Empathy Health Technologies has received approximately $2.8m in seed funding for its app, Sober Sidekick, which is designed to assist individuals on their recovery journey.

The funding will allow the company to broaden the impact of its digital health app, which was introduced in 2019 and has since achieved approximately 500,000 downloads.

With nearly 1,000 new members signing up each day, the Sober Sidekick platform is intended to help individuals with addiction and recovery.

Sober Sidekick has secured funding from Nina Capital, HealthX Ventures, Ikigai Growth Partners, The Venture Center, 46 Ventures, High Street Equity Partners, and Suncoast Ventures, as well as various angel investors.

The funding will allow the company to expand its operations and enhance its collaboration with the healthcare sector.

Empathy Health Technologies founder and CEO Chris Thompson said: “Relapse, overdoses, and suicides typically do not happen in clinics or therapy sessions, they happen when people are alone in their darkest moments.

“Sober Sidekick exists to be a light in their darkest moments as they overcome generational curses to create their epic comeback stories of recovery.”

In addition, the company has successfully closed two pilot programmes with an international insurance provider.

According to the company, a third party study revealed that engaging at least once with the Sober Sidekick app reduces reported relapse occurrences by approximately 48%.

With extensive user data, the app can predict accuracy exceeding 90% for reported relapses, stated the company.

Substance use disorder affects nearly 40 million US adults, but only one in seven receive yearly treatment. Healthcare costs exceed $50bn yearly, with annual sobriety rates staying in the low single digits, according to the company.