Martha Stewart's AI startup Hint launches home assistant for homeowners

Martha Stewart is entering the AI software era in her own signature style: she has joined Hint as a co-founder, an app that uses AI to handle home maintenance and management tasks. With the Hint app launching today, homeowners can manage maintenance schedules, energy usage, learn about soil and air quality, evaluate insurance claims, and more.

It also acts as a repository for contracts, files, and invoices related to home upkeep, all of which can be accessed through the built-in AI assistant.

Martha StewartPhoto credit: Kathryn Cooper

Kyle Rush, co-founder and CTO of Hint based in New York, says the home and hospitality empire founder lives nearby and is “very involved” with the startup, though she is not a financial investor.

“She’s a genuine co-founder with a significant equity stake, and she actively works for the company and the app. She’s not just a figurehead. I visit about twice a week,” he says. “We sit down and review the app together, and she checks what it says — if it’s wrong about soil, she points it out, and if something about the home isn’t accurate…she mentions it, and she gives feedback on my design, branding, and language. So I’d say she’s very involved.”

The startup originally launched in 2024 as a tool to help people navigate home decarbonization incentives, but the team realized that expanding its use cases offered greater potential.

“We quickly realized, why can’t this be the AI for your home? People don’t really have an app to manage their homes…so we pivoted,” says Rush.

The app joins other AI tools that aim to extend AI beyond chatbots, applying the technology to real-world problems, while also incorporating Martha Stewart’s personal expertise to refine the experience.

Image credit: Hint

To get started with Hint, users enter their home address, and the app creates a home profile from public data such as property records, weather and soil information, utilities, and more. Users can then upload documents like inspection reports, home warranties, mortgage documents, contracts, insurance policies, invoices, and more.

Image credit: Hint

This data can reveal information about the soil beneath the foundation and how it may affect lawn drainage or foundation movement risks. You can also learn about the air quality around your home, or how climate and drought data could impact flood risks, home insurance rates, or energy usage, among other factors.

Image credit: Hint

Then, homeowners upload photos of the home’s major appliances, allowing the app to guide them through any “how to” questions or other maintenance tasks.

This can be surprisingly revealing, as many people are unaware of the smaller tasks involved in appliance upkeep.

Image credit: Hint

For instance, you might know to change your refrigerator’s water filter, but did you know you should occasionally vacuum the coils on some models to prevent fire hazards? Do you know when to flush a water heater or check the salt level for a home well?

Hint’s personalized home maintenance schedule means you won’t have to remember these tasks, as it sends proactive push notifications about what needs attention and when. This schedule evolves with your home, using its understanding of the house, its systems, and the broader environment.

Image credit: Hint

This is where Martha Stewart’s decades of home management experience come into play, as she has guided the app’s development in key areas. Additionally, homeowners can use Hint to add one-off tasks to their maintenance plans — such as a reminder to replace a damaged window screen, re-caulk baseboards, or anything else that arises.

Hint also provides an overall “home score,” offering a quick glance number that tells you how well you’re managing your home so far.

Image credit: Hint

Meanwhile, Hint’s in-app AI chatbot allows you to ask any questions about your home or your documents. You could ask simple questions like when you last had the AC serviced, or complex ones like what you’re paying per kilowatt hour for electricity, or whether a HELOC is a good way to tap into your home equity.

The app can also guide you through questions about your homeowner’s insurance, such as whether your deductibles are too high, if you’re missing coverage, or if it makes sense to file a claim for a repair.

Image credit: Hint

Before founding Hint, Rush led engineering at mattress startup Casper during its growth phase and served as CTO at online retailer Maisonette. Earlier, he built technology for both the Obama and Hillary presidential campaigns. Yih-Han Ma, co-founder and CEO based in Charlotte, N.C., was previously SVP and GM at Red Ventures, a digital media and technology company.

Image credit: Hint

Rush says the idea for Hint emerged as he became interested in applied AI and how it could be used practically for the average homeowner. Under the hood, Hint uses commercial libraries, primarily from OpenAI, along with Gemini for image processing.

The plan is to keep Hint’s AI intelligence free, with a later premium subscription that could introduce power user features like managing multiple properties. Currently, the app generates affiliate revenue from its partner network of service providers, which Rush says is firewalled from the AI to avoid bias in recommendations.

Hint (whose name combines the “H” from “home” with “intelligence”) is backed by $10 million in funding from investors including Montauk Capital, Brian Kelly (The Points Guy), Slow Ventures, Tusk Venture Partners, Energy Impact Partners, Amplo VC, and Hannah Grey.

The iOS app is currently available for free with no subscriptions or ads. “We want it in the hands of every homeowner in the country,” says Rush.