A private companion for people struggling with gambling
Adults affected by gambling, their own or someone else's, need somewhere private to talk honestly, without judgement and without giving up who they are.
Emry · Co-Founder and Sole EngineerThe problem
Emry is a private, anonymous AI conversation app for adults affected by gambling, whether it's their own gambling or someone else's. People can talk in their own words, any time, and keep notes, goals, photos, voice messages and reminders of what matters to them in one place.
Constraints
- Anonymity. People won't talk honestly if they have to hand over who they are. There's no pressure to share personal details.
- A clear boundary. Emry is a conversation and reflection space, not a therapist, healthcare provider or crisis service. It has to be useful without crossing that line, and point people to professional and crisis support when they need it.
- Two different audiences. Someone worried about their own gambling and someone affected by a partner's or parent's need different conversations.
What I did
I co-founded Emry and built it as the sole engineer. It's a React Native app on the Vercel AI SDK, with tool-calling inside the app so the companion can take actions, such as saving a goal or setting a reminder, rather than only reply. Billing runs through RevenueCat with usage-based tiers.
Outcome
Emry is live on iOS at emry.app, with people using it.