Ukrainian company Elomia Health has acquired US-based startup Earkick, the developer of an AI companion for emotional support with a user base exceeding 250,000. The acquisition will enable Elomia to expand the technological capabilities of its solutions and strengthen its AI-powered enterprise services business.
The Earkick app helps users track changes in mood, sleep, physical activity, and daily habits. Based on the data collected, the platform generates personalized recommendations and delivers content tailored to users' emotional states and individual needs.
Under the agreement, Elomia Health will gain access to Earkick's AI models and new versions of Mia21, a long-term memory technology developed by the US startup's team. The technology enables the system to retain and account for users' emotional states and personal context over time, rather than relying solely on individual conversations.
The acquired technologies will be integrated into the Elomia Health platform. The company develops API-based solutions that allow healthcare providers, employers, universities, and other organizations to embed AI-powered emotional support chatbots into their own products and services. Safety mechanisms and safeguards designed to prevent excessive user dependence on AI interactions remain a key focus of the company's development efforts.
"The Earkick team has spent several years developing technology that understands a person's emotional state and context over time. By combining it with our models, safety system, and mechanisms designed to prevent excessive dependence on AI, we are making this technology a core component of our platform," said Taras Pohrebniak, founder and CEO of Elomia Health.
Elomia Health was founded in 2019 by Ukrainian entrepreneur Taras Pohrebniak. Initially, the company explored the application of large language models in psychological support and developed its own consumer-facing app. Its strategy subsequently shifted toward API infrastructure, enabling organizations to integrate AI-powered emotional support tools into their products.
Elomia Health's technologies have been evaluated in independent scientific studies, including a randomized controlled trial involving researchers from the University of Pennsylvania.
US-based Earkick was founded in 2021 by Dr. Herbert Bay and Karin Andrea Stephan. Bay is known as one of the developers of the SURF algorithm used in computer vision, while Stephan has researched the potential of digital technologies to support emotional well-being.
The financial terms of the Earkick acquisition have not been disclosed. The transaction value, deal structure, and other commercial details have not been made public.
