A New Company Built Around Caregiving
Fitbit founders James Park and Eric Friedman have announced the launch of a new artificial intelligence startup called Luffu, which aims to help families monitor health more proactively through what they describe as an “intelligent family care system.”
The company will begin with an app-based experience and later expand into hardware devices. The announcement comes two years after Park and Friedman exited Google. The pair said they are turning to AI to reduce the mental load of caregiving, at a time when, according to a recent report, 63 million people, or nearly one in four US adults, are family caregivers, an increase of 45% over the past decade.
How Luffu Uses AI In The Background
Luffu is designed to use AI to gather and organise family information, learn daily routines, and flag notable changes so families can stay aligned and respond to potential well-being issues.
Park said in a press release that his perspective on health changed after Fitbit. He said he had been caring for his parents from across the country and was trying to piece together his mother’s healthcare across different portals and providers, while also dealing with a language barrier that made it difficult to get timely and complete context about doctor visits. He said he did not want to check in constantly and that she did not want to feel monitored. He described Luffu as the product he and Friedman wished had existed to help families stay on top of health, see what changed, and know when to step in without hovering.
Focus On Shared And Fragmented Family Data
The founders said the current consumer health market is largely built around tools for individuals, while real-life health is shared across partners, children, parents, pets, and caregivers. They said family information is often spread across devices, portals, calendars, attachments, spreadsheets, and paper documents.
With Luffu, users will be able to track details for the whole family, including health statistics, diet, medications, symptoms, lab tests, and doctor visits. The app will allow people to log information using voice, text, or photos. Luffu will monitor for changes and surface insights and alerts, such as unusual vital signs or changes in sleep.
Questions, Alerts, And Early Access
Park and Friedman told Axios that users will be able to ask questions in plain language about their family’s health, including examples such as “Is Dad’s new meal plan affecting his blood pressure?” or “Did someone give the dog his medication?”
Friedman said in the press release that Luffu was designed to capture details as life happens, keep family members updated, and surface what matters at the right time so caregiving feels more coordinated and less chaotic.
People who are interested in the service can join a waitlist for a limited public beta.
Featured image credits: Coach Catalyst
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