Martha Stewart has joined the founding team of Hint, an AI-powered app designed to help homeowners manage maintenance, household documents, energy use and insurance decisions. The free iPhone app launches with $10 million in seed funding.
Stewart co-founded Hint with Chief Executive Yih-Han Ma and Chief Technology Officer Kyle Rush. Rush said Stewart holds equity and is actively involved in reviewing the app’s design, recommendations, branding and language rather than serving only as a spokesperson.
Hint Builds a Digital Profile of a Home
Users begin by entering their address into the Hint Home Intelligence app. The platform uses public information such as property records, local weather, soil conditions and environmental risks to create a profile of the home.
Homeowners can add inspection reports, warranties, mortgage documents, insurance policies, utility bills, contracts and invoices. Hint’s assistant can then answer questions using those files, such as when an air-conditioning system was last serviced or how much the household pays for electricity.
The app also lets users photograph appliances and other household systems. It can identify maintenance requirements and create reminders for tasks such as replacing filters, cleaning refrigerator coils or flushing a water heater.
Maintenance Plans Change With the Property
Hint generates a personalised schedule based on the age and characteristics of the house, its appliances and changing local conditions. Homeowners can add their own one-off tasks, while push notifications alert them when scheduled work is due.
The platform can also explain how soil conditions may affect drainage or foundation movement and how drought, floods or air quality could influence the property. Its home score provides a single measure of how consistently the user is completing recommended work.
Hint also offers guidance related to homeowners’ insurance, including questions about deductibles, coverage gaps and whether a repair may justify filing a claim. Financial and insurance recommendations should still be independently reviewed before users make significant decisions.
Stewart Helps Review Its Household Advice
Rush said he meets Stewart regularly to review the product and correct recommendations that do not reflect her experience managing homes, gardens and household systems. Her input is intended to add practical expertise to the information generated by Hint’s AI.
The startup began in 2024 as a service for navigating home decarbonisation incentives. Its founders later broadened the idea after deciding that homeowners lacked one central tool for organising the many tasks and records connected to a property.
Hint primarily uses commercial AI technology from OpenAI, while Google Gemini supports some image-related features. The company said commercial relationships with service providers are separated from its AI recommendations to reduce the risk of biased advice.
Startup Raises $10 Million
Slow Ventures led Hint’s $10 million seed round. Other investors include Montauk Capital, Tusk Venture Partners, Energy Impact Partners, Amplo, Hannah Grey and Brian Kelly, founder of The Points Guy.
The iOS app is currently free and does not contain advertising or paid subscription tiers. Hint plans to introduce optional premium features later, potentially including tools for users who manage several properties.
Featured image credits: Wikimedia Commons
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