The founders of Mental, a mental health application designed for men, recognized a significant user engagement with one particular feature: AI interactive audio. This insight propelled them to develop a new, and critically, a safer, form of AI therapy app. Co-founder and CEO Anson Whitmer informed TechCrunch that this innovative platform is now named The Path.
The startup subsequently captured the attention of renowned author and motivational speaker Tony Robbins, who became so captivated by its potential that he joined the team as a co-founder.
The Path recently secured $14.3 million in seed funding. The round was led by Prime Movers Lab, where Robbins is a partner, and saw participation from notable figures such as speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno, boxer Deontay Wilder, and Designer Fund.
Following Prime Movers' investment, Robbins initially engaged with Whitmer and co-founder Tyler Sheaffer on aspects like branding. As his enthusiasm and contributions to the app deepened, they extended an offer for him to become a co-founder. Robbins has since been instrumental in shaping The Path into a comprehensive therapy-plus-coaching application that integrates his widely recognized self-improvement methodologies.
Anson Whitmer, who, along with Sheaffer, was an early employee at the meditation app Calm, revealed that his drive to pursue mental health technology stems from profound personal tragedies. At 19, the suicide of a cherished uncle inspired him to earn a PhD in psychology, with an initial plan to enter research. However, during his college years, a cousin's suicide, which Whitmer recalls as a missed "call for help," redirected his professional trajectory. This experience spurred a commitment to making scientific mental health findings accessible to the broader public. Working at Calm was a natural first step, given the robust research supporting meditation's benefits. Yet, after leaving Calm in 2021, Whitmer felt a calling to achieve an even greater impact.
"Even though we did have a big impact, it’s not really a big enough impact," he stated. "The issue is, people’s problems are just too idiosyncratic. They’re too personal. They’re unique." He further noted the inherent limitation that not everyone will ever have access to individual therapy or coaching due to an insufficient number of therapists globally.
Whitmer envisions Large Language Models (LLMs) and AI as the crucial bridge to close this gap. "What’s exciting and game-changing is that, for the first time in my career, I’ve seen that there’s actually this possibility for every single person to have the personalized sort of access and care that they need to really get the help," he affirmed.
Indeed, this vision is already beginning to materialize, with OpenAI reporting that at least 900 individuals utilize ChatGPT for mental health-related inquiries each week.
However, Whitmer cautions that the fundamental issue with using consumer chatbots for mental health is their optimization for "engagement," which he argues is the inverse of effective therapy and coaching. Consumer chatbots are designed to offer quick solutions and "reinforcement" of ideas to ensure users return. "But therapy/coaching doesn’t work that way. You’re trying to understand the problem deeply," he explained, emphasizing that the therapeutic process involves uncovering underlying assumptions and empowering individuals to discover their own solutions.
The Path’s AI, Whitmer explains, is specifically trained "to set up structure, so that later on, you can get to a place where there is resolution," all while building from a foundation of deep understanding.
To underscore its commitment to safety, Whitmer highlighted that the startup’s specially trained AI model achieved an impressive score of 95 on the Vera-MH mental health safety AI benchmark. This stands in stark contrast to consumer chatbots, which typically score no higher than 65.
"It’s meant to challenge you. It’s not just meant to agree with you," he stated, differentiating its approach. He further clarified that the app’s model is post-trained from open-source models, meaning it does not rely on major consumer LLMs and therefore is not simply a superficial interface over existing technology.
The Path currently allows users to select from 11 virtual AI therapists and customize preferences such as directness. While presently offered for free to attract its initial user base, the startup plans to introduce a monthly subscription fee of $40 in the future.
The Editorial Staff at AIChief is a team of professional content writers with extensive experience in AI and marketing. Founded in 2025, AIChief has quickly grown into the largest free AI resource hub in the industry.