Koko

What Koko does

Koko (legal entity Koko AI, Inc.) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2014 by Rob Morris during his PhD at MIT Media Lab, headquartered at 2021 Fillmore St. #204 in San Francisco. It provides free, anonymous, AI-mediated mental health support to young people globally, combining a proprietary LLM-and-keyword risk-detection engine with human moderation and a peer-support model in which users both receive and provide support. The platform claims to capture up to 40% more high-risk content than standard keyword lists using a psychologist-curated library built from 12,000+ crisis posts, augmented with GPT-3 expansions.

The company delivers its services through three surfaces: (1) direct peer-support chat on WhatsApp, Discord, and Telegram, available 24/7 globally with no account creation or app download required; (2) 5–10 minute evidence-based mini-courses covering mood regulation, body image, stress, anxiety, and self-harm; and (3) a Keywords API and Suicide Prevention Kit embedded into partner platforms including TikTok, Tumblr, Pinterest, Snapchat, Bluesky, Giphy, Roblox, Character.AI, OpenAI, and Twitch, with a 300+ global helpline directory for crisis referrals. Koko claims a 6M+ user footprint across 199 countries, with someone helped every 90 seconds.

Koko's business model is that of a registered nonprofit: end-user services are entirely free, with no fees, subscriptions, or data commercialization; revenue derives from individual donations, foundation grants, and funding/ad credits provided by social media platform partners. Disclosed lifetime funding totals approximately $3M ($2.5M from Omidyar Network and Union Square Ventures in 2016, plus $500K from Y Combinator in 2022). The organization is supported by an external Ethics Advisory Board operated by Compass Ethics and by ongoing research collaborations with MIT Media Lab, Harvard, Stanford, Dartmouth, and Northwestern University, producing 8+ peer-reviewed publications including three randomized controlled trials validating efficacy.

Name

Koko

Legal name

Koko AI, Inc.

Website

https://kokocares.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Koko is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free, AI-powered anonymous mental health peer support to young people globally via WhatsApp, Discord, and Telegram, and through embedded safety integrations on platforms including TikTok, Tumblr, Pinterest, Roblox, Character.AI, and OpenAI.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Mental Health Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Child and Youth Services (624110), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Student Support Hotlines & Digital Wellbeing Tools (EDAJAIAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Student Safety, Wellbeing & SEL Technology (Monitoring, Reporting) (EDAJAMAJ), Student Wellness & Prevention Programs (Substance Use, Sexual Health, Bullying) (EDAJAIAG), Crisis Response & Threat Assessment (Suicide Prevention, Violence Prevention) (EDAJAIAH)

Keywords

• Digital mental health
• Peer support chat
• Crisis keyword detection
• Suicide prevention API
• Youth mental wellness

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Koko is funded primarily through donations from individuals, foundations, and grant funding. Services are completely free to users with no fees, subscriptions, or hidden charges.
2. Platform Partnerships and Ad Credits: Koko receives funding and ad credits from social media platform partners to help enhance platform safety. Koko never sells user data.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Koko is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free, anonymous digital mental health support to young people through two core services: Koko Peer Support (24/7 moderated peer-to-peer chat on WhatsApp, Discord, and Telegram) and Koko Mini-Courses (5–10 minute evidence-based self-guided interventions on mood, body image, stress, anxiety, self-harm, and friend support). For platforms, Koko sells the Keywords API and Suicide Prevention Kit — developer tools that use proprietary keyword libraries and LLM-based detection to identify high-risk content and route users to Koko's free resources.

Product overview

Koko is a nonprofit digital mental health platform providing free, evidence-based mental health support to young people. The core offering consists of two integrated services: (1) Koko Peer Support, an anonymous chat service available via WhatsApp, Discord, and Telegram where users connect with peers for emotional support; and (2) Koko Mini-Courses, self-guided 5-10 minute interventions covering topics like mood regulation, body image, stress, anxiety, self-harm, and friend support. For platform partners, Koko offers the Keywords API and Suicide Prevention Kit, enabling external platforms to detect high-risk content using proprietary keyword libraries and direct users to Koko's mental health resources. The platform is supported by an external Ethics Advisory Board that provides oversight on research and product development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Koko Peer Support Anonymous peer-to-peer chat service connecting young people for emotional support. Available 24/7 globally via WhatsApp, Discord, and Telegram with no sign-up or additional downloads required. All conversations are moderated by AI and human review for safety.
• Koko Mini-Courses Self-guided 5–10 minute courses teaching coping skills for mental health challenges including mood regulation, body image, stress, anxiety, self-harm, and supporting friends. Evidence-based interventions designed to help users develop practical mental health skills.
• Keywords API API service providing keyword detection for high-risk terms and phrases related to mental health crises. Enables platforms to identify users seeking help and direct them to appropriate resources. Supports filtering by category, confidence, and intensity levels, with native client libraries in Python, Ruby, PHP, and Go backed by a Rust-based core with sub-microsecond latency.
• Suicide Prevention Kit Free resources for online communities including a native keyword library that detects high-risk terms and an embed linking to free mental health resources and interventions. Designed for quick integration (as little as 10 minutes) by platforms seeking to improve mental health support.

Quantifiable outcome

• 88% of users find Koko's service helpful
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

AI capability4 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• RobloxcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 May 2026Roblox partnered with Koko during Mental Health Awareness Month to develop a bullying resilience game with Koko, game studio Playerthree, and Northwestern University researchers. Koko's mental health resources integrated into Roblox's well-being tools for young users.
• ThroughLinecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 May 2026Roblox expanded its partnership with ThroughLine to provide confidential crisis support locator services across more areas of the platform throughout 2026. ThroughLine also partners with Koko for off-boarding and crisis support integration.
• Northwestern University (Jessica Schleider Lab)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 January 2026Partnership with Northwestern University's Lab for Scalable Mental Health to create improved versions of single-session interventions with shortened programs and immediate crisis protocols. Also collaborating on Project YES for Montana and Texas statewide deployments.
• ClosegapcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 December 2025Closegap partnered with Koko to integrate evidence-based mental health support tools into its K-12 school platform, enabling educators to provide immediate, targeted interventions during daily student check-ins for body image, self-harm, and other pressing mental health needs.
• Character.AIcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 November 2025Character.AI partnered with Koko as part of their under-18 experience overhaul, integrating Koko's mental health nonprofit support resources during the platform's safety transition involving chat limits and age assurance technology rollout.
• Montana StatecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 April 2025Montana became the first state to launch Project YES, a free digital mental health tool designed for youth. Koko partnered with Project YES to address the state's high adolescent suicide rates and mental health professional shortages.
• TumblrcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 20195-year partnership with Tumblr providing user support including detection, enhanced PSAs, and DMs. High-risk keywords trigger immediate PSA and DM; low-risk keywords trigger supportive mental health content. 405k+ users impacted. Koko mini-courses studied with outcomes similar to traditional therapy.
• PinterestcoreTechnology or IntegrationKoko's safety systems and algorithms utilized by Pinterest for content moderation and high-risk keyword detection.
• OpenAIcoreTechnology or IntegrationKoko's safety systems and algorithms utilized by OpenAI for content moderation.
• TwitchcoreTechnology or IntegrationKoko's content moderation systems and keyword detection utilized by Twitch for platform safety.
• MIT Media LabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKoko originated as a clinical trial at MIT Media Lab. Founder Rob Morris conducted his PhD research there under advisor Rosalind Picard. Ongoing research collaboration including Harvard, Stanford, Dartmouth, and Northwestern.
• Harvard UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership including Matthew Nock (Edgar Pierce Professor of Psychology) on suicide research. Harvard randomized trials validated Koko's approach to connecting high-risk users with help.
• Compass EthicscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEthics Advisory Board provided by Compass Ethics, including Dr. Bradley J. Strawser (Founder & CEO), Dr. Luke Gelinas (Director of Research Ethics), Lorenzo Nericcio (Ethics Analyst), and Dr. Ted Lechterman (Managing Director, AI and Social Impact). Board provides ethical advice and external oversight.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Crisis Text Line: Nonprofit crisis intervention service providing 24/7 text-based mental health support; the closest direct peer given overlapping crisis support mission, youth focus, and free model.
• BeMe Health: Teen mental health platform combining peer support, coaching, and clinical content; comparable target demographic and platform-embedded distribution model.
• The Trevor Project: Nonprofit providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention for LGBTQ+ youth; comparable nonprofit structure, youth crisis mission, and digital/text channel delivery.
• Woebot Health: AI-powered mental health chatbot combining CBT techniques with human support; a direct competitor in the AI-driven youth digital mental health category.
• MindRight: Youth mental health platform providing text-based coaching and crisis support via social integrations; directly comparable niche, demographics, and B2B partnership model.
• 7 Cups: Anonymous peer-to-peer emotional support platform with trained listeners; comparable peer-support model and youth audience overlap with Koko.

Broad incumbents

• Spring Health: Employer-sponsored mental health benefits platform; comparable precision mental health mission but serves adults via B2B contracts rather than youth via embedded platforms.
• Headspace: Mental wellness platform with guided content and employer partnerships; overlaps in mental health category but commercial rather than crisis-oriented.
• BetterHelp: Largest online therapy marketplace connecting users to licensed therapists; competes for the same youth mental health wallet share through a paid professional model.
• Calm: Consumer mental wellness app with broad reach; serves overlapping wellness needs but as a paid subscription B2C product rather than a crisis support nonprofit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/kokocares
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kokocares
• Instagraminstagram.com/koko.cares
• TikToktiktok.com/@koko_cares
• Xx.com/koko
• Facebookfacebook.com/kokocares

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Koko