Stanford-founded platform recognized for combining behavioral science, therapeutic best practices, and human-centered AI design to expand access to proactive mental health support

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 11, 2026--

Flourish Science, the company behind the AI-native mental health and well-being app Flourish and its AI system Sunnie, today announced that it has been named the People’s Voice Winner at the 30th Annual Webby Awards in the AI for Health & Wellness category. Presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS), the Webby Awards are widely regarded as one of the Internet’s most prestigious honors.

This recognition comes at a pivotal moment for AI mental health, as millions increasingly turn to AI chatbots for emotional support while concerns around safety, efficacy, and trust continue to grow.

Founded by Stanford psychologists and a former Google designer, Flourish Science is emerging as a leader in safety-first, evidence-based AI for mental health and well-being. Unlike general-purpose AI chatbots, the Flourish app was purpose-built using insights from positive psychology, social psychology, affective science, motivation science, and behavioral medicine. It also incorporates evidence-based therapeutic approaches including CBT, DBT, ACT, motivational interviewing, and mindfulness-based interventions into a personalized experience designed to support emotional resilience, stress management, and habit building. Its clinician-designed, human-in-the-loop safety layer received the highest rating on VERA-MH, one of the first clinically validated safety evaluation frameworks for conversational AI systems.

“AI is rapidly becoming part of how people seek emotional support, but most AI systems were never designed for mental health,” said Xuan Zhao, CEO and co-founder of Flourish Science. “At Flourish, we believe leadership in AI mental health must be earned by demonstrating superior performance in efficacy, safety, engagement, and real-world system integration.”

Flourish Science collaborates with researchers from more than 20 research institutions, including Harvard University, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, and University of Washington, to incorporate research-backed best practices into the platform. Its efficacy has been evaluated through large-scale randomized controlled trials (RCTs), which demonstrated significant improvements in well-being and reductions in depression and anxiety symptoms.

Built for integration with real-world mental health ecosystems and organizational care pathways, Flourish is increasingly being adopted by universities and clinicians as a valuable tool for prevention, early intervention, and between-therapy support.

Today, Flourish is one of the highest-rated AI mental health apps across app stores, maintaining a 4.9 average rating across thousands of reviews while supporting more than 10,000 monthly active users.

The Webby recognition follows several additional honors for Flourish Science in 2026, including a Technology for Human Flourishing award from the International Positive Psychology Association and the AI + Create Award from the Stanford Accelerator for Learning.

About Flourish Science

Flourish Science is pioneering safety-first AI for mental health and human flourishing through a proactive, evidence-based, and human-centered approach. The Flourish app combines behavioral science, therapeutic best practices, and AI to help users build resilience, manage stress, strengthen healthy habits, and improve well-being through personalized, continuous support. Flourish partners with universities, healthcare organizations, and employers to expand access to mental health promotion, prevention, early intervention, continuity of care, and post-crisis recovery. For more information, please visit https://www.myflourish.ai.

About Webby Awards

This year, the Webby Awards received more than 13,000 entries from over 70 countries worldwide and over 4.6 million votes cast by nearly 940,000 people. The People’s Voice Award is determined by public vote and recognizes the entries receiving the strongest audience support.

Jose Iniguez
661-858-3592
press@myflourish.ai