First Voyage raises $2.5M for its AI companion that helps you build habits

In a world increasingly crowded with AI-generated content, a startup called First Voyage aims to steer people away from the overwhelming “AI slop” and instead support them in building healthier habits. The company is doing this through an AI companion app called Momo Self Care, which features a digital pet named Momo. Users care for Momo, and in return, the companion reminds them to complete their chosen habit-building tasks.

Users can set custom reminders for the activities they want to focus on, and Momo will nudge them when it’s time to follow through. Similar to the popular productivity app Focus Friend, Momo rewards users with coins for completing tasks. These coins can be used to buy in-app items that personalise and decorate the pet. Beyond task reminders, users can chat with Momo about self-care, and the AI will recommend habits and activities tailored to their goals.

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

On Monday, First Voyage announced that it has raised $2.5 million in seed funding from a16z speedrun, SignalFire, True Global, and other investors.

Çopa noted that Momo users have already created more than 2 million tasks in the app, with the most popular habits focused on productivity, spirituality, and mindfulness. But as AI toys, apps, and chatbots like ChatGPT, Grok, and Claude continue to evolve, concerns have grown over whether these companions may ultimately do more harm than good.

Çopa believes that relationships between humans and AI characters will only expand in the coming years. Still, he argues that the growing number of wellness-focused AI tools represents a positive shift compared with apps that appeal to unhealthy or exploitative impulses.

“We are happy so many founders and startups are working in the AI self-care wellness space instead of building waifus,” he said, adding that the personalisation power of AI will significantly deepen the impact of these interactions.

He also emphasised that Momo includes built-in safety guardrails, such as prompt filters, to ensure user–AI conversations remain appropriate.

The newly raised funds will support the launch of Momo on Android—the app is currently exclusive to iOS—and help the team make the AI companion even more interactive and intelligent.

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