BibleChat's $14M Series A: How two book lovers created one of Europe's fastest growing consumer startups
Ask questions, receive prayers, play games, and explore the Bible like never before.
Some founders have a North Star so vivid it becomes their compass through every storm. For Laurențiu Bălașa, that guiding light has always been alleviating human suffering. When we first met him in 2019, he pitched us a dozen ideas—from mental health apps to literacy tools—all orbiting the same mission. Four pivots, countless late nights, and one monumental shift later, we’re thrilled to celebrate Bible Chat’s $14 million Series A round led by Silicon Valley’s True Ventures.
The Backstory: When Reading Apps Met Resilience
Bible Chat wasn’t born overnight. Laurentiu’s journey began with Basmo, a reading-companion app designed to build emotional resilience through literature. Despite raising $2 million and grinding for four years, Basmo struggled to gain traction. By 2022, the team had dwindled, funds were exhausted, and Laurentiu faced what he calls his “darkest period”—a six-month bout of depression that forced him to redefine his purpose.
But here’s what separates founders who pivot from those who quit: Laurentiu noticed a pattern. Among Basmo’s users, those engaging with religious texts were the most dedicated. This insight, combined with the AI revolution, sparked an audacious idea: What if technology could make ancient wisdom accessible to modern struggles?
Enter Bible Chat: Democratizing Faith Through AI
In early 2023, Bible Chat launched as the world’s first AI-powered platform letting Christians converse with Scripture. The premise was bold: users could ask deeply personal questions (“My marriage is crumbling—what do I do?”) and receive answers tailored to their denomination’s doctrine.
Success brought new challenges, but Laurentiu was no stranger to adversity. Long before Bible Chat, he co-founded T-Me Studios, a mobile gaming company that amassed 700 million downloads globally. By 2021, it became one of Romania’s largest tech exits—but the journey left scars. Rapid scaling exposed gaps in retention and monetization, ultimately leading to its sale.
This time, Laurentiu vowed to avoid past mistakes. He sought mentors who’d weathered similar storms. A pivotal moment came during a conversation with Luciana Lixandru, Sequoia’s European chief. Her question cut through the noise: “Are you a daily, weekly, or monthly app?” The answer reshaped Bible Chat’s DNA.
The Pivot That Stuck
Daily Habits, Not Sermons: Luciana’s insight pushed the team to design for daily engagement. They introduced bite-sized devotionals, prayer reminders, and AI-driven “faith challenges” that transformed passive users into daily devotees.
Freemium Flywheel: Borrowing tactics from his gaming days, Laurentiu adopted a freemium model: 5 free daily AI queries, with premium tiers for deeper spiritual guidance. Retention soared 300% in six months.
To crack growth, Laurentiu turned to Andrew Chen, a16z’s marketing maverick. Weekly strategy sessions focused on:
Community-Led Growth: Leveraging denominational networks (Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant) to create grassroots advocacy loops.
Metrics That Mattered: Shifting from vanity downloads to “prayers shared” and “scripture time” as core KPIs.
The result? Bible Chat became the #1 faith app in 14 countries within 12 months, proving that resilience isn’t just surviving failure—it’s learning to build smarter.
Cristian Munteanu, EGV’s Managing Partner, recalls: “Laurențiu once sent me two revenue graphs—one flatlining for years, another skyrocketing. They tell the story of relentless perseverance.”
Building More Than an App: Guardians of Trust
With great power comes great responsibility—a truth Laurentiu knows all too well. As Bible Chat scaled to 10 million users, he realized their platform wasn’t just delivering answers; it was handling deeply personal struggles, from grief to marital crises. “Every query is a human story,” he says. “We owe it to our users to be guardians of their trust.”
Laurentiu’s team now prioritizes three pillars:
Privacy by Design: 100% end-to-end encryption for all conversations, with no data sold or shared. Independent audits ensure compliance with GDPR and global faith-based ethics standards.
Mental Wellbeing First: Partnered with 40+ licensed therapists and clergy to flag high-risk queries (e.g., self-harm) and connect users to live support.
Doctrinal Accountability: A council of theologians from 12 denominations reviews AI outputs quarterly to prevent bias or misinterpretation.
But the road hasn’t been easy. Last year, a vulnerability exposed 2,000 user emails—a wake-up call that reshaped their priorities. “We halted feature development for six weeks to rebuild our security infrastructure,” admits Laurentiu. “Trust isn’t negotiable.”
As Dan Călugăreanu, EGV Partner, reflects: “Laurențiu isn’t just building an app—he’s rewriting the playbook for faith-based tech. His greatest achievement? Proving that scale and compassion can coexist.”
Some founders have a North Star so vivid it becomes their compass through every storm. For Laurențiu Bălașa, that guiding light has always been alleviating human suffering. When we first met him in 2019, he pitched us a dozen ideas—from mental health apps to literacy tools—all orbiting the same mission. Four pivots, countless late nights, and one monumental shift later, we’re thrilled to celebrate Bible Chat’s $14 million Series A round led by Silicon Valley’s True Ventures.
The Backstory: When Reading Apps Met Resilience
Bible Chat wasn’t born overnight. Laurentiu’s journey began with Basmo, a reading-companion app designed to build emotional resilience through literature. Despite raising $2 million and grinding for four years, Basmo struggled to gain traction. By 2022, the team had dwindled, funds were exhausted, and Laurentiu faced what he calls his “darkest period”—a six-month bout of depression that forced him to redefine his purpose.
But here’s what separates founders who pivot from those who quit: Laurentiu noticed a pattern. Among Basmo’s users, those engaging with religious texts were the most dedicated. This insight, combined with the AI revolution, sparked an audacious idea: What if technology could make ancient wisdom accessible to modern struggles?
Enter Bible Chat: Democratizing Faith Through AI
In early 2023, Bible Chat launched as the world’s first AI-powered platform letting Christians converse with Scripture. The premise was bold: users could ask deeply personal questions (“My marriage is crumbling—what do I do?”) and receive answers tailored to their denomination’s doctrine.
Success brought new challenges, but Laurentiu was no stranger to adversity. Long before Bible Chat, he co-founded T-Me Studios, a mobile gaming company that amassed 700 million downloads globally. By 2021, it became one of Romania’s largest tech exits—but the journey left scars. Rapid scaling exposed gaps in retention and monetization, ultimately leading to its sale.
This time, Laurentiu vowed to avoid past mistakes. He sought mentors who’d weathered similar storms. A pivotal moment came during a conversation with Luciana Lixandru, Sequoia’s European chief. Her question cut through the noise: “Are you a daily, weekly, or monthly app?” The answer reshaped Bible Chat’s DNA.
The Pivot That Stuck
Daily Habits, Not Sermons: Luciana’s insight pushed the team to design for daily engagement. They introduced bite-sized devotionals, prayer reminders, and AI-driven “faith challenges” that transformed passive users into daily devotees.
Freemium Flywheel: Borrowing tactics from his gaming days, Laurentiu adopted a freemium model: 5 free daily AI queries, with premium tiers for deeper spiritual guidance. Retention soared 300% in six months.
To crack growth, Laurentiu turned to Andrew Chen, a16z’s marketing maverick. Weekly strategy sessions focused on:
Community-Led Growth: Leveraging denominational networks (Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant) to create grassroots advocacy loops.
Metrics That Mattered: Shifting from vanity downloads to “prayers shared” and “scripture time” as core KPIs.
The result? Bible Chat became the #1 faith app in 14 countries within 12 months, proving that resilience isn’t just surviving failure—it’s learning to build smarter.
Cristian Munteanu, EGV’s Managing Partner, recalls: “Laurențiu once sent me two revenue graphs—one flatlining for years, another skyrocketing. They tell the story of relentless perseverance.”
Building More Than an App: Guardians of Trust
With great power comes great responsibility—a truth Laurentiu knows all too well. As Bible Chat scaled to 10 million users, he realized their platform wasn’t just delivering answers; it was handling deeply personal struggles, from grief to marital crises. “Every query is a human story,” he says. “We owe it to our users to be guardians of their trust.”
Laurentiu’s team now prioritizes three pillars:
Privacy by Design: 100% end-to-end encryption for all conversations, with no data sold or shared. Independent audits ensure compliance with GDPR and global faith-based ethics standards.
Mental Wellbeing First: Partnered with 40+ licensed therapists and clergy to flag high-risk queries (e.g., self-harm) and connect users to live support.
Doctrinal Accountability: A council of theologians from 12 denominations reviews AI outputs quarterly to prevent bias or misinterpretation.
But the road hasn’t been easy. Last year, a vulnerability exposed 2,000 user emails—a wake-up call that reshaped their priorities. “We halted feature development for six weeks to rebuild our security infrastructure,” admits Laurentiu. “Trust isn’t negotiable.”
As Dan Călugăreanu, EGV Partner, reflects: “Laurențiu isn’t just building an app—he’s rewriting the playbook for faith-based tech. His greatest achievement? Proving that scale and compassion can coexist.”
Some founders have a North Star so vivid it becomes their compass through every storm. For Laurențiu Bălașa, that guiding light has always been alleviating human suffering. When we first met him in 2019, he pitched us a dozen ideas—from mental health apps to literacy tools—all orbiting the same mission. Four pivots, countless late nights, and one monumental shift later, we’re thrilled to celebrate Bible Chat’s $14 million Series A round led by Silicon Valley’s True Ventures.
The Backstory: When Reading Apps Met Resilience
Bible Chat wasn’t born overnight. Laurentiu’s journey began with Basmo, a reading-companion app designed to build emotional resilience through literature. Despite raising $2 million and grinding for four years, Basmo struggled to gain traction. By 2022, the team had dwindled, funds were exhausted, and Laurentiu faced what he calls his “darkest period”—a six-month bout of depression that forced him to redefine his purpose.
But here’s what separates founders who pivot from those who quit: Laurentiu noticed a pattern. Among Basmo’s users, those engaging with religious texts were the most dedicated. This insight, combined with the AI revolution, sparked an audacious idea: What if technology could make ancient wisdom accessible to modern struggles?
Enter Bible Chat: Democratizing Faith Through AI
In early 2023, Bible Chat launched as the world’s first AI-powered platform letting Christians converse with Scripture. The premise was bold: users could ask deeply personal questions (“My marriage is crumbling—what do I do?”) and receive answers tailored to their denomination’s doctrine.
Success brought new challenges, but Laurentiu was no stranger to adversity. Long before Bible Chat, he co-founded T-Me Studios, a mobile gaming company that amassed 700 million downloads globally. By 2021, it became one of Romania’s largest tech exits—but the journey left scars. Rapid scaling exposed gaps in retention and monetization, ultimately leading to its sale.
This time, Laurentiu vowed to avoid past mistakes. He sought mentors who’d weathered similar storms. A pivotal moment came during a conversation with Luciana Lixandru, Sequoia’s European chief. Her question cut through the noise: “Are you a daily, weekly, or monthly app?” The answer reshaped Bible Chat’s DNA.
The Pivot That Stuck
Daily Habits, Not Sermons: Luciana’s insight pushed the team to design for daily engagement. They introduced bite-sized devotionals, prayer reminders, and AI-driven “faith challenges” that transformed passive users into daily devotees.
Freemium Flywheel: Borrowing tactics from his gaming days, Laurentiu adopted a freemium model: 5 free daily AI queries, with premium tiers for deeper spiritual guidance. Retention soared 300% in six months.
To crack growth, Laurentiu turned to Andrew Chen, a16z’s marketing maverick. Weekly strategy sessions focused on:
Community-Led Growth: Leveraging denominational networks (Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant) to create grassroots advocacy loops.
Metrics That Mattered: Shifting from vanity downloads to “prayers shared” and “scripture time” as core KPIs.
The result? Bible Chat became the #1 faith app in 14 countries within 12 months, proving that resilience isn’t just surviving failure—it’s learning to build smarter.
Cristian Munteanu, EGV’s Managing Partner, recalls: “Laurențiu once sent me two revenue graphs—one flatlining for years, another skyrocketing. They tell the story of relentless perseverance.”
Building More Than an App: Guardians of Trust
With great power comes great responsibility—a truth Laurentiu knows all too well. As Bible Chat scaled to 10 million users, he realized their platform wasn’t just delivering answers; it was handling deeply personal struggles, from grief to marital crises. “Every query is a human story,” he says. “We owe it to our users to be guardians of their trust.”
Laurentiu’s team now prioritizes three pillars:
Privacy by Design: 100% end-to-end encryption for all conversations, with no data sold or shared. Independent audits ensure compliance with GDPR and global faith-based ethics standards.
Mental Wellbeing First: Partnered with 40+ licensed therapists and clergy to flag high-risk queries (e.g., self-harm) and connect users to live support.
Doctrinal Accountability: A council of theologians from 12 denominations reviews AI outputs quarterly to prevent bias or misinterpretation.
But the road hasn’t been easy. Last year, a vulnerability exposed 2,000 user emails—a wake-up call that reshaped their priorities. “We halted feature development for six weeks to rebuild our security infrastructure,” admits Laurentiu. “Trust isn’t negotiable.”
As Dan Călugăreanu, EGV Partner, reflects: “Laurențiu isn’t just building an app—he’s rewriting the playbook for faith-based tech. His greatest achievement? Proving that scale and compassion can coexist.”
Some founders have a North Star so vivid it becomes their compass through every storm. For Laurențiu Bălașa, that guiding light has always been alleviating human suffering. When we first met him in 2019, he pitched us a dozen ideas—from mental health apps to literacy tools—all orbiting the same mission. Four pivots, countless late nights, and one monumental shift later, we’re thrilled to celebrate Bible Chat’s $14 million Series A round led by Silicon Valley’s True Ventures.
The Backstory: When Reading Apps Met Resilience
Bible Chat wasn’t born overnight. Laurentiu’s journey began with Basmo, a reading-companion app designed to build emotional resilience through literature. Despite raising $2 million and grinding for four years, Basmo struggled to gain traction. By 2022, the team had dwindled, funds were exhausted, and Laurentiu faced what he calls his “darkest period”—a six-month bout of depression that forced him to redefine his purpose.
But here’s what separates founders who pivot from those who quit: Laurentiu noticed a pattern. Among Basmo’s users, those engaging with religious texts were the most dedicated. This insight, combined with the AI revolution, sparked an audacious idea: What if technology could make ancient wisdom accessible to modern struggles?
Enter Bible Chat: Democratizing Faith Through AI
In early 2023, Bible Chat launched as the world’s first AI-powered platform letting Christians converse with Scripture. The premise was bold: users could ask deeply personal questions (“My marriage is crumbling—what do I do?”) and receive answers tailored to their denomination’s doctrine.
Success brought new challenges, but Laurentiu was no stranger to adversity. Long before Bible Chat, he co-founded T-Me Studios, a mobile gaming company that amassed 700 million downloads globally. By 2021, it became one of Romania’s largest tech exits—but the journey left scars. Rapid scaling exposed gaps in retention and monetization, ultimately leading to its sale.
This time, Laurentiu vowed to avoid past mistakes. He sought mentors who’d weathered similar storms. A pivotal moment came during a conversation with Luciana Lixandru, Sequoia’s European chief. Her question cut through the noise: “Are you a daily, weekly, or monthly app?” The answer reshaped Bible Chat’s DNA.
The Pivot That Stuck
Daily Habits, Not Sermons: Luciana’s insight pushed the team to design for daily engagement. They introduced bite-sized devotionals, prayer reminders, and AI-driven “faith challenges” that transformed passive users into daily devotees.
Freemium Flywheel: Borrowing tactics from his gaming days, Laurentiu adopted a freemium model: 5 free daily AI queries, with premium tiers for deeper spiritual guidance. Retention soared 300% in six months.
To crack growth, Laurentiu turned to Andrew Chen, a16z’s marketing maverick. Weekly strategy sessions focused on:
Community-Led Growth: Leveraging denominational networks (Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant) to create grassroots advocacy loops.
Metrics That Mattered: Shifting from vanity downloads to “prayers shared” and “scripture time” as core KPIs.
The result? Bible Chat became the #1 faith app in 14 countries within 12 months, proving that resilience isn’t just surviving failure—it’s learning to build smarter.
Cristian Munteanu, EGV’s Managing Partner, recalls: “Laurențiu once sent me two revenue graphs—one flatlining for years, another skyrocketing. They tell the story of relentless perseverance.”
Building More Than an App: Guardians of Trust
With great power comes great responsibility—a truth Laurentiu knows all too well. As Bible Chat scaled to 10 million users, he realized their platform wasn’t just delivering answers; it was handling deeply personal struggles, from grief to marital crises. “Every query is a human story,” he says. “We owe it to our users to be guardians of their trust.”
Laurentiu’s team now prioritizes three pillars:
Privacy by Design: 100% end-to-end encryption for all conversations, with no data sold or shared. Independent audits ensure compliance with GDPR and global faith-based ethics standards.
Mental Wellbeing First: Partnered with 40+ licensed therapists and clergy to flag high-risk queries (e.g., self-harm) and connect users to live support.
Doctrinal Accountability: A council of theologians from 12 denominations reviews AI outputs quarterly to prevent bias or misinterpretation.
But the road hasn’t been easy. Last year, a vulnerability exposed 2,000 user emails—a wake-up call that reshaped their priorities. “We halted feature development for six weeks to rebuild our security infrastructure,” admits Laurentiu. “Trust isn’t negotiable.”
As Dan Călugăreanu, EGV Partner, reflects: “Laurențiu isn’t just building an app—he’s rewriting the playbook for faith-based tech. His greatest achievement? Proving that scale and compassion can coexist.”
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Early Game Ventures Fund II is a venture capital fund capitalized by the Recovery Equity Fund, managed by the European Investment Fund, and financed by thePNRR within the Next Generation EU.
Early Game Ventures Fund I is a venture capital fund funded mostly through the Competitiveness Operational Program 2014-2020, co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund.
Early Game Ventures Fund II is a venture capital fund capitalized by the Recovery Equity Fund, managed by the European Investment Fund, and financed by thePNRR within the Next Generation EU.
Early Game Ventures Fund I is a venture capital fund funded mostly through the Competitiveness Operational Program 2014-2020, co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund.
Early Game Ventures Fund II is a venture capital fund capitalized by the Recovery Equity Fund, managed by the European Investment Fund, and financed by thePNRR within the Next Generation EU.
Early Game Ventures Fund I is a venture capital fund funded mostly through the Competitiveness Operational Program 2014-2020, co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund.