Companion Connect
AI companion app focused on loneliness, conversation practice, emotional reflection, and weekly social challenges.
Tech
Highlights
- Customizable AI persona
- Mood detection
- Weekly social challenges
- MBTI / self-reflection features
- Privacy-conscious design
Overview
Companion Connect is a teen well-being nonprofit and app addressing loneliness: it gives people a low-pressure place to practice conversation, reflect on their emotions, and take on weekly social challenges that push them toward real-world connection — alongside affirmations and peer circles.
I founded it in 2023 and lead a 20-person volunteer 501(c)(3) team. The app is live on the iOS App Store.
What I built
An Ionic React app with an AI chat core, a customizable AI persona, mood detection, speech-to-text input, push notifications for weekly challenges, and MBTI-style self-reflection features.
Preferences are stored locally as part of a privacy-conscious design.
Impact
2,000+ users across 4 countries, with 500+ daily users, 60,000+ chats, and 10,000+ affirmations delivered. Partnered with schools and youth organizations.
Recognition & research
Won 2nd place in the Google IgniteCS Programming Competition, where I led the development and demo.
The empathetic-chatbot work connects to research I co-authored with Cal Poly Pomona's Softcom Lab — "Analyzing the Impact of Chatbots on Mental Health Concerns," presented at BINLP 2025 — and a provisional patent application co-filed with the USPTO (No. 63/869,337).
I also spoke about the ideas behind it in a TEDx talk, "Transforming Loneliness to Growth," at TEDxIdylwood Park Youth.
Media
