NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
In an era where mental health challenges are increasingly prevalent, Neil Parikh and Daniel Cahn are spearheading a quiet revolution to make therapy accessible to all—anytime, anywhere. As the co-founders of Slingshot AI and the visionaries behind Ash, the world’s first AI designed explicitly for therapeutic support, Parikh and Cahn are reshaping how people engage with mental wellness.
Slingshot AI has raised $93 million in funding to accelerate its mission of transforming mental health care.
The startup leverages advanced artificial intelligence trained on real therapist data to provide high-quality mental health support. Unlike typical chatbots, Ash uses clinically proven techniques such as cognitive diffusion to actively challenge users’ thought patterns and guide them through personalized therapeutic journeys.
Neil Parikh, the company’s Chief Medical Officer, spoke candidly about the need for innovation in mental health care. “We raised $93M to try to make a dent in the mental health crisis. Because we need a radically different approach to a situation that’s getting worse by the day,” Parikh said in a recent LinkedIn post.
Before co-founding Slingshot AI in 2022, Parikh was Chief Medical Officer at Thirty Madison, where he championed equitable healthcare access through asynchronous care models. His experience navigating healthcare’s challenges informed his vision for Ash.
The recent funding round—led by prominent venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz—will enable Slingshot AI to expand its technology, increase user access, and accelerate clinical validation efforts. The company’s AI therapist is already in beta and helping thousands of users worldwide.
With mental health challenges on the rise globally, Slingshot AI’s approach represents a significant step toward democratizing therapy.
Cover photo: Neil Parikh/LinkedIn.
