We Encourage

What We Encourage does

We Encourage is a Finnish impact company, founded in 2019/2020 and headquartered in Helsinki, that provides mental health support and guidance for people affected by domestic violence. Its core product is AinoAid™, an AI-based conversational guidance chatbot that delivers 24/7 first-level digital support to victims, perpetrators, family members, friends, and professionals. The service combines clinical therapy expertise, lived experience from survivors, and creators from diverse cultural backgrounds with an AI chatbot built on Microsoft technology tools.

The AinoAid™ chatbot provides text-based conversational guidance using natural language processing, knowledge retrieval, and recommendation capabilities to route users toward appropriate support paths based on the type of violence experienced. Content and conversation flows are developed by experts in multiple therapy methods, survivors, and creators from diverse cultural backgrounds, and the platform is contextualized for each market through partnerships with local expert organizations that generate locally relevant conversational content.

The business model is hybrid B2B/B2G/B2C. End users access the service via the AinoAid™ platform free of charge, while revenue capture occurs through partnerships with local societies, public health organizations, and private service providers that use the platform to prioritize interventions, acquire customers, and deliver impact-driven services under recurring subscription or managed-service contracts. Geographic reach currently spans Finland as the operational base and a Tanzania pilot conducted in partnership with the Finnish Lutheran Mission.

Name

We Encourage

Legal name

We Encourage

Website

https://encourage.fi

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

We Encourage is a Finnish impact company that operates AinoAid™, an AI-based conversational chatbot providing 24/7 mental health support for victims, perpetrators, family members, and professionals affected by domestic violence, with operations in Finland and a Tanzania pilot.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Mental Health Support

NAICS

Social Assistance (624)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Crisis Support, Suicide Prevention & Acute Behavioral Triage Platforms (HLALAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Conversational AI Platforms (chat/voice bots, orchestration) (HDAAAFAC)

Keywords

• Domestic violence support
• Mental health chatbot
• AI conversational guidance
• Psychosocial support services
• Digital health platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Helsinki

HQ country

Finland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. B2B/B2G Service Provision: Value capture through partnerships with local societies, public health organisations, and private service providers. Public health organisations benefit from prioritising interventions based on violence severity without human bias. Private service providers find customers to whom they can add the most value. Generates revenues and financial capabilities for constant technology and service development.
2. Impact-Driven Partnerships: Art of creating value for all partners in the ecosystem starts from shared purpose and related objectives, fair and transparent share of efforts and respective rewards. Value delivered in multiple forms including healthier citizens, more productive employees, and efficient use of scarce human and financial resources.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

We Encourage develops and operates AinoAid™, an AI-based conversational guidance chatbot that provides round-the-clock psychosocial support and information for people affected by domestic violence. The chatbot serves three distinct audiences — victims, perpetrators seeking behavior change, and professionals supporting affected individuals — directing users to vetted local services and resources. The platform is delivered both directly to end users and through partnerships with municipalities, public health organizations, and private service providers.

Product overview

We Encourage operates as an impact company providing mental health support services primarily through its AinoAid™ AI chatbot. The company offers a single unified product — the AinoAid™ conversational guidance system — which delivers 24/7 AI-based support for domestic violence victims, perpetrators, and affected family members. The service combines human expertise from therapy professionals and survivors with AI technology to provide first-level guidance and connect users with appropriate resources and support pathways.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AinoAid™: AI-based conversational guidance chatbot and related services for anyone affected by domestic violence, including victims, perpetrators, and professionals. Combines human expertise with technology relying on Microsoft tools.

Products and services

• AinoAid™ AinoAid is an AI-based conversational guidance chatbot that provides 24/7 psychosocial support and information for people affected by domestic violence. It serves three distinct audiences — victims seeking help, perpetrators seeking behavior-change support, and social or healthcare professionals supporting clients — and directs users to curated local services and resources. The chatbot is offered both directly to end users and through partnerships with municipalities, public health organizations, and private service providers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Cost of gender-based violence in EU: €366 billion annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MicrosoftcoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology infrastructure provider. The AinoAid™ AI chatbot and related services rely on tools provided mainly by Microsoft. Core technology stack enabling the AI-based conversational guidance platform.
• Hyvinpitely OycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founded by Katja Kytölä and colleagues in 2020. A company focusing on domestic violence, creating and developing services for victims and perpetrators. Content expertise partner for AinoAid™ AI.
• Finnish Lutheran Mission (Suomen Lähetysseura)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational development partner for Tanzania pilot. Working with We Encourage to develop chatbot that guides domestic violence victims to help services in Tanzania.
• Local Expert OrganisationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership ecosystem helping understand needs and wants and how to deliver contextually relevant support to people in need. Help run local experiments and operations for service provision.
• UNFILTEREDDminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner organisation with logo displayed on We Encourage website.
• IMProve Horizon EUminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEU Horizon project partner with logo displayed on We Encourage website.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Spring Health: Enterprise mental health platform combining precision assessment, therapy, coaching, and digital self-service. Comparable broad incumbent targeting employer and health plan channels in mental health benefits.
• BetterHelp: Largest online therapy platform offering access to licensed therapists via text, chat, voice. Operates as a broad incumbent in digital mental health with overlapping end-user base of individuals seeking emotional support.
• Lyra Health: Enterprise mental health benefits platform serving employers with therapy, coaching, and digital tools. Comparable in B2B/B2G go-to-market targeting employer and health plan buyers in the mental health category.
• Headspace Health: Large-scale mental health platform combining content, coaching, and therapy with significant B2B distribution to employers and health plans. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the same mental health category with overlapping B2B/B2G channels, though much larger scale and broader scope.

Direct peers

• Crisis Text Line: Text-based crisis intervention service offering 24/7 support via trained volunteers. Highly comparable in mission (crisis support through conversational text channel) and operating model, though We Encourage is AI-driven while Crisis Text Line is volunteer-staffed.
• 7 Cups: Emotional support platform connecting users to trained listeners via text-based chat. Comparable in conversational support delivery model, 24/7 accessibility, and serving individuals in emotional distress including relationship and family issues.
• Wysa: AI-powered mental health chatbot offering anonymous, 24/7 conversational support for emotional well-being across B2B and B2C channels. Closely comparable in technology (AI chatbot), target use case (mental health support), and B2B distribution model to enterprise and health plans.
• Woebot Health: Therapeutic AI chatbot delivering cognitive behavioral therapy-based conversations for mental health support. Directly comparable AI-first mental health platform targeting both consumers and enterprise healthcare buyers, with similar conversational AI modality.

Regional players

• Mindler: Nordic/European digital mental health platform providing therapist-matched online psychological treatment. Comparable as a regional Nordic mental health platform with B2B/B2G distribution, though currently therapist-led rather than AI-first.

Others

• SafeToNet: AI safety technology company focused on protecting children and vulnerable users from online harms including harassment. Thematically adjacent as AI applied to safeguarding vulnerable populations, though operating in online safety rather than domestic violence support.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/we_encourage
• Facebookfacebook.com/WeEncourageImpact
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/we-encourage
• Instagraminstagram.com/we.encourage

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 We Encourage