Mentaily raises $3 million Seed round to tackle global mental health crisis with AI-powered platform
Founded in response to the aftermath of the October 7th terror attack, the Israeli startup’s LIV platform is designed to expand access to mental health care and assist with high-stress populations.
Israeli startup Mentaily, founded in 2024 in response to the aftermath of the October 7th terror attack, has raised $3 million in a Seed funding round to support the development of its AI-powered mental health assessment platform, LIV. The round was led by a US-based family office, alongside Israeli family offices and impact funds including The Rashi Foundation and Sheatufim. Prominent digital health angel investors also participated.
LIV, the company’s flagship product, is designed to simulate clinical psychiatric intake sessions with high accuracy, offering a scalable and personalized solution to mental health diagnosis. This technology is expected to play a critical role in addressing a pressing global issue: the lack of mental health professionals and services in many regions.
With one in five people in the U.S. affected by mental health disorders, and over 120 million Americans living in areas with insufficient mental health care, the need for innovative solutions has never been greater. In Israel, the company aims to address both the general population's needs and the mental health challenges faced by high-stress populations, such as military personnel and security forces.
LIV’s AI platform uses natural-language processing to conduct mental health assessments through both voice and text, optionally incorporating an AI avatar for enhanced user interaction. It was developed in collaboration with the ARC (Accelerate, Redesign, Collaborate) Innovation Center and the Drora and Pinchas Zakai Department of Psychiatry at Sheba Medical Center, as well as Microsoft and KPMG.
Iris Shtein, CEO and Co-Founder of Mentaily, emphasized the platform’s potential to change the landscape of mental health care: “At Mentaily, our mission goes beyond innovation—it’s about solving real-world challenges in mental health care. LIV enables real-time detection of deterioration and high-risk situations, allowing clinical teams to intervene early, with precision. By supporting clinical decision-making and optimizing workforce allocation, we help address the global shortage of mental health professionals. Our scalable platform not only enhances access and accuracy but also empowers systems to prioritize care where it’s needed most.”
The founding team behind Mentaily includes Shtein and Guy Yachin, alongside senior clinicians from Sheba Medical Center—Prof. Mark Weiser, Dr. Asaf Caspi, and Dr. Daniel Cohen.
The platform’s applications extend beyond general mental health care. Through collaborations with Israel's Ministry of Defense and the Directorate of Defense Research & Development (DDR&D), LIV is being used to address the mental health needs of military and security personnel, populations that often face prolonged trauma and stress. Future iterations of LIV will be tailored to meet the needs of other at-risk groups, including children, adolescents, and women.
At present, LIV is in use across hospitals, HMOs, rehabilitation centers, and government organizations throughout Israel. The new funding will allow Mentaily to accelerate its development and expand its services both locally and internationally.
