Quit Genius raises $11 million

Quit Genius, the YC-backed startup that uses cognitive behavioral therapy to help people quit smoking and vaping tobacco products, has announced an $11 million Series A round led by Octopus Ventures, with participation from Y Combinator, Startup Health and Triple Point Ventures.

Founded in 2017, Pelago is led by doctors Yusuf Sherwani, Maroof Ahmed and Sarim Siddiqui who made the decision to hang up their white coats and put away their stethoscopes to build a digital health company. The Quit Genius app helps users recognize when a negative thought or feeling pops up, replacing those triggering thoughts and emotions with more positive, healthier thoughts. This is done through various types of content, such as audio sessions, animated videos and interactive exercises. The startup also offers a device that can pair with the app to test users’ breath and help hold them accountable to their goal of quitting.

Alongside its consumer-facing product, Quit Genius also offers an enterprise product to businesses that are looking to foster a healthy workforce and also save money on healthcare for employees and so far, it has signed up 15 enterprise clients.

Quit Genius has enlisted independent research studies to show the success rate of its product, and according to the research, more than 60,000 people have quit smoking, with a 53% quit rate, “which is higher than other quit-smoking techniques.” With the new funding, the startup will expand into other types of addiction, such as alcohol and opioid addiction.

The startup has raised a total of $13.6 million from investors listed above, as well as Eric Ries, Serena Williams’ Serena Ventures, Venus Williams and Instacart co-founder Max Mullen.