Sunflower
Sunflower (Sunflower Sober) is a privately-held digital addiction recovery company offering an AI-powered mobile app with visual sobriety tracking, CBT journaling, a 24/7 AI sponsor named Sam, therapist-led peer support groups, and telehealth clinical services for U.S. adults in recovery.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2024
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Sunflower does
Sunflower (legal entity Koby Empire, Inc., DBA Sunflower Sober) is a privately-held digital addiction recovery company founded in 2024 and operating as a remote team headquartered in San Francisco, California. The company runs an AI-enabled mobile and web platform that bundles visual sobriety tracking, CBT-based journaling, a 24/7 AI sponsor named "Sam," therapist-led peer support communities organized across 13 addiction types (alcohol, nicotine, cannabis, gambling, cocaine, OxyContin, meth, MDMA, self-harm, sex, pornography, fentanyl), and telehealth clinical services for U.S. adults seeking recovery. The product surface includes the Sunflower Sober App (iOS/Android, 4.96/5 across 3,492 reviews), the Sunflower Magazine content library, Zoom-based peer support groups (Pennsylvania-only, four 60-minute sessions per week, facilitated by LPC Brad Holt), and the Sunflower Clinic delivered through the Healthie telehealth platform with affiliated professional entities such as Sunflower Medical Group, P.A. HIPAA and 42 C.F.R. Part 2 compliance governs handling of substance use disorder information.
The business operates on a freemium model. The free tier bundles peer support groups, the AI sponsor, community chat, the visual tracker, and CBT journaling, while revenue is generated by insurance-reimbursable telehealth clinical services subject to variable copays, deductibles, and state-by-state licensure constraints. Distribution is product-led through app stores and the company website, supplemented by community-led engagement via Sunflower Anonymous and topical communities, and by enterprise-style city and community-organization partnerships (exemplified by the Tenderloin Housing Clinic collaboration in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood).
The company is founder-led by CEO Koby Conrad (previously Director of Growth at Rupa Health), with clinical leadership including VP of Therapy Kera Passante, VP of Sobriety (Eric), Clinical Advisor Keith Sakata MD, LPC Brad Holt, and a small remote staff. Sunflower has raised over $1,000,000 from a pool of 30+ entrepreneurs, doctors, lawyers, and investors, plus a $1,500,000 round on 2025-10-17 led by Flybridge with participation from a16z speedrun, Alumni Ventures, Rebel Fund, and Y Combinator. To date the community has tracked over 10 million days of sobriety across 250+ people.
Sunflower firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sunflower
- Legal name
- Koby Empire, Inc.
- Website
- https://sunflowersober.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2024
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Sunflower (Sunflower Sober) is a privately-held digital addiction recovery company offering an AI-powered mobile app with visual sobriety tracking, CBT journaling, a 24/7 AI sponsor named Sam, therapist-led peer support groups, and telehealth clinical services for U.S. adults in recovery.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sunflower industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Addiction Recovery
- NAICS
- Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (62142), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)
- SIC
- Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Behavioral Health & Neurocognitive Therapeutics (Digital) (HLACANAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Substance Use Disorder (SUD) & Addiction Teletherapy Platforms (HLALAEAD), Therapeutic Companion Apps (Drug-Device-Digital Combination) (HLACANAH)
Keywords
Where Sunflower is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Sunflower business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Freemium Peer Support (Free Tier): Free peer support groups led by a licensed therapist (4 sessions per week), AI sponsor (Sam), anonymous community access, visual progress tracker, and CBT-based journaling. All provided at no cost to users.
- Telehealth Clinical Services: Clinical services delivered by licensed healthcare professionals through Professional Entities (Sunflower Medical Group, P.A.) via telehealth. Services include individual therapy, assessments, care coordination, and psychoeducation. Coverage for Clinical Services may vary by insurance; co-pays, deductibles, and non-covered charges are the user's responsibility.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free peer support with therapist-led sessions |
| Subscription | Monthly | Telehealth/Clinical Services (pricing not publicly disclosed) |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Sunflower product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sunflower provides an AI-powered mobile app (Sunflower Sober) for addiction recovery that combines visual sobriety tracking (earning sunflowers for each sober day), CBT-based daily journaling, a 24/7 AI sponsor named Sam that supports users through cravings and emotional spikes, an anonymous peer community organized by addiction type, and self-paced educational courses on addiction science. The platform is complemented by free therapist-led peer support groups delivered four times per week via Zoom and by telehealth clinical services (individual therapy, assessments, care coordination, psychoeducation) delivered through affiliated professional entities such as Sunflower Medical Group, P.A. on the Healthie platform.
Product overview
Sunflower is a comprehensive digital addiction recovery platform offering a mobile application combined with telehealth clinical services. The core product is the Sunflower Sober App, which integrates Visual Progress Tracking (earning Sunflowers for days sober), CBT-Based Journaling Exercises, an AI Sponsor named Sam for 24/7 support, the Sunflower Anonymous Community for peer connection, and DIY Education Courses. These features work together to help users rewire their brain to associate sobriety with reward. The platform is augmented by Peer Support Groups (4 weekly therapist-led sessions via Zoom) and Sunflower Clinic telehealth services for professional clinical care. The company emphasizes a combination of technology, community support, and clinical oversight to support recovery.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Sunflower Anonymous: A private, app-based support group community for people in recovery to share stories, connect with others, and receive instant support.
- Sam (AI Sponsor)
Products and services
- Sunflower Sober App The Sunflower Sober mobile app (iOS and Android) is the company's flagship product for adults in recovery from addiction. It integrates visual progress tracking, CBT-based journaling, an AI sponsor, the Sunflower Anonymous community, and DIY education courses in a single app, and is available for free download on the App Store and Google Play. It is designed to help users rewire the brain to associate sobriety with reward and is targeted at individuals aged 18+ in the United States.
- Free Therapist-Led Peer Support Groups Free, anonymous peer support groups held four times per week via Zoom, lasting 60 minutes each, facilitated by licensed therapist Brad Holt, LPC. Sessions are camera-optional, nickname-only, and open to all addiction types and stages of recovery. Currently offered to participants in Pennsylvania.
- Sunflower Magazine An educational content platform featuring articles on substance abuse and addiction authored by clinical experts and contributors, covering topics including psychology, cannabis, gambling, opioids, alcohol recovery, methamphetamine, benzodiazepines, pornography, and family dynamics. Articles function as a top-of-funnel content channel and SEO asset driving users into the Sunflower ecosystem.
- Sunflower Clinic Telehealth Services Mental health and substance use treatment delivered via telehealth, including individual therapy, assessments, care coordination, and psychoeducation. Services are provided by licensed clinicians through affiliated professional entities (including Sunflower Medical Group, P.A.) on the Healthie platform, with HIPAA-compliant and 42 C.F.R. Part 2-aligned data handling. Coverage varies by insurance plan; users are responsible for co-pays, deductibles, and non-covered charges.
Quantifiable outcome
- 10 million+ days of sobriety created across user community
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Sunflower
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Sunflower technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
AI capability3 records
Feature5 records
Sunflower partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Tenderloin Housing CliniccoreSunflower Sober and Tenderloin Housing Clinic partnered to bring real-time addiction support to high-need residents in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood. The partnership improved engagement and expanded access to recovery for vulnerable populations experiencing housing instability and addiction challenges. Documented as a case study demonstrating city/community partnership impact.
- HealthiecoreHealthie is the telehealth platform used by Sunflower Clinic to deliver mental health and substance use treatment services via secure video and electronic communication. Sunflower's telehealth services (individual therapy, assessments, care coordination, psychoeducation) are delivered through Healthie platform which uses administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect PHI.
- GM Business Growth HubminorNote: This partnership is from Sunflower Childcare (different entity), a Tameside-based early years business. Founder Elaine Sagar was participating in GM Business Growth Hub's ASCEND Scale Up Programme while expanding into children's residential care.
Scale indicators6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Sunflower competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Lyra Health: Lyra Health is a mental health benefit platform for employers covering therapy, coaching, and medication management. It is a broader incumbent that competes for the same employer-sponsored mental health/SUD spend Sunflower could pursue via city partnerships.
- BetterHelp: BetterHelp is the largest online therapy platform offering subscription-based individual therapy, including for addiction-adjacent issues. It is a broad incumbent whose therapist marketplace competes with Sunflower's telehealth clinical services.
Direct peers
- Workit Health: Workit Health provides virtual SUD treatment (MAT, therapy, coaching) covered by insurance across multiple U.S. states. It competes with Sunflower's telehealth clinical services and shares the multi-addiction, app-first positioning.
- Pelago (formerly Quit Genius): Pelago operates a digital substance-use-disorder treatment platform combining telehealth, coaching, and AI tools for employers and health plans. It directly competes with Sunflower's app + telehealth model across alcohol, opioid, and tobacco use disorders.
- Sober Grid: Sober Grid is a social-networking app for people in recovery, providing community connection, sober meetups, and daily motivation. It competes directly with Sunflower Anonymous and the community portion of the Sunflower app.
- Tempest: Tempest is a digital alcohol use disorder treatment program combining therapy, peer support, and education. It is a direct competitor in the app-based AUD recovery space with overlapping content, community, and clinical components.
- Monument: Monument is an online treatment platform specifically for alcohol use disorder, offering therapy, medication, and community support. It overlaps Sunflower's alcohol-community and clinical service offerings for adult recovery seekers.
- Ria Health: Ria Health delivers telehealth-based alcohol use disorder treatment including medication-assisted treatment and coaching. It competes with Sunflower's clinical telehealth arm and shares a tech-enabled, outcomes-focused approach.
- I Am Sober: I Am Sober is one of the most-downloaded sobriety tracking apps, offering streak tracking, community, and motivational features. It is a direct consumer peer to Sunflower's tracking/community/journalling app surface.
Emerging players
- Big Health: Big Health builds digital therapeutics (e.g., Sleepio, Daylight) for mental health conditions and sells primarily through employers and health plans. It represents a comparable digital-therapeutic commercialization model Sunflower could pursue as it scales into payer channels.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat7 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Sunflower social profiles
Digital presenceSunflower financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sunflower leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Sunflower subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Sunflower funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors5 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sunflower M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Sunflower
What does Sunflower do?
Sunflower provides an AI-powered mobile app (Sunflower Sober) for addiction recovery that combines visual sobriety tracking (earning sunflowers for each sober day), CBT-based daily journaling, a 24/7 AI sponsor named Sam that supports users through cravings and emotional spikes, an anonymous peer community organized by addiction type, and self-paced educational courses on addiction science. The platform is complemented by free therapist-led peer support groups delivered four times per week via Zoom and by telehealth clinical services (individual therapy, assessments, care coordination, psychoeducation) delivered through affiliated professional entities such as Sunflower Medical Group, P.A. on the Healthie platform.
Is Sunflower a public or private company?
Sunflower is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Sunflower founded?
Sunflower was founded in 2024. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Sunflower based?
Sunflower is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Sunflower make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Freemium Peer Support (Free Tier) is the primary driver. The others are telehealth Clinical Services.
Who are Sunflower's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Lyra Health and BetterHelp. Direct peers are Workit Health, Pelago (formerly Quit Genius), Sober Grid, Tempest, Monument, Ria Health and I Am Sober. Big Health is listed as an emerging player.
Does Sunflower have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sunflower.
What industry is Sunflower in?
Sunflower's product category is Digital Addiction Recovery. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLACANAI, Behavioral Health & Neurocognitive Therapeutics (Digital), with a secondary code of HLALAEAD, Substance Use Disorder (SUD) & Addiction Teletherapy Platforms. Its NAICS code is 62142 and its SIC code is 8000.