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Koko

YC W22

Founded 2020 · 8 employees · Nonprofit · 1 known investors

Find your way into Koko

1,342 people in our graph share verified history with the Koko team — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.

Ken Chenaultunlockedknows Kareem Kouddous · together at Airbnb (overlapped)
×2knows the team · via Massachusetts Institute of Technology
×3knows the team · via Airbnb
knows the team · via Imperial College London
knows the team · via Sapient
×2knows the team · via Princeton University

Koko Cares partners with academic researchers to deploy evidence-based mental health interventions for young people across digital and clinical settings in the US. The organization collaborates with Northwestern University's Lab for Scalable Mental Health to deliver programs like Project YES through online platforms, clinics, schools, and health systems.

Also known as Koko AI

EdTechHealthtechMental HealthSocialWellness & FitnessFully Remote

Founders & leadership· Y Combinator alumni (W22)

Koko was founded in 2020 by Rob Morris and Kareem Kouddous.

RMRob Morris
Rob Morrisin𝕏FounderHe previously worked as a staff data scientist at Airbnb and as an entrepreneur in residence at Hopelab, and holds degrees in psychology from Princeton University and a master's and doctorate in media arts and sciences from MIT.
KKKareem Kouddous
Kareem Kouddousin𝕏FounderKareem Kouddous co-founded Suzy and Koko, the latter of which was acquired by Airbnb. He previously led Trust & Safety efforts at Airbnb and has since returned to lead Koko as a nonprofit, with early experience building software from childhood.

Investors · 1

Y CombinatorSan Francisco · $500K

The YC application· Winter 2022 batch

▶ Demo Day video — watch on YC ↗

What they told YC

Describe your organization in 50 characters or less.
AI-based triage and intervention for mental health.
How long have each of you been working on this? How much of that has been full-time? Please explain.
The concept originated nearly ten years ago when one of the founders was a graduate student at MIT. Koko operated as a for-profit for about three years, and the founders have spent the past eleven months relaunching it as a non-profit.

Summarized from the founders' answers on their Y Combinator profile.

Competitors · 1

by search overlap
Crisistextline11 shared keywordsCrisis Text Line provides free, confidential, 24/7 text-based mental health support and crisis intervention for people in the United States, Puerto Rico, and through international partnerships in the UK, Canada, and Ireland. The organization operates a volunteer-powered crisis counseling service accessible via text messaging.

Companies competing with Koko for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.

In the news

Kenya: Koko Networks Assets Go On Sale After Carbon Credit Collapse - allAfrica.comallafrica.com · Jul 2026Koko Networks assets up for sale as administrators look for buyersbusinesstechafrica.co.za · Jul 2026👨🏿‍🚀TechCabal Daily – Koko runs out of gas | TechCabaltechcabal.com · Jul 2026Mozilla announces 25 honorees for the Rise 25 Awardsblog.mozilla.org · Oct 2023Koko raises ethical concerns using ChatGPT in mental health experimentbusinessinsider.com · Jan 2023Koko nonprofit founders help people cope with mental healthfastcompany.com · Jun 2022

Frequently asked questions

What does Koko do?
Koko Cares partners with academic researchers to deploy evidence-based mental health interventions for young people across digital and clinical settings in the US. The organization collaborates with Northwestern University's Lab for Scalable Mental Health to deliver programs like Project YES through online platforms, clinics, schools, and health systems.
Who founded Koko?
Koko was founded by Rob Morris, Kareem Kouddous in 2020.
Who are Koko's investors?
Koko's investors include Y Combinator.