Arya, a couples wellness platform based in the US, has snapped $8.5 million in Series A funding, bringing the total funding to $16 million. The investment was led by Ibex Investors with participation from previous investors Play Ventures, Patron Fund, and BigBets.vc.
The previously unannounced seed round was co-led by Patron and Play Ventures, with at.inc/ and Heracles Capital contributing alongside several additional angel investors including Neil Parick, co-founder of Casper; former Oura CEO Harpreet Rai; ICON co-founder and director Yasmin Lukatz and Naama Breckler, founder and CEO of BetterHealth.
The funding will be used to further establish Arya as a household brand and partner with sexologists, practitioners, and brands in the couples and sexual wellness space.
What challenge does Arya resolve?
The relationship industry has seen a massive shift, in which finding love online and spending billions to get there has become normalised. However, there is little support for couples once they are in that relationship. For the 72 million couples in the US, there is little to no support on how to maintain relationship satisfaction over time.
Arya is helping couples, who are increasingly spending on their wellness, invest in their relationship by improving connection and intimacy through a personalised, AI-enabled concierge that sparks intimacy.
Who is behind the company?
Co-founded by experienced entrepreneurs – Tomer Magid, who served as Head of Product at ICQ in its heyday and built several other companies including SupportSpace, FireLayers, and Venn, and Offer Yehudai, who co-founded Inneractive and Fyber and ultimately combined and acquired for more than $700 million. Their entrepreneurial experience, coupled with Boodram’s background in sexology and intimacy, will further position Arya as the technological pioneer of the couples’ wellness industry.
AI-enabled couples wellness platform
The mission to destigmatise sexual taboos and conversations to bring excitement back to relationships resonates deeply with its audience. 80% of Arya’s customers are millennial women, looking to learn new things and further explore their sexuality with their partner.
Arya uses AI technology to connect couples in the real world. The intimacy coach concierge acts as an “experienced best friend,” helping take the guesswork and shame away by introducing the experiences that couples want to try, but have never felt comfortable talking about. The platform assists couples in building stronger connections through personalised recommendations and various virtual scenes that prompt real-time play and exploration through monthly curated subscription boxes.
Arya’s services more than 200,000 users, found in every state in the US.
“There is a huge cultural shift in consumer spending. We spend billions on better sleep, nutrition, and our mental health, yet couples have come to realise that their intimate life is no different and requires investment,” said Offer Yehudai, co-founder and CEO of Arya. “Arya helps couples who want more – but don’t know where to start, or are afraid to voice what they really want.”
“The relationship game, addressing 75 million couples in the US alone, has yet to be properly addressed by technology the way that the dating game has, and Arya has cracked what will amount to be an enormous category, starting with an intimacy solution,” said Laura Huff, COO at Ibex Investors. “Society and culture are moving at breakneck speeds to break down taboos and bring such subjects to the forefront. Coupled with the team’s phenomenal execution and their vast vision for couples wellness, we are excited to partner together on this journey.”
“Most couples aren’t failing at love – they’re struggling to keep the spark that dwindles years later. Add in that we’re all trapped behind screens, schedules, plus the fear of saying what we really want and we’ve got an epidemic of couples who are emotionally connected, but not physically satisfied,” said Shan Boodram, AASECT certified sex educator, ABS certified Sexologist and Chief Intimacy Officer at Arya best known for her work on numerous Netflix series. “Arya is empowering people to break taboos in intimacy by using technology, similar to wellness platforms for language learning, health analysis, and meditation. Our goal is to boost confidence, encourage exploration, and foster stronger connections. In short, Arya offers a long-term solution for couples who are committed to the journey of maintaining the erotic spark in their relationship – and not just on Valentine’s Day.”
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