Sober Sidekick, a sobriety app by Empathy Health Technologies of Bentonville, has raised $7.6 million to scale up operations.
The funding was announced Wednesday in a press release.
According to a company LinkedIn post, the funding will allow the company to expand value-based partnerships with U.S. payers, enhance real-time predictive capabilities, scale support teams and care-collaboration infrastructure, and bring continuous relapse prevention to more people and populations.
The investment will also support the buildout of operational infrastructure to deliver relapse prevention at scale, across diverse populations and health delivery models.
“In this next chapter, we’re focused on making relapse prevention a measurable, system-wide outcome in substance use disorder care,” the post stated.
The round was led by HealthX Ventures of Madison, Wisconsin, with participation from Nina Capital, Ikigai Healthcare Funds, American Heart Association Ventures, Suncoast Ventures, Cortado Ventures and Wilson Sonsini Investment Company.
The newest round brings total funding for the company to $11.4 million. It previously raised $2.8 million in seed funding in October 2024.
Value-Based Care
The funding comes as the company aims to grow its global membership and expands enterprise relationships with U.S. payers under value-based care (VBC) models.
Founder and CEO Chris Thompson told Arkansas Business last December that the company would only pursue partnerships with those who would “win” when people stayed sober, typically insurers, employers and Medicaid plans.
The LinkedIn post also said the platform has become the world’s largest peer-powered recovery platform, now with more than 1 million downloads, 145,000 monthly active users and 2 million peer engagements.
“What sets our platform apart is the combination of meaningful human connection and predictive intelligence,” the LinkedIn post stated. “Our technology analyzes millions of behavioral signals to detect rising relapse risk and activate support in real time, delivering a 100% peer-response rate within minutes.”
Sober Sidekick’s model is a departure from traditional, reactive care by focusing on continuous support and measurable prevention rather than episodic treatment alone.
For members who engage just five times, relapse risk drops 68%, according to an analysis by the Validation Institute.
“Recovery has always rewarded people for coming back after they fall,” Thompson said in the press release. “We’re building the infrastructure that helps people stay on their feet in the first place. What makes Sober Sidekick different is that we can see relapse forming in real time – in a post, a pattern, a plea – and respond before it turns into a crisis or a claim.”
Payer Benefits
According to the release, Empathy Health also partners with payers to prevent relapse and reduce medical claims costs. When integrating a payer’s claims data, the company will employ a population-intelligence model that stratifies member acuity and engages individuals in ways that reduce the likelihood of relapse.
By identifying real-time indicators of relapse, Sober Sidekick gets a proactive lens into member risk before costly episodes occur. Empathy Health’s predictive models now demonstrate 86-88% accuracy in identifying individuals likely to experience high-cost events, giving health plans a way to turn relapse prevention into a measurable outcome.
The press release stated that approximately 86% of people living with substance use disorder (SUD) don’t receive treatment for their condition, and of those that do, most are at significant relapse risk – with a majority relapsing an average of seven times.
“For payers, this population is difficult to engage and costly due to increased emergency department visits, treatment for comorbidities, as well as recurring rehabilitation program admissions,” the release said.
Kristi Ebong, partner at HealthX Ventures, said in the release that her team is “enthusiastic” about supporting Sober Sidekick.
“We’re incredibly grateful to our investors who are 100% aligned with our mission,” Thompson said in the release. “Additionally, we wouldn’t be here without the support of our community and partners, who also fully believe in this movement. This is only the beginning.”
Sign up for Daily E-news
