Kintsugi, a technology company that uses artificial intelligence to detect signs of depression or anxiety by analyzing a person’s speech, has announced it is shutting down its commercial operations.
The organization plans to release its research and technology into the public domain, citing its “hope to empower the next generation of healers and innovators.”
“We are choosing the integrity of the science over the limitations of a distressed market,” Grace Chang, founder and CEO of Kintsugi, said in a blog post. “We refuse to let these breakthroughs sit on a shelf or disappear into a closed acquisition.”
Specifically, the company will release its AI-enabled voice biomarker models, scientific methodologies and formative research on the connection between voice and mental health.
“Timing and luck are often the silent partners in business, and while they did not align for us commercially, the global need for objective mental health measurement has never been more urgent,” Chang said. “By open-sourcing Kintsugi, we are removing the paywalls and proprietary barriers, allowing a global community of scientists to unlock the potential of voice-based identification, triage, and monitoring for everyone, everywhere.”
The Berkeley, California-based company raised $30 million in venture funding from investors including Insight Partners, Acrew Capital, Darling Ventures, Citta Capital, Side Door Ventures, Primetime Partners, IT Farm, AngelList Fund, and Alpha Edison.
While voice biomarkers have been widely touted as a promising diagnostic tool in behavioral health, this isn’t the first company in the space to face challenges. The Menlo Park, California-based Mindstrong started out as an AI-powered digital biomarker technology to track and influence care for neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders.
It later pivoted to offering virtual coaching, therapy and psychiatric services, before shutting down operations and laying off more than 130 people. During its tenure it raised over $100 million.