Czech mental health startup Elin.ai has closed a €1 million pre-seed round, securing €420,000 from JSK Investments, as Vestbee was informed.
- Established in 2023 by Jan Romportl, Petr Stanislav, and Jiri Horacek, Elin.ai develops an AI-powered app to protect and improve Generation Z’s mental health. The app helps users manage challenges such as stress, anxiety, social media pressures, and cyberbullying.
- The 2,000 active users can share screenshots of troubling content, and the app's AI analyzes the context to offer personalized advice, guidance, or interventions through a chat tool, focusing on prevention and long-term mental well-being while addressing issues such as depression, loneliness, and eating disorders.
Details of the deal
- Within the current pre-seed round, JSK Investments joins Presto Ventures and BD Partners, who backed Elin.ai in the spring of 2024, investing €600,000.
- Founded in 2017 by Czech entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist Simona Kijonkova and her husband, Jaromír Kijonka, JSK Investments makes direct equity investments in Czech and European companies.
"The mental health of young people is in a state of crisis. Studies show that up to 40% of European teenagers suffer from depression or anxiety linked to the impact of social media, with devastating effects on their psychological wellbeing and development. At the same time, access to therapeutic and psychiatric care is severely limited in many countries, including the Czech Republic. Alarmingly, for the first time in history, the suicide rates are higher among young people than among middle-aged adults, underscoring the urgent need to address this issue. That’s why I see Elin.ai as a vital project,” Explains Simona Kijonkova, Managing Partner & founder of JSK Investments.
- Elin.ai will use the €1 million in funding to enhance its AI models, expand its features to address a broader range of specific issues, such as eating disorders, anxiety, and conspiracy theories, test the app in international markets, and grow its user base to 5,000 active users by year-end.
"Our mission is to help young people cope with immediate stress and foster long-term positive mental health in the digital media environment. The investment from JSK allows us to expand the app to international markets and enhance our AI models to address a broader range of mental health challenges faced by Gen Z," CEO and co-founder of Elin.ai, Jan Romportl, commented.
