Focus Engine
Today’s featured startup is helping professionals maximize productivity by using AI to manage time, maintain focus, and take smarter breaks
Project Overview
At first glance, Rize may seem like just another time-tracking app — a program installed on a computer to monitor how much time a user spends on different applications.
While Rize does provide basic tracking functionality, its overall mission is more ambitious. Rize is an AI coach designed to maximize the productivity of people working at a computer.
Its target audience includes individuals who value their time, such as marketers juggling multiple projects, programmers and designers who need to maintain focus, and startup founders and entrepreneurs who must prioritize tasks efficiently.
Rize analyzes how and for how long a user spends time on the computer, providing real-time guidance: when to focus, when to take a break, or when to stop unproductive activities and return to work. The app also generates reports on time allocation, both by task type (programming, meetings, documentation, messaging) and by project.
Using AI, Rize understands what the user is doing and on which project at any moment. It tracks active programs, opened files, written content, and cross-references this with the user’s calendar. Initially, the user needs to train the AI manually, but over time, the AI adapts to individual work habits and can make autonomous suggestions.
Rize can play motivating background music during deep focus sessions, block notifications temporarily, recommend breaks if work sessions are too long, or prompt the user to resume work if too much idle time occurs. Breaks are managed seriously: the screen may lock, and notifications are muted to ensure true rest.
A limited version of Rize is free, while full access costs $12.99/month billed annually or $23.99/month with monthly billing. Rize was recently launched, following nearly two years of development and $500,000 raised in May 2022.
What’s the Gist
Rize is not a surveillance tool for employers; it respects privacy and is designed to empower users to manage their own time.
The relevance of Rize has grown with remote work. Two main challenges arise: employees may struggle to start working or to stop working. Office exits naturally mark the end of work, but at home, there is no clear psychological switch. 22% of remote workers report difficulty disconnecting, leading to burnout and reduced efficiency.
Remote work also allows employees to structure their schedules independently. Beyond simple “early bird” or “night owl” patterns, individual productivity is influenced by complex personal and team rhythms. While Rize currently doesn’t adapt to personal biological rhythms, this represents a potential avenue for future AI development.
Additionally, some people now hold multiple full-time remote jobs (“overemployed”), a feat only possible with strong time-management tools — precisely what Rize provides.
Key Takeaways
• Rize uses AI to coach productivity in real time, focusing on task management, breaks, and user focus.
• It respects privacy: data is not shared externally.
• Remote work trends have created a growing need for personal time management tools.
• Future expansion could include AI adaptation to personal and team rhythms, increasing productivity and engagement.
• The market opportunity is large: if successful, Rize could inspire multiple similar apps, akin to the boom in meditation apps, many of which reached valuations exceeding $1B.
Company Info
Website: rize.io
Latest Round: $500K, 10.05.2022
Total Funding: $500K across 1 round