In a world that is rapidly filling up with AI-generated content, a startup called First Voyage wants to help people avoid all the AI crap and instead build the habits they want. And it’s doing it through a companion AI app: called Momo Self CareThe app offers a digital pet called Momo that you can take care of and in return, it will remind you to complete tasks to build habits.
Users can set reminders for tasks they want to complete and Momo will remind them. Similar to Hit productivity app Focus FriendMomo also rewards you with coins for completing tasks which 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 habits and tasks based on what they want to accomplish.
“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.
On Monday, First Voyage said it had raised $2.5 million in a seed funding round from a16z speedrun, SignalFire, True Global and other investors.
Copa said 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 Coming to 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 “companions”, could lead to more harm than good.
Çopa, for his part, believes that the relationships between AI characters and humans will only increase in the coming years. However, he noted that the growing number of AI applications aimed at well-being and self-care are at least better than those that target basic impulses.
Technology crisis event
san francisco
|
October 13-15, 2026
“We are happy that so many founders [and] “Startups are working in the AI wellness and self-care space rather than building waifus,” he said, adding that AI’s “personalization ability will take the impact of these relationships to another level.”
He noted that Momo has built in guardrails, such as prompt filters, to ensure that conversations between AI and users stay within appropriate boundaries.
Fresh money from the fundraiser will be used to help launch Momo on the Android app store (it’s now available on iOS). The First Voyage team also hopes to make Momo smarter in the way she interacts with people.
“We hope that Momo and the community around it become a defining consumer brand that uses the best of artificial intelligence, animation and gamification to improve as many lives as possible,” said Çopa.
