Companion
Private beta · Invite only

Coaching, anywhere, anytime, when you need it most.

Acumen Companion is a private AI thinking partner for entrepreneurs in the Acumen community, grounded in Moral Imagination. Explore what we built, how it works, who it is for, and safety, ahead of launch.

Coaching mode How it works
Our approach

A coach uniquely informed by the wisdom of this community and the principles of moral leadership.

The wisdom of this community

A library of anonymized stories from the Acumen community, shared when one fits, with no names, places or organizations. As more founders join, anonymous patterns in how they use Companion may be added, only after a person has reviewed them.

The principles of moral leadership

Companion is grounded in Moral Imagination, Acumen’s manifesto and values, and the practices of moral leadership. Together they shape the questions it asks and what it won’t let slide.

Starting points

Where conversations start

Funding pressure, a co-founder conflict, a decision you cannot settle. Companion opens with starting points like these, and you can begin anywhere, in your own words.

Coaching mode

Voice coaching sessions

Choose 15, 30 or 45 minutes and what to focus on, then begin. The companion speaks and listens, with captions in step with the voice. Prefer to type? Chat is always there too.

  • Whatever is on your mindExplore any topic and define your goal.
  • Think through a decisionWeigh your options and leave decided.
  • Prepare for a hard conversationMap the stakes and script your opening.
  • Take stock of the weekUnpack the week and choose one focus.
Overview

What Companion is

A coach you can chat with or talk to, for the decisions, conversations and pressures of building a venture.

Your own companionIts own memory. Nobody else's conversations touch it.
Chat or voiceType, dictate, or talk in a spoken coaching session.
You stay in controlRead your memory, switch it off, go incognito, export or delete.

Who it is for

Social impact entrepreneurs. Whether it is funding pressure, a co-founder conflict or a decision you cannot settle, Companion is a private partner to think it through with, at any hour.

Features

Key features

Chat

Type or dictate, and see replies as they are written.

Voice coaching

Talk it through out loud in 15, 30 or 45 minute sessions, with captions.

Memory you control

Companion keeps notes to remember you. Read or correct them, or switch memory off.

Your documents

Attach documents and images to a message.

Incognito

Start a chat that is never saved or remembered.

Export or delete

Download a copy of your data, or delete everything in one step.

Comparison

Companion vs general-purpose AI

Same kind of AI underneath. What Acumen adds is what makes it useful to an entrepreneur.

What stays the same

  • The same kind of AI. It runs on a leading general-purpose model, like the ones you may already use.
  • It can be wrong. And sound sure when it is. Check anything that matters.
  • It is not an expert. It is not a lawyer, accountant, doctor or therapist.

What Acumen adds

  • Informed by this community. It draws on the principles of moral leadership and stories from the Acumen community, not generic advice.
  • It remembers you. Notes you can read, correct or switch off carry across sessions.
  • It challenges you. Built against flattery, it holds its view under pushback.
  • It is private. Acumen does not train on your conversations or show them to peers.
Boundaries

What it does not do

A thinking partner, not a ghostwriter. It is in your corner and works to bring out your best.

Your pitch and board materials
It willShape the narrative, test the logic, sharpen the ask.
It will notWrite the slides, board script or speech for you.
Your emails
It willReview your drafts, give feedback and help you sharpen them.
It will notSend emails or contact anyone on your behalf.
Your decisions
It willHelp you weigh the options.
It will notDecide for you.
Not professional advice. It is not a lawyer, accountant, doctor or therapist. Use a licensed professional for anything with real consequence.
Technology

How Companion works

Companion has three parts. Your device runs the app. Acumen's secure servers sit between you and the AI. The AI powers your companion.

The three parts

1 · Your device

The app on your phone or browser

It keeps you signed in. It holds no passwords and no secret keys.

Email

You sign in with a link sent to your inbox. No passwords.

every request carries your sign-in
2 · Acumen's secure servers

Where your account lives

They keep your account and what you share secure, and each person can only open their own. Everything you send to the AI passes through here.

Voice service

Turns your speech into text, and replies into spoken audio.

the only route to the AI
3 · Your companion

The AI that talks with you

Each person has their own companion with its own memory. If memory is on, a second helper keeps its notes up to date.

Instructions

Written rules for who it is, how it speaks and what it will not do.

Acumen's knowledge

Acumen's principles, plus anonymized case studies it looks up when relevant.

What happens when you send a message

  1. You send it

    Your words and any files go to Acumen's servers, tied to your sign-in. Only you can open them.

  2. The reply streams back

    You see it as it is written. In coaching mode it is spoken sentence by sentence.

  3. Saved only when complete

    Your conversation is saved only once the reply has fully arrived. If your connection drops, nothing is saved and your draft comes back.

  4. Memory updates, if it is on

    A second helper reads the exchange and updates your notes, so replies stay quick.

Safety

Your data stays separate

Your conversations, files and companion are kept apart from everyone else's. The system itself enforces this, not just the app.

Wellbeing comes first

If there is a risk of harm, it asks plainly, says it is an AI, and points you to your local emergency number and to findahelpline.com, which lists verified helplines by country. It never diagnoses.

Tested before release

Every update is tested for safety before it reaches you.

What is saved

Data storage

Three systems store your data. A fourth processes it in transit.

1 · Your device

Phone or browser

  • Sign-in session
  • The installed app
2 · Secure storage

Kept separate for each person

  • Your account and profile
  • What you share with Companion
  • Your files
  • Feedback you send
3 · Your companion

The AI platform

  • What your companion remembers
  • A copy of Acumen's case library
4 · In passing

Voice services

  • Speech to text
  • Text to speech
  • No audio kept by Acumen

What we do not do

  • Train AI models on your raw conversations
  • Show your conversations to other founders, peers or mentors
  • Keep audio recordings
  • Put secret keys in the app

What you can do

  • Read and correct what it remembers
  • Switch memory off
  • Download a full copy of your data
  • Delete everything, permanently (Settings, then Data)
About incognito. An incognito chat runs on a temporary copy of the companion that can read what it already knows about you but cannot save anything. The chat is not saved in your history, is not remembered later, and the copy is deleted when the chat ends. The in-app Help explains the details.
Deleting your account permanently removes your companion, your files and your sign-in.
Privacy and terms

The full documents

How your information is handled, and the terms of using Companion.

Privacy Policy

 

Read the full policy →

Terms of Service

 

Read the full terms →
These may change. Both documents can be updated as the beta evolves. Meaningful changes update the date at the top of each one.