Michael Macor/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images
- Replika founder Eugenia Kuyda quietly stepped aside as CEO this year.
- Kuyda just unveiled her new AI startup, Wabi.
- Kuyda said Wabi will be a social platform for creating and sharing mini-apps.
The AI startup founder Eugenia Kuyda is building something new.
Kuyda is known for founding Replika, a Y Combinator-backed startup that lets users create AI-powered companions. She quietly stepped down as CEO at the start of the year and announced her new startup, Wabi, on Thursday.
Wabi will enable users to create their own mini-apps without any coding.
“It’s a platform to discover, remix, and share, create mini apps for daily life,” Kuyda said. “We’ll tell a little bit more when we launch publicly. Right now, it’s a very close private beta.”
Wabi is a 10-person team, Kuyda said, and plans to launch its product “soon.”
Ludlow Ventures, which also backed Replika, lists the new startup on its website as a portfolio company. Ludlow Ventures did not respond to a request for comment, and Kuyda declined to comment on Wabi’s funding.
The idea for Wabi, a “personal software platform,” led Kuyda to step away from Replika, she said.
Kuyda will stay involved in Replika
Kuyda continues to serve as Replika’s founder and advisor. Dmytro Klochko, who had previously served as Replika’s COO, succeeded her as its chief executive.
Kuyda told Business Insider that she still holds a “creative role there” and is “deeply involved” with Replika.
“It’s my baby. I am the largest shareholder. It’s definitely my life’s work,” she said.
Replika has raised $11 million to date, according to PitchBook, and Klochko notes on LinkedIn that the service has more than 40 million users.
The app has previously run into legal trouble. Italy’s data protection agency fined Replika $5.6 million for breaking data protection rules, Reuters reported in May.
The app also briefly removed and then restored the ability to exchange erotic messages after users reported mental health crises. Kuyda has said that most users are over the age of 35 and that the app can provide a “stepping stone” to human relationships.
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