Y Combinator alum flash, which offers a coaching platform for adults, has raised $2.2 million in a seed funding round led by Worklife Ventures and Seed to B. The platform aims to help adults with ADHD address challenges through 1:1 personalized video coaching, productivity tools, and science- Supported learning modules. Shimmer connects users with an ADHD coach who helps them achieve goals, maintain a positive approach to change and improve productivity,
The startup was founded in 2021 by CEO Crystal Wang, a neurodiverse entrepreneur who dropped out of the MBA/MPH program at Berkeley Haas to start Shimmer, and CTO Vikram Sridhar, a Stanford graduate who previously founded NGO Profitability called “Make A Difference”. crazy)
Wang told TechCrunch that when she was diagnosed with ADHD, she finally had an explanation for her behavior after decades of being told it was “too much.” After diagnosing her condition, her physical doctor gave her a prescription for Adderall.
“As someone who grew up in an Asian culture where medication is not usually the first line of defense, and sometimes even provokes resentment, I naturally began to look for behavioral solutions,” Wang said. “When I found ADHD coaching as a concept, it seemed too good to be true. It was proven effective, recommended by leading experts in the field as part of combination therapy, and I was deeply impressed by its premise. However, it was too good to be true.” “Believe it. It was too expensive.”
Wang says the ADHD coaching options she came across cost about $300 an hour and were difficult to navigate, and that her psychologist was unable to recommend a specific coach for her.
Wang and Sridhar then set out to create an ADHD coaching platform that solves these problems. The duo wanted to provide users with access to ADHD coaching sessions at a lower price than what Wang encountered when she was first looking for sessions for herself.
Shimmer’s most popular package gives users 30-minute training sessions weekly for $230 per month. The platform also offers weekly 15-minute or 45-minute training sessions for $140 or $345 per month, respectively.
When users first sign up for Shimmer, they are asked to answer a series of questions about their ADHD background, challenges and specific preferences for their coach. They are then matched with one of our Shimmer coaches over the age of 30 who have ADHD. Users then get access to a mix of videos, text, visual resources and exercises. After completing the initial exercises, users meet with their trainer. Then, each week, users meet with their coach to get closer to their goals.
Over the course of the week, users must complete a series of actions, from new meditation experiences to reworked morning routines.
Most Shimmer users are between 20 and 50 years old. Some of the most common struggles that people work through on the platform are time management, emotional resilience and regulation, self-acceptance and self-confidence, forming habits and routines, procrastination, and motivation and overthinking. General productivity.
Since launching just over a year ago in October 2022, Shimmer coaches have conducted more than 15,000 coaching sessions. The platform is available on iOS, Android, and web.
As for the new funding, Shimmer plans to use it to work with provider partners, payers and employers to reduce the out-of-pocket cost for members to access ADHD training. Additionally, the startup will leverage artificial intelligence to make coaches more efficient without sacrificing authenticity.
The startup’s seed funding included participation from Aglaé Ventures, Koa Labs, and Gaingels. The latest funding round brings Shimmer’s total funding to $3.5 million.
As for the future, Shimer wants to facilitate all neurotypical types on their personal development journey. Although Shimmer started out offering ADHD services, the startup actually set out to help users with autism. The company’s goal is to soon serve diverse cross-cutting communities with training and other personal development experiences and tools.
“From a technology perspective, we will continue to invest in using technology to scale and improve the parts of personal development and training where real humans excel, while automating tedious and repetitive tasks,” Wang said. “We see a near future where all neurodiverse people use Shimmer, and it is seamlessly integrated into their lives, to reach their goals.”
Shimmer plans to continue educating the broader community on how to create more inclusive spaces and support their neurodiverse colleagues and loved ones. The startup’s future roadmap includes corporate training, community support, and more.