Aurelius is building an app to become ‘the digital companion for addiction’

One million people in Australia need support from drug and alcohol use, but only 20% get it.

Enter Aurelius: an app that delivers clinically validated software to provide better outcomes for people tackling addiction.

Unlike other addiction care initiatives in the market, Aurelius provides support before and after rehabilitation, helping users take positive steps every day to motivate them along their journey.

Co-founder and CEO Sally Krebs said Aurelius moves away from systems that rely solely on episodic treatment with big price tags and closer to models that support people at any time, anywhere and that are affordable.

“We give so many people who need support and a community a chance. We are using technology, coupled with lived experience to solve a social problem close to our hearts,” she said.

“The entire Aurelius team has been affected by addiction. They all understand and believe in the end goal, which is for everyone to live a happier and healthier life and be a better version of themselves.”

Part of the unique approach taken by Aurelius is that it provides support from others who have been impacted by addiction and provides access to a continuum of care with 24-hour support.

“The experiential knowledge that peer support provides is an essential driver of recovery and we know that people fighting addiction want support from people that have walked in their shoes; and those that have walked in their shoes want to support people who are seeking help,” says Sally.

Aurelius is a profit-for-purpose business, led by a mission to achieve social benefit and by channelling a portion of their profits toward their mission.

The app matches people to a community of 25 others to help provide 24/7 support in a scalable and affordable way.

“People with addiction will soon ask their providers, ‘do you have Aurelius?,’ before deciding where they should go. People fighting addiction and their families want peace of mind that they have support before and after they enter and leave face-to-face treatment,” Krebs said.

“By partnering with Aurelius, the platform also provides real-time insights into how people are managing their addiction before and after they leave their program, including smart digital interventions based on location and behavioural data. We are the digital companion for addiction.”

Aurelius is currently partnering with research companies and building out their product to grow and scale after launching the business in Antler.

“We have launched version one of our product, where we have members of Aurelius with an illicit drug problem all supporting one another 24/7 and the feedback has been extremely positive,” Krebs said.

“We have set up partnerships with organisations, such as Turning Point, who are leaders in research, treatment and education for addiction and have recently closed our seed round with Tempus Partners. We are now looking for forward thinking drug and alcohol providers to partner with us.”

The business is also looking for exceptional talent to bring on board as first hires.

“We need the best minds in the world to solve this problem and that’s our goal,” she said.

“This is a very complex problem and our members safety and privacy is our priority. Doing this at a pace where we can make sure everything is backed by science and is executed with care is incredibly important to us.”

• Aurelius was launched within Antler. Applications for the next cohort can be made here. StartupDaily is the official media partner of Antler Australia’s Demo Day.