Real builds therapist-created Pathways—multi-session programs addressing issues like anxiety, depression, relationships and body image—delivered through an app with a comprehensive mood tracker called Real Pulse. The company also hosts live and recorded events and produces culturally tailored content for communities such as LGBTQIA+, immigrants, and people of color. Real vets therapists through a selective hiring process (4.7% acceptance rate) and limits Pathway session unlocks to two days to support behavior change and clinical safety. Subscriptions start at $13 per month. Founder and CEO Ariela Safira launched the company in 2019 and has iterated Pathways over 15 months with clinical and design teams to improve efficacy and retention. The team plans to use new funding to expand the platform, add more resources, hire more therapists, and grow its Pathways offerings and culturally diverse therapist base. Real offers on-demand group therapy pathways led by full-time therapists, covering topics such as sexuality, motherhood, intimacy, anxiety and family conflict. Users pay $28/month for access to on-demand group sessions, journal prompts and other resources. The product aims to scale traditional group‑therapy benefits (community, tactical advice) to a lower-cost, on-demand format. Real has also launched free offerings called Real to the People to provide access during moments of crisis. The company was founded by CEO Ariela Safira, whose background and research informed the product design. Real has raised funding to expand and bring its group‑therapy approach to more users and situations. As of the article, Real had raised a total of $16 million since launch. Real builds digital mental-health products including weekly therapy Pathways, therapist-run Group Salons, events, and one-on-one sessions designed for ongoing care rather than crisis response. The team pivoted from a planned New York City brick-and-mortar studio to launch a digital platform built in about a week. Real targets female-identifying and nonbinary people and emphasizes affordable, community-oriented offerings; it launched a monthly membership starting at $28. Early traction included a 1,000-person waitlist in the first week and Group Salons that filled in roughly 30 minutes. The company is led by founder and CEO Ariela Safira and operated by a roughly 14-person team. Financially, Real closed a $6 million seed financing in June.

Total raised

$53M

Funding rounds

3

Latest round

Series B

Latest activity

Apr 2022