AI-based sexual wellness platform for couples raises $7.5M seed round, co-led by Patron and Play Ventures
SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 12, 2024 / Arya, a holistic sexual wellness platform, today announced that leading sexologist and relationship expert Shan Boodram has joined the company as its Chief Intimacy Officer. Boodram joins during a major period of growth for the company, fueled by a $7.5 million seed round co-led by Patron and Play Ventures. Leveraging Boodram's extensive experience in psychology and relationships, Arya plans to expand the offerings available through the Arya Concierge service. The Arya platform, driven by artificial intelligence (AI) offers couples advice around intimacy and sexual wellness, providing a safe place to explore new methods of intimacy and tailor personal experiences, as well as offering the option of fantasy packages that can be delivered monthly or as needed.
Boodram is a leading sex educator, popular YouTube personality and intimacy expert. She has appeared on The Today Show, The View, MTV, E!, Fox News, CNN, The New York Times, Forbes, and TIME Magazine. She was a contributing writer for Freeform's original series, "The Bold Type", and the host of Facebook original show Make Up Or Break Up. More recently, she has been an expert for Netflix's "Too Hot To Handle" and, since 2019, the Sex and Relationship expert for dating app Bumble. She is the author of "Laid: Young People's Experiences with Sex in an Easy-Access Culture" and "The Game of Desire: 5 Surprising Secrets to Dating with Dominance--and Getting What You Want." She earned a master's degree in psychology from Arizona State University and is an integral member of the National Coalition of Sexual Health.
"Collectively, we have been misled that a healthy relationship equates to never-ending passion. As I have seen in my work, research and personal life, that is simply not true. As companionship builds, passion cools and I have spent my career helping couples embrace this inevitable reality and the exciting responsibilities that come with it. In early romance, we have lust and make love. As relationships mature, we have love and make lust," said Boodram. "After getting to know the team at Arya, I knew I wanted to be a part of the company's future as we share a commitment to normalizing sexual wellness and giving individuals the tools they need to help their relationships thrive holistically. As Arya grows, we look forward to leading couples toward greater connection, exploration and experimentation-making intimacy fun and fulfilling at every stage of their partnership."
Arya Concierge, powered by AI, gets to know a couple through a detailed questionnaire and algorithm designed by lead relationship researchers and sex therapists. The Concierge explores the couple's intimacy goals, provides expert advice and curates experiences, including delivering a regular fantasy package that helps to spice things up. Couples also have access to an intimacy mentor for more tips and tricks. Arya's recommendations are backed by experts and research and overseen by Boodram as Chief Intimacy Officer.
The National Institute of Health (NIH) has defined sexual wellness as a key part of overall physical and mental health. Improving communication about physical desires and experiences can have a positive impact on intimate experiences, and comfort in discussing sexual topics is highly correlated to feeling satisfied in a relationship as a whole.
"Following the pandemic, consumers put strong priority into wellness - everything from physical and mental health to work-life balance - and we're seeing that trend continue. Sexual wellness is a big part of a holistic approach to health, which is why we created Arya," said Offer Yehudai, co-founder and CEO of Arya. "Our goal is to help couples better prioritize sexual wellness. This is why we brought Shan onto the team. Her authentic, relatable approach to intimacy reflects our mission to help individuals integrate sexual wellness into their health and longevity goals. Her new role, alongside our latest funding, will help us support and expand our community of more than 250,000 users."
Arya's seed round was co-led by Patron and Play Ventures, with At.inc/ and Heracles Capital contributing. A number of angel investors also participated, including Neil Parick, co-founder of Casper; former Oura CEO Harpreet Rai; ICON co-founder and director Yasmin Lukatz and Naama Breckler, founder and CEO of BetterHealth. The company has raised $7.5 million to date.
"Couples' intimacy is a billion-dollar problem. Arya is bringing a game-like approach to the more sensitive endeavor of deepening emotional connection and intimacy in relationships, in an entertaining and science-backed way. We're excited to partner with Offer, Shan and the team to help more couples discover new ways to explore intimacy on their schedule," said Amber Atherton, Partner at Patron.
To join the Arya community, visit arya.fyi.
About Arya
Arya is a couples wellness platform on a mission to increase relationship satisfaction and longevity. Arya's concierge makes it radically easy for couples to deepen emotional connection, overcome routine and to engage in intimacy-building activities to spice things up. We're not only empowering couples to take charge of their sexual well-being but also playing a vital role in eradicating the problematic stigma associated with these conversations. Follow Arya on X and LinkedIn.
Media Contact
Jacqueline Wilf, (732) 616-9442, Jacky@arya.fyi
SOURCE: Arya FYI Inc.
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