An invite-only AI concierge app is offering wealthy clients round-the-clock help with everything from restaurant bookings and luxury travel to wellness appointments, charging $10,000 (£7,700) a year plus a $5,000 initiation fee.
Aurora combines artificial intelligence with human specialists, using information from members’ calendars and wearable devices such as Whoop and Oura to predict what they may need before they ask.
The service is deliberately selective. Jonah Lowenstein, Aurora’s co-founder and chief executive, said the company had created a rejection email before it had an acceptance message.
“We actually developed a rejection email before an acceptance email,” he said, describing the invitation-only model as “a promise to our members and to our partners that we’re going to curate right from end to end.”
AI concierge app blends data with personal service
Aurora’s technology can identify patterns in a client’s wellbeing data and suggest services accordingly. Someone returning from a flight showing signs of jet lag might be offered a sauna and recovery session, an intravenous drip at their hotel or a sports massage from a physiotherapist.
Lowenstein said Whoop data could even be used to identify particular muscle groups for treatment, without the client having to explain the issue to a masseuse.
Members are encouraged to begin with an onboarding call, during which Aurora’s team learns about their routines, preferences and personal details, including matters as specific as a partner’s favourite flowers.
“You have the speed and the memory and the accuracy of technology, but then you’ve got the taste and the relationships and the expertise of humans,” Lowenstein said.
The company’s human team is also intended to provide access to difficult-to-book venues and experiences. Lowenstein said Aurora could secure Wimbledon debenture seats in advance, while its requests have included finding a particular type of rye bread from New York delis for a member abroad in the early hours of the morning.
Aurora has signed up several hundred members during its first eight months, according to Lowenstein. More than half use the app every day and over 85 per cent use it weekly, with the company aiming to remain useful on an ordinary Tuesday as well as during major occasions.
Luxury wellness and members-only events
The service reflects the growing use of wellness facilities as a luxury amenity. Aurora’s offering includes recovery treatments and access to private experiences, alongside dining, travel and luxury goods.
It has hosted members-only events including Navy SEAL breathwork in Miami and private motor racing in New York, with further events planned in Singapore and Dubai. A poker evening organised by the company was attended by Kevin Hart, who described it as “one of those great New York nights you don’t forget and want to recreate time and time again.”
“Their team curated an event that stood out as something memorable and special,” Hart said. “It was clear that everyone in the room felt the same way.”
Lowenstein, who grew up in London and previously worked in acting, voiceover and immersive events, said his ambition was to help people move beyond simply getting by. “Surviving is not living,” he said. “Living is living.”
He was introduced to Aurora chairman Alex Macdonald, co-founder of digital concierge business Velocity Black, after a chance meeting in a London café. Lowenstein said he spent 30 days at Macdonald’s office learning about the earlier company before receiving a $500,000 investment.
Aurora initially operated with almost no technology, with its founders responding manually to member requests. The company now says it has raised about $12 million from venture capital investors, family offices and angel investors, and is preparing for a Series A funding round.
Planned developments include tools allowing members to organise plans alongside spouses, siblings, executive assistants, children and close friends.
