Empathic is an early-stage, stealth AI startup building real-time, FaceTime-native AI conversation experiences focused on presence, connection, and emotional bonds. Its mission is to create 'a great f
Empathic is an early-stage, stealth AI startup building real-time, FaceTime-native AI conversation experiences focused on presence, connection, and emotional bonds. Its mission is to create 'a great friend for everyone on Earth' by digitizing connection through AI. Founded in November 2025 by Michael Lee (Stanford CS, Thiel Fellow, prev. Biodock and Cue), the company is in stealth/early-access mode and based in San Francisco.
Last stage
Seed
Michael Lee
Stanford CS alumnus and Thiel Fellow. Previously co-founded Biodock (YC W21), a biological AI analysis platform for pathology and spatial biology, backed by Andreessen Horowitz and Y Combinator. In late 2024 founded Cue, a real-time video AI app for financial institutions, which was acquired in late 2025. Founded Empathic in November 2025 to build AI companions through real-time video.
LinkedInNo applications, no recruiter spam. Just the intro.
A few questions to make sure this role is the right shape for you. Two minutes.
I write the intro, send it to the founder, and handle the back-and-forth.
If they’re a yes, I book the chat. You show up — that’s the whole job-hunt.