Flourish

Flourish Science, Inc.

Flourish

Sunnie: An AI-Powered Well-Being Companion for Scalable Mental Health Prevention and Early Intervention Among College Students

Mountain View, CA, USA

USA

For-profit, including B-Corp or similar models

College students are facing a mental health crisis. Over 75% report experiencing emotional challenges, and over 60% meet the criteria for one or more mental health problems—a 50% increase from a decade ago. Unfortunately, college counseling centers are severely under-resourced. Some average more than 300 students per counselor, with nearly one in five clinical positions turning over each year. Alarmingly, only 16% of students with mental health disorders receive minimally adequate care, and just 13.8% complete treatment. The consequences of failing to address this crisis are severe and far-reaching. Addressing these challenges during the formative college years is imperative, as half of all lifetime mental health conditions emerge by adolescence and three-quarters by the mid-twenties. At the individual level, this can lead to diminished career prospects and reduced life satisfaction for an entire generation of young adults. Prolonged mental health struggles also increase the risk of chronic health conditions, substance abuse, self-harm, and suicidal behavior. At the institutional level, colleges and universities face declining academic performance, greater challenges with student retention, and rising dropout rates. At the global level, mental health challenges already account for an estimated $1 trillion in lost productivity each year, a figure that is expected to escalate if these issues remain unaddressed.

As a public benefit corporation founded by Stanford-trained psychologists, we have developed a scalable AI mental health companion for prevention and early intervention. We integrate cutting-edge behavioral science with advanced AI and human-centered design to provide resources to students across diverse higher education institutions. At the heart of our solution is Sunnie, an AI-powered well-being coach and companion designed to promote well-being through an intuitive behavior loop. The loop begins with goal-setting, where students define their well-being goals and receive a tailored plan that may include journaling, daily chats with Sunnie, or brief science-based strategies. From there, students receive real-time support through ongoing interactions with Sunnie. Next, these touchpoints are translated into science-based daily activities—ranging from guided breathing and nature walks to meaningful conversations and other social connection behaviors—that reinforce adaptive coping and positive habit building. Each interaction contributes to a weekly insight report to help users reflect on their progress and reconnect with their goals. Our AI system is continually refined using structured engagement metrics from over 300,000 conversational exchanges and survey data from more than 700 students. Please see here for the product demo video: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/flourish-24-7-wellness-buddy/id6474883669

Flourish supports college students, especially those who often fall through the cracks—like first-generation, low-income, and community college students. Many face real obstacles to getting help, from long waitlists and limited campus resources to stigma around asking for support. Sunnie offers a private, judgment-free space where students can reflect, manage stress, and build healthy habits—without needing to be in crisis. By making care easy to access and part of everyday life, Flourish helps students feel more grounded, supported, and better equipped to thrive—both in school and beyond.