# Slingshot AI **Source:** https://geo.sig.ai/brands/slingshot-ai **Vertical:** Healthcare Tech **Subcategory:** AI Mental Health **Tier:** Emerging **Website:** slingshotai.com **Last Updated:** 2026-04-14 ## Summary Slingshot AI raised $93M (a16z) for its Ash therapy chatbot with 50K beta users; withdrew from UK over medical device concerns while expanding US CBT-informed AI mental health access. ## Company Overview Slingshot AI is a mental health technology company developing AI-powered therapy and emotional support tools designed to expand access to mental health care. Backed by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Slingshot has built Ash, a conversational AI therapy chatbot that provides CBT-informed and evidence-based support to users between professional therapy sessions or as a standalone resource for people who cannot access or afford traditional therapy. The company was founded on the premise that the global mental health crisis — characterized by a severe shortage of therapists relative to need — requires AI-enabled solutions to close the access gap.\n\nAsh is designed to conduct structured therapeutic conversations, guide users through mental health exercises, track mood and symptom patterns over time, and provide crisis resources when needed. The platform is built with clinical input and aims to function at the boundary between a mental wellness app and a clinical-grade tool, offering more depth than meditation apps while being accessible without a prescription or insurance. Slingshot has enrolled 50,000+ beta users who have engaged with Ash's conversational therapy features across depression, anxiety, and stress-related concerns.\n\nSlingshot has raised $93M in total funding, backed by a16z and other investors, reflecting strong venture conviction in the mental health AI space despite a complex regulatory environment. The company made a notable decision to withdraw from the UK market in January 2026 over concerns about medical device regulatory requirements — the UK's MHRA was signaling that AI therapy tools would require medical device classification, raising the compliance burden significantly. This withdrawal highlights the tension between the consumer mental health app model and the regulatory frameworks emerging around AI clinical tools, a challenge Slingshot and the broader mental health AI category are actively navigating. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What does Slingshot AI do? Building the world's first foundation model for psychology. Core product: Ash therapy chatbot. ### How much has it raised? $93M from a16z, Radical Ventures, and Forerunner Ventures. ### What happened in the UK? Withdrew Ash chatbot from UK (Jan 2026) over medical device regulation concerns. ### What is Slingshot AI's psychology foundation model and how does it differ from general LLMs? Slingshot AI's psychology foundation model is trained specifically on mental health clinical data — therapy transcripts, clinical assessments, and psychiatric literature — enabling the model to understand psychological concepts, therapeutic techniques, and clinical language at a level that general-purpose LLMs trained primarily on internet text cannot reliably achieve. The model powers the Ash therapy chatbot with clinical knowledge and therapeutic conversation frameworks. ### What happened with the Ash chatbot UK withdrawal and what does it mean for Slingshot? Slingshot AI withdrew Ash from the UK in January 2026 after the MHRA (UK medical device regulator) indicated the chatbot may require medical device classification under the UK's digital health regulations. Rather than continue without regulatory clarity, Slingshot proactively withdrew while pursuing formal regulatory assessment. This reflects responsible regulatory navigation but delays UK market entry — a significant market given NHS mental health service demand. ### How does Slingshot AI's Ash chatbot position within mental health care? Ash is designed to provide accessible mental health support — CBT-based exercises, emotional check-ins, psychoeducation — between therapy sessions or as a first point of support for people who cannot access or afford traditional therapy. The US faces a severe mental health provider shortage (over 150 million people in designated Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas), creating a massive unmet need that Ash can partially address at scale. ### What regulatory framework applies to AI mental health chatbots in the US? AI mental health tools in the US face regulatory uncertainty under FDA's Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) framework. Tools that diagnose or treat mental health conditions likely require FDA clearance; wellness and support tools may not. Slingshot AI's navigation of this boundary — as evidenced by the UK withdrawal — shows awareness of the regulatory stakes. FDA guidance on AI mental health tools is evolving, creating both risk and competitive barrier for compliant developers. ### What is Slingshot AI's funding and investor profile? Slingshot AI raised $93M from a16z (Andreessen Horowitz), Radical Ventures, and Forerunner Ventures — a strong investor consortium reflecting confidence in the mental health AI market. a16z's bio fund has deep healthcare AI investment experience, Radical Ventures focuses on AI companies, and Forerunner Ventures specializes in consumer products. The funding positions Slingshot to pursue regulatory clearance, clinical validation, and US market scale while navigating the complex regulatory landscape. ## Tags b2b, healthtech, saas --- *Data from geo.sig.ai Brand Intelligence Database. Updated 2026-04-14.*