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Research shows that untreated adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often leads to interpersonal problems, stress, interruptions in personal and professional life, and substance abuse. Challenges include difficulty concentrating and completing daily tasks, as well as the inability to achieve long-term goals. Shimmer's coaching aims to alleviate these issues, providing a path to self-advocacy and empowerment.
Chris Wang, co-founder and CEO of Shimmer, has ADHD herself. She emphasized the company's mission: "Having ADHD is an isolating and challenging experience. Shimmer is dedicated to providing the mental support needed by ADHD patients and enabling them to feel the ability and potential for their own success. Our platform aims to be a powerful tool to help people fully realize their potential and live fulfilling lives."
AI Native Product Analysis
Shimmer
1. Product: Shimmer
2. Product Launch Date: October 2022
3. Founders:
Christal Wang (CEO), selected for Forbes 30 Under 30, previously worked at Bain & Company (Ex-Bain), and holds an MBA and Master of Public Health degree.
Vikram Sreedhar (CTO), a graduate of Stanford University, previously founded a non-profit organization called "Make A Difference (M.A.D.)."
4. Product Overview:
Shimmer is an online platform that provides real-time professional coaching for adult ADHD patients, using AI technology and interpersonal interaction to help members set and achieve personal and professional goals, improving their quality of life.
5. Development Story:
Founded in January 2021
Shimmer officially launched in October 2022, dedicated to providing an online coaching platform for adult ADHD patients.
On January 11, 2024, Shimmer announced a $2.2 million seed round financing, co-led by Worklife Ventures and SeedtoB Capital, with plans to expand AI product development and initiate scientific research.
01. What is Shimmer?
In today's fast-paced life, the mental health issues of adults are receiving increasing social attention. According to renowned ADHD expert Dr. Russell A. Barkley, currently, 13 million American adults (4-5%) are dealing with its negative impact every day. ADHD may make it difficult for patients to regulate negative emotions and complete daily tasks at work and home, leading to further issues such as anxiety, depression, interpersonal problems, personal/professional stress, and chaos.
Shimmer is a startup online coaching platform designed specifically for adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which announced in January 2024 that it had raised $2.2 million in seed funding. This round of financing was co-led by Worklife Ventures and SeedtoB Capital, with participation from Koa Labs, Aglaé Ventures, and Gaingels. In the future, the company plans to use this funding to expand its AI-focused product development and conduct scientific research on the results of ADHD coaching under the auspices of leading universities in the United States and the United Kingdom.
On Shimmer, there are currently over 30 professional ADHD coaches providing online courses. ADHD patients work with coaches to develop personalized goals and specific action steps, thereby regaining long-term control over their lives, improving interpersonal relationship health, and career development.
Shimmer is committed to providing comprehensive support for ADHD patients, helping them set and achieve personal and professional goals through real-time online coaching, creating a positive growth environment. Chris Wang, co-founder and CEO of Shimmer, is an ADHD patient herself and deeply understands the impact of ADHD on life and work, thus founding Shimmer to provide a new treatment solution for ADHD patients. She emphasized the company's mission: "Having ADHD is an isolating and challenging experience. Shimmer is dedicated to providing the mental support needed by ADHD patients and enabling them to feel the ability and potential for their own success. Our platform aims to be a powerful tool to help people fully realize their potential and live fulfilling lives."
Since its launch in October 2022, Shimmer's professional ADHD coaches have provided over 15,000 coaching services to global users. The platform not only serves individual users but also provides free coaching to government agencies, universities, and non-profit organizations. Looking ahead, Shimmer plans to expand its services to create an inclusive environment for employees in companies.
Xenia Angevin, Chief Coaching Psychologist at Shimmer, emphasized the company's evidence-based approach: "We are elevating the status of ADHD coaching as a new method or strategy. Our coaching system uses the latest science to help patients improve their quality of life and address the challenges caused by ADHD, challenges that hinder their ability to focus on important matters. We are excited about the latest research, which shows that after six weeks of participation, 83% of Shimmer members reported that they were better able to manage their ADHD. Shimmer membership is eligible for HSA/FSA, making it 5 to 10 times cheaper than standard ADHD coaching.
Brianne Kimmel, General Partner at Worklife Ventures and investor in Shimmer, recognized the scope of the ADHD population and how Shimmer could be an effective strategy for managing the condition: "A large number of adults are deeply affected by ADHD, yet only a small percentage were diagnosed in their youth. I understand what it feels like to have ADHD as an adult. We are proud to invest in this company, which can be an effective complement to the treatment options available now."
02. How does Shimmer achieve digital therapy?
ADHD is not a new concept. In fact, research on ADHD therapy can be traced back to the 5th century BC. From early behavioral therapy and medication treatment to modern cognitive behavioral therapy and psychoeducation, ADHD therapy has been continuously evolving and improving. With the development of technology, new treatment methods such as neurofeedback therapy and medication treatment have also emerged. How to integrate new tools such as AI with traditional treatment methods to create more effective treatment plans is an important issue in the field of ADHD therapy. So, how does Shimmer, as an online coaching product, achieve digital therapy for ADHD?
Unlike other ADHD digital therapy platforms, Shimmer innovatively uses digital therapy technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) to continuously empower real-time coaching by professional ADHD coaches. Members and coaches can collaboratively set personalized goals and practical action steps. Coaches use various tools provided by the platform to help members track and execute their plans scientifically, to better help ADHD patients plan personal and career development.
1. Real-time Professional Coaching
Shimmer provides one-on-one real-time online coaching by professional ADHD coaches, ensuring that patients receive immediate professional support and guidance. Professional ADHD coaches communicate one-on-one with patients via video conferencing to gain a deep understanding of their unique situations and challenges. This face-to-face communication method captures the patient's needs more comprehensively, enabling coaches to provide more accurate and targeted advice. In this interactive process, coaches not only answer patients' questions about ADHD but also help them deal with specific life scenarios. Through real-time interaction, coaches can adjust coaching strategies in real time, personalize adjustments based on patient feedback and performance, ensuring that the coaching process is more closely aligned with the patient's actual needs and growth.
2. Task Management Tools
Coaches develop personalized plans and achievable goals based on individual needs, and patients can use in-platform management tools to record task completion progress. Coaches work closely with patients to develop achievable goals, helping them gradually develop more organized and effective habits. Through in-platform management tools, patients can easily track task completion progress, monitor personal growth, and receive timely feedback and guidance from coaches. This personalized task management system not only helps patients better understand their progress but also fosters a sense of responsibility for self-management. Through regular follow-ups and evaluations, coaches adjust plans to ensure they adapt to the patient's changes and needs. This system not only improves the operability of treatment but also strengthens the collaboration between patients and coaches, working together to achieve goals.
3. Abundant Course Resources
Shimmer provides rich course information, allowing patients to gradually overcome the negative impact of ADHD through self-study courses. These courses cover various aspects, including attention concentration, time management, and emotional regulation, aiming to help patients develop better coping strategies. Through these self-study courses, patients can learn at flexible times, adjust their learning pace according to their own situations, increase their understanding of ADHD, and learn practical skills to improve daily life.
In addition, Shimmer also provides customized learning paths tailored to the patient's personality and needs. Through an intelligent system that analyzes the patient's learning progress and feedback, it recommends course content that better suits individual differences, enhancing the effectiveness and impact of learning. This personalized course design aims to meet the patient's needs to the greatest extent, helping them better understand and cope with ADHD, thereby improving their quality of life.
4. Instant Access to Coaches
Unlike other online coaching websites, at Shimmer, patients can use private messaging to reach coaches at any time, establishing a closer connection. This one-on-one communication method allows coaches to better understand the patient's personalized needs and situations, providing more accurate and thoughtful coaching services.
Whether facing psychological stress, emotional fluctuations, or other personal issues, patients can share their thoughts with coaches through private messaging, receiving timely support and advice. This open and close communication channel not only promotes the effectiveness of treatment but also makes patients feel more cared for and understood throughout the coaching process.
5. AI Smart Enhancement
Shimmer introduces AI features on the coaching side to automate their workflow. For example, what used to take 30 minutes for post-meeting processing may now only take five minutes through the ability to summarize notes, generate post-meeting actions, and resources using LLM. Additionally, on the member side, Shimmer introduces AI to summarize conversations with coaches and extract key insights, greatly reducing the burden of handling redundant information for members.
This intelligent workflow not only improves efficiency but also provides a better experience for coaches and members. Coaches can focus on interacting with and supporting patients without spending too much time on tedious logistical work. Meanwhile, with AI assistance, members can quickly access key insights, saving time and energy in processing large amounts of information. Shimmer is committed to combining personalized one-on-one communication with advanced technology to create a more efficient and personalized online coaching experience for users.
03. Shimmer's Development Vision
Shimmer plans to expand its AI-focused product development in the near future. On the coaching side, Shimmer uses AI tools and workflows to improve coaching efficiency, making coaches better. With the help of AI, they can better manage their work, find appropriate resources, and conduct their coaching in a data-driven manner.
On the member side, AI tools can be used to alleviate cognitive burdens in coaching, meeting different learning styles in a personalized way. It is believed that in the near future, every member on Shimmer will have a completely different experience.
"We see AI as the best tool to improve human efficiency (in our case, coaches) and to support tedious, non-essential repetitive work. So, AI will be used first to enhance the experience of coaches and members," Wang said.
The company also plans to launch a scientific research study with the support of leading universities in the United States and the United Kingdom. This study will explore the effectiveness of ADHD coaching, assess the quality of life indicators of participants, and compare Shimmer's methodology with other models in symptom/damage-related indicators.
This will further solidify Shimmer's leading position in the field of ADHD treatment, providing more intelligent and thoughtful services for patients. At the same time, Shimmer also plans to expand its coaching services to create an inclusive work environment for companies, providing support to a wider audience.
Overall, Shimmer is not just an online platform to help ADHD patients overcome challenges, but also an innovative solution that uses advanced technology to provide personalized and efficient support for users. The founder's personal experience and deep understanding of AI technology have laid a solid foundation for Shimmer's development, allowing it to quickly make a mark in the field of ADHD support. With ongoing development in the future, Shimmer is expected to create a better future for ADHD patients.
Reference Materials
https://techcrunch.com/2024/01/10/shimmer-a-platform-for-11-personalized-adhd-coaching-raises-2-2m/
https://www.morningstar.com/news/accesswire/823684msn/shimmer-secures-22-million-seed-to-transform-adult-adhd-management-with-its-ai-enhanced-behavioral-coaching-platform
https://vator.tv/news/2024-01-11-shimmer-a-platform-for-adults-managing-their-adhd-raises-22m
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