In a world that is rapidly becoming saturated with AI-generated content, a startup called First Voyage wants to help people avoid all the AI ​​slop blasted their way and instead build the habits they want. And it does that through a companion AI app: Called Momo’s Self Carethe app offers a digital pet called Momo that you can take care of, and in return, it will remind you to complete habit-forming tasks.

Users can set reminders for what tasks they want to complete, and Momo will remind you of them. Similar to hit productivity app Focus FriendMomo also rewards you with coins for completing tasks that can be used to purchase in-app items to further customize the pet. Users can also talk to Momo about self-care, and the AI ​​companion will recommend behaviors and tasks based on what you want to achieve.

“Momo helps users become the best version of themselves, and users reward Momo with care, affection, and cute accessories,” co-founder and CEO Besart Çopa told TechCrunch. He launched the company with Egehan Ozsoy, who serves as CTO.

On Monday, First Voyage said it raised $2.5 million in a seed funding round from a16z speedrun, SignalFire, True Global, and other investors.

Copa said that Momo users have already created more than 2 million tasks on the platform, and the most popular habits are related to productivity, spirituality, and mindfulness.

But with the wave of AI apps and toys hitting the market, not to mention the growing influence of AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Grok, there is growing concern that these new, so-called “partners” may lead to more harm than good.

Çopa, for one, believes that relationships between AI characters and humans will only grow in the next few years. However, he noted that the growing number of AI apps aimed at health and self-care are at least slightly better than those based on encouragement.

“We’re happy that more founders (and) startups are working in the AI ​​self-care wellness space instead of building waifus,” he said, adding that the “personalization capability of AI will take the impact of these relationships to another level.”

He noted that Momo has baked in safety guardrails, such as quick filters to ensure that conversations between AI and users stay within appropriate boundaries.

Fresh cash from the fundraise will be used to help launch Momo on the Android app store (it’s already available on iOS). The First Voyage team also hopes to make Momo more intelligent in how it interacts with people.

“We hope that Momo and the community around it will become a defining consumer brand that uses the best of AI, animation, and gamification to improve as many lives as possible,” said Çopa.