Sunflower

What do they actually do

Sunflower makes a consumer sobriety app that combines a days‑counter (“earn a sunflower” each day), guided CBT journaling, milestones, a community feed, and a 24/7 “AI sponsor” chat for craving support and coaching. The app supports quitting alcohol, nicotine, cannabis, gambling and other habits, and is available on iOS and Android [site; app listings]. Their business model is a free trial with ongoing subscription/in‑app purchases [App Store; Google Play].

They have also begun a teletherapy clinic arm, with initial coverage in California and Texas, and say they plan to expand nationally and add medication‑assisted treatment (MAT) [YC profile]. Sunflower reports early traction (0 → 100k MAU in <6 months) and the mobile stores show 100k+ downloads on Android with strong ratings on both stores [YC profile; Google Play; App Store].

Who are their target customer(s)

• Individuals newly committed to quitting a substance or habit: They need simple, immediate reinforcement and repeatable coping tools during cravings, not long clinical sessions or complex programs.
• People with relapse history seeking structure and accountability: They currently juggle fragmented tools (notes, spreadsheets, forums) and lack one place that tracks progress, triggers, and learned skills.
• Users who need help at off‑hours or can’t access timely human support: They need on‑demand coaching for urgent cravings and relapse prevention between therapy sessions.
• People in areas with scarce or costly in‑person addiction care: They want virtual therapy or medications from a single provider without long waitlists or navigating state licensing hurdles.
• Younger, app‑first users who avoid traditional groups: They want private, gamified progress and community validation without stigma or dated treatment formats.

How would they acquire their first 10, 50, and 100 customers

• First 10: Personally onboard friends, founders’ network, and trusted clinicians; observe sessions live to remove friction in onboarding, AI sponsor chats, and journaling flows [whitepaper].
• First 50: Seed niche recovery communities and subreddits, run small influencer trials, and test Apple Search Ads/Play Store keywords like “quit drinking” or “craving help,” with simple referral rewards to identify high‑quality channels [App Store; Google Play].
• First 100: Add local clinical referral partners in CA and TX while scaling app‑store spend and SEO for high‑intent queries; measure retention by channel and nudge trials into paid via daily rewards, AI prompts, and milestone messaging [YC profile; whitepaper].

What is the rough total addressable market

Top-down context:

In the U.S., an estimated 48.4 million people aged 12+ had a substance use disorder in 2024, and many do not receive treatment—indicating a large unmet need for both self‑management tools and virtual care [SAMHSA NSDUH 2024 highlights].

Bottom-up calculation:

Assuming 10 million digitally reachable U.S. consumers actively trying to reduce/quit, a 7% conversion to a $80/year subscription implies ~$560M consumer revenue; if ~200k of these also use teletherapy at ~$1,000/year, that adds ~$200M—yielding a U.S. TAM of roughly ~$0.75–0.8B for Sunflower’s model.

Assumptions:

• 10M U.S. consumers are digitally reachable and actively trying to reduce/quit across alcohol, nicotine, cannabis, and gambling.
• 7% paid conversion for the app at ~$80/year ARPU.
• ~2% telehealth attach within the reachable audience (≈200k) at ~$1,000/year ARPU; U.S. only.

Who are some of their notable competitors

• Monument: App‑led alcohol treatment pairing therapy, medical visits, and a community forum; stronger emphasis on clinician‑delivered care and prescriptions vs. an always‑on AI coach [Monument site; Tempest→Monument].
• Ria Health: Telemedicine program for alcohol use with remote clinicians plus FDA‑approved medications; overlaps on telehealth+MAT, while Sunflower targets multiple substances and leans on AI for immediate support [Ria Health].
• Sober Grid: Peer‑support recovery network with real‑time help and geolocation; emphasizes peer‑driven community and crisis support rather than clinician/AI‑driven coaching [Sober Grid; AAC overview].
• I Am Sober: Widely used sobriety counter and habit tracker with community and a paid tier; overlaps on tracking and milestones but lacks integrated teletherapy or MAT [Google Play listing; I Am Sober site].
• Connections (CHESS Health): Evidence‑based recovery app oriented toward provider integration and treatment retention; overlaps where clinical care and community meet, but less consumer‑first AI chat focus [CHESS Health].