Martha Stewart Co-Founds AI Startup Hint, a Smart Home Management Assistant

Martha Stewart is entering the AI software industry in characteristically hands-on fashion: she has joined the co-founding team at Hint, an app that leverages AI to manage home maintenance and management tasks. The app launched on July 29 and is now available on iOS.

According to TechCrunch, Hint was co-founded by Kyle Rush, a former engineering lead at mattress startup Casper, who serves as CTO. CEO Yih-Han Ma was previously SVP and GM at Red Ventures. Rush says Stewart lives nearby and is "very involved" with the startup — not as a figurehead but as a real co-founder with a serious equity stake. "We sit down and look at the app… when it's wrong about soil, she'll say it, and when it's not right about something about the home… she'll mention it, and she'll comment on what I design and the branding and the language," Rush told TechCrunch.

To get started, users enter their home address, and Hint builds a profile from public data including property records, weather and soil information, and utilities. Users can then upload documents such as inspection reports, home warranties, mortgage documents, contracts, and insurance policies. The AI analyzes this data to provide insights about soil quality, air quality around the home, flood risk, and energy usage optimization.

Homeowners can also photograph their major appliances, allowing the app to guide them through maintenance tasks — from changing refrigerator water filters to vacuuming coils to prevent fire hazards, or flushing water heaters. Hint generates a personalized home maintenance schedule with proactive push notifications that evolve with the home and its environment.

Hint's in-app AI chatbot answers any home-related questions: from simple queries like the last AC servicing date to complex ones like current per-kilowatt-hour electricity costs or whether a HELOC makes sense. It can also guide users through homeowners insurance questions, including whether deductibles are too high or if coverage is missing.

Rush noted that Hint originally began in 2024 as a decarbonization incentive tool before pivoting. "We really quickly realized, why can't this be the AI for your home?" he said. Under the hood, Hint uses commercial libraries from OpenAI and Gemini for image work. The AI features are currently free, with a potential premium subscription for power users managing multiple properties.

Hint is backed by $10 million in funding from investors including Brian Kelly (The Points Guy), Slow Ventures, Tusk Venture Partners, Energy Impact Partners, Amplo VC, and Hannah Grey. The app currently generates affiliate revenue from a partner network of service providers, firewalled from the AI to avoid biased recommendations.

Hint's launch represents AI expanding beyond chatbots into practical home management, with Martha Stewart's hands-on involvement bringing deep domain expertise to the product experience.