I built an AI emotional companion named after my daughter - with no CS degree because she wanted to be a psychologist.
My name is Raquel. I'm a single mother of two and I lived for 21 years as an immigrant in Portugal.
My daughter Laura has always wanted to be a psychologist. But university there is expensive, and the path is long. She hasn't given up — but watching her, something clicked in me:
What if I could build something that does what she dreams of doing? Not replace therapists — but be there for the people who have nobody to talk to at 2am.
So I built Laura. Named after her. My yellow.
The problem Laura solves
According to the WHO, 1 in 6 people worldwide is affected by loneliness — and it's linked to over 871,000 deaths every year. WHO Among teenagers and young adults aged 13–29, between 17–21% report feeling lonely, with the highest rates among adolescents. WHO
Therapists are expensive. Friends aren't always available. And as an immigrant and single mother, I know firsthand what it feels like to need someone to talk to — and have nobody.
That feeling is what Laura was built for.
Laura is an AI emotional companion that:
- Listens without judgment, 24/7
- Helps identify emotional patterns (fear of abandonment, loneliness, burnout)
- Supports people through bullying, abusive relationships, and family conflict
- Always refers to crisis lines when needed — never replaces professionals
- Works for ages 13+ in Portuguese and English
The tech stack (built in days, not months)
- Flutter (web + Android + iOS from one codebase)
- Python backend on Render
- Claude API for the AI brain
- Supabase for auth and memory
- Stripe for the freemium model
- Hosted on Vercel
What surprised me
The first time I tested Laura, I told her I was tired of being alone but afraid of getting hurt again. Her response made me emotional. She didn't give generic advice — she identified the pattern, validated the feeling, and asked exactly the right question.
That's when I knew this was real.
And I didn't tell my daughter that I built an AI with her name, that does what she's always dreamed of doing — I can't wait to see her face.
Where we are now
- Live at someonetolisten.me
- Indexed on Google
- Freemium model live: 20 msgs/day (no account), 50/day (free account), unlimited (Premium)
- Premium: €3.99/month or €31.99/year
What I'd love from this community
- Honest feedback on the product
- Advice on growing an emotional health app ethically
- Anyone who has built in this space
If you've ever needed someone to listen and had nobody — Laura was built for you.
This is genuinely powerful — you can feel it’s coming from a real place, not just “another AI app.”
One thing I’d push though (and it matters more than it seems):
Right now the story is strong, but the first impression isn’t carrying that same weight.
“someone to listen” sounds generic — almost like a feature, not something people build trust around.
In this space especially, trust isn’t built later — it’s decided instantly:
→ does this feel safe
→ does this feel real
→ does this feel like something I’d open at 2am
If the name feels soft/generic, people hesitate before even trying it.
You’ve already nailed the hard part (the emotional core)
but the framing + name should hit with the same depth.
Curious — did you test any other directions before settling on this?
thank you - this means a lot, especially coming from this community.
You're right that "someone to listen" is descriptive. But that was intentional - in Portuguese PR/BR directness builds trust faster than cleverness.
The name came second. The story came first.
Laura is my daughter's name. The domain reflects what she does nothing more, nothing less.
But you've made me think. The real question isn't the name it's whether the first 10 seconds of opening the page carry the same emotional weight as the story behind it.
That's the work in progress.
And feedback like yours is exactly why I posted here first.
What would you name it? Genuinely curious.
I wouldn’t change the emotional core — that’s the strongest part here.
But I’d separate two things:
Laura (the story) ≠ the product signal
Right now, “Laura” carries meaning after people read.
But at first glance, it doesn’t tell them:
→ this is safe
→ this understands me
→ this is okay to open at 2am
And in this category, that decision happens instantly.
So instead of “what would I name it,” I’d think in directions:
→ something that feels like presence / not being alone
→ something that signals safety without sounding clinical
→ something people wouldn’t hesitate to open in a vulnerable moment
Then you can still keep “Laura” as the emotional layer behind it.
I have a few directions that hit this balance pretty well —
but they need to be tight (this space is sensitive).
Happy to share properly 1:1 if you’re open 👍
That's a very powerful perspective. The idea of signaling safety without being 'clinical' is exactly what I'm aiming for. I'm all ears—feel free to reach out via the email in my bio if you'd like to share those directions!