up streaks.
If First Voyage can demonstrate that a friendly AI buddy makes people stick with what counts, then the company has a chance to break through in the cluttered world of consumer AI. The early signs—millions of user-generated tasks and support from investors—suggest there may be appetite for habit tech that feels human, lighthearted (pun intended), and effective.
