Last March, Reframe had just raised $1.4 million and had about 3,000 users for its app to help curtail their alcohol habits.
A year later, founders Vedant Pradeep and Ziyi Gao have grown their Atlanta startup to 100,000 users, nearly 10,000 daily downloads and $10 million in annual revenue. Total investments into the startup stand at $17.3 million.
Reframe's goal is not only helping people cut back on alcohol, Pradeep said, but to help them "become the best possible version of themselves."
It doesn't look negatively at alcohol use. Instead, it builds a community united by the shared desire for personal growth. That communal, welcoming approach to reducing the alcohol consumption may be a reason the startup is expanding so rapidly.
“For a lot of people, there aren’t a lot of easy ways to cut back on alcohol," Pradeep said.
The $1.4 million seed round was led by Atlanta Ventures along with local investors including entrepreneurs Kaneva CEO Chris Klaus, SalesLoft CEO Kyle Porter and MaxBounty Chief Financial Officer David Harrington. For Jon Birdsong, a partner at Atlanta Ventures, he knew something was special about Pradeep and Gao moments after meeting them for the first time.
"Their fervid desire to solve our society’s increasing dependence on alcohol was infectious and energizing,” he said
Pradeep, who has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, wanted to create a platform that could help others with the same condition. That goal was fraught with complications, as OCD can take on unique and ever-changing forms.
Later, Pradeep realized that people had similar patterns with unhealthy alcohol habits, and he saw a different way to help. From there, Pradeep and Ziyi Gao, who met at a Georgia Tech chemical engineering class, created a day-by-day recovery app with interactive activities, recovery stories, affirmations and educational tools to help people kick alcoholism.
They named it Reframe.
The app went through around 200 iterations. Through that, Pradeep and Gao worked with Emory and Johns Hopkins University medical experts and Georgia Tech professors. They also talked to people at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings about their experiences.
Following their seed round, Reframe entered into Y Combinator, a tech startup accelerator that has launched more than 3,000 companies including Airbnb, DoorDash, Dropbox and Reddit. After the program, the startup raised $3.4, then another $12.5 million.
Reframe charges users less than $10 a month. Pradeep told Atlanta Inno last year the small user fee makes it more accessible than recovery centers.
Journal entries in the app allow users to track their daily progress and organize their thoughts. They can also reflect on their personal journey after reading a passage from its daily tasks.
When users have cravings, they can play various games on the platform which helps redirect their focus. There are also challenges — such as Dry January and One Thousand Hours Drys — and a variety of meditations.
Forums give opportunities to share stories and get guidance. Coaches on the app periodically check on users’ progress with texts and Zoom calls.
“It’s eye-opening how much information is in the app and how it meets you where you are,” said Kevin Bellack, head of coaching at Reframe. “This is the app I wish I had when I started on my own alcohol-free journey."
Pradeep and Gao believe this is only the start. The app can evolve into a more holistic experience by combining fitness, nutrition and mental strength as part of its overall mission. The programs can also become even more personalized to each user, Pradeep said.
