Is it weird to believe that the more powerful technology becomes the greater the responsibility founders have for the outcomes, externalities, and impacts of their work? For us, as product leaders and as investors, this has always been fundamental. Accordingly, it was an easy decision to support the Tolan team towards their goal of building a personal AI companion you can trust. Clearly we’re not the only ones, given their recently announced $30 million financing round.
Why was our conviction so high? Homebrew had the good fortune of backing two of the Tolan founders in an earlier venture. Even, a fintech startup, was acquired by Walmart in a successful outcome, which proved that the team could deliver financial returns, not just vibes.
And what is Tolan? A companion? A friend? An assistant? Yes to all of this. Watching this short overview video should give you a sense of their design thinking. While most products in this space sell the shopping/commerce/lifestyle aspect, or overload the productivity and ‘get ahead’ hustleporn, Tolan is different. Tolan starts more by asking and listening, alongside these other capabilities. Tolan becomes part of your life in a more gentle and warmer manner - not training you to feed its business model or shame you for not being up on the latest AI. The technology which powers Tolan is considerable but it’s enabling, not extractive. Perhaps this is why their subscriber community looks a little different - 70% female, 40% parents.
There’s so much more ahead for the Tolan team. If you’d like to be a part of it, the CEO wants to hear directly from you (just like your Tolan does).
