What happened
Report Provider: STAT
Author: Mario Aguilar
Date: Published July 22, 2025
Mario Aguilar covers technology in health care, including artificial intelligence, virtual reality, wearable devices, telehealth, and digital therapeutics. His stories explore how tech is changing the practice of health care and the business and policy challenges to realizing tech’s promise. He’s also the co-author of the free, twice weekly STAT Health Tech newsletter.
You can reach Mario on Signal at mariojoze.13.Earlier this year, Andreessen Horowitz announced it was backing a company called Slingshot AI with the provocative mission to build “the world’s first foundation model for psychology.” But Slingshot’s otherwise been very quiet. Today, the company is officially revealing its core product, a therapy chatbot, and a fresh tranche of funding.
Slingshot’s chatbot, called Ash, has been hiding in plain sight. Some 50,000 beta users have tried it, and it’s already been featured in a story in a major magazine. But now it’s available for all to use, and to support the launch and growth, Slingshot has raised over $50 million more led by new investors Radical Ventures and Forerunner Ventures, bringing its total financing to $93 million.
The company was founded about 18 months ago by CEO Daniel Cahn, an AI engineer, and Neil Parikh, who is best known for his mattress company, Casper.STAT+ Exclusive StoryAlready have an account? Log in This article is exclusive to STAT+ subscribersUnlock this article — and get additional analysis of the technologies disrupting health care — by subscribing to STAT+.
Already have an account? Log inView All PlansTo read the rest of this story subscribe to STAT+.Subscribe
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Report Provider: STAT
Author: Mario Aguilar
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Mario Aguilar covers technology in health care, including artificial intelligence, virtual reality, wearable devices, telehealth, and digital therapeutics. His stories explore how tech is changing the practice of health care and the business and policy challenges to realizing tech’s promise. He’s also the co-author of the free, twice weekly STAT Health Tech newsletter.
You can reach Mario on Signal at mariojoze.13.Earlier this year, Andreessen Horowitz announced it was backing a company called Slingshot AI with the provocative mission to build “the world’s first foundation model for psychology.” But Slingshot’s otherwise been very quiet. Today, the company is officially revealing its core product, a therapy chatbot, and a fresh tranche of funding.
Slingshot’s chatbot, called Ash, has been hiding in plain sight. Some 50,000 beta users have tried it, and it’s already been featured in a story in a major magazine. But now it’s available for all to use, and to support the launch and growth, Slingshot has raised over $50 million more led by new investors Radical Ventures and Forerunner Ventures, bringing its total financing to $93 million.
The company was founded about 18 months ago by CEO Daniel Cahn, an AI engineer, and Neil Parikh, who is best known for his mattress company, Casper.STAT+ Exclusive StoryAlready have an account? Log in This article is exclusive to STAT+ subscribersUnlock this article — and get additional analysis of the technologies disrupting health care — by subscribing to STAT+.
Already have an account? Log inView All PlansTo read the rest of this story subscribe to STAT+.Subscribe
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