About two-thirds of adults within the U.S. drink alcohol, however about one in 3 are seeking to drink much less. Sunnyside, which introduced it raised $11.5 million in Collection A investment ultimate week, objectives to assist other people reduce on their ingesting with no need to hand over altogether.

The San Francisco-based startup provides an app for shoppers. At $99 a 12 months, customers of Sunnyside have get entry to to drink monitoring, day by day reminders in their targets, personalised suggestions, neighborhood strengthen with different customers of the app and one-on-one peer strengthen.

“This method supplies a much-needed choice for the ones taking a look to switch their dating with alcohol, however who aren’t open to quitting ingesting totally,” stated Nick Allen, CEO and co-founder of Sunnyside, in an e mail.

The Collection A investment spherical was once led by means of Motley Idiot Ventures and incorporated participation from Will Ventures, Uncork Capital, Offline Ventures, Joyance Companions, Knowledge Ventures, Eudemian Ventures, Adjoining, Scribble Ventures, Cooley LLP and MyFitnessPal founder Michael Lee. Sunnyside has raised $14.6 million since inception.

A Motley Idiot Ventures investor selected to put money into Sunnyside on account of its center of attention on serving to other people drink moderately and create more healthy behavior.

“Sunnyside has a singular alternative into a large new vertical within the wellness business,” stated Kristine Harjes, vice chairman of the company, in a observation. “Via making a non-judgmental method the place steadiness is the objective, the Sunnyside crew expands the addressable target audience to someone taking a look to make stronger their well being by means of taking extra regulate over their ingesting behavior.”

With the investment in hand, Sunnyside objectives to concentrate on 3 key spaces: product, logo and neighborhood, Allen stated. The corporate just lately employed Steve Lloyd, former leader product and era officer at health corporate Strava. Lloyd might be taking at the similar function at Sunnyside and can lead the product and engineering crew in growing a brand new function that may be offering demanding situations for shoppers, in addition to an AI ingesting trainer named “Sunny” that may supply personalised training for individuals.

The cash can also be used to spice up advertising and marketing efforts. Finally, the startup will make investments extra closely in neighborhood development, Allen stated. For instance, its app provides day by day journaling activates that let individuals to mirror on their revel in, and customers can have interaction with one every other round those activates.

“Key to taking out stigma round proactive alcohol control is to make this a adventure of connection, moderately than loneliness,” he stated.

The corporate was once born out of Allen and co-founder Ian Andersen’s studies. Allen grew up in a house with two oldsters recuperating from alcoholism, and Andersen misplaced his mom on the age of eleven on account of liver failure from alcohol abuse.

Allen in the past instructed MedCity Information that a couple of years in the past, he determined to make a transformation to his ingesting behavior, however didn’t wish to cross the total abstinence path like his oldsters did. Alternatively, he struggled to search out answers that will assist him reasonable his ingesting. That resulted in the founding of Sunnyside.

Different corporations within the house come with SoberBuddy and I Am Sober, however those most commonly center of attention on sobriety moderately than chopping again on alcohol.

“It’s transparent that the verdict to hand over totally is the correct selection for some drinkers, however there are lots of hundreds of thousands extra who’re grew to become off by means of the all-or-nothing method,” Allen stated this week. “Sunnyside fills the distance for this inhabitants, increasing the addressable marketplace for individuals who may just take pleasure in more healthy behavior round alcohol.”

Picture: fizkes, Getty Pictures