AI
Martha Stewart joins AI startup Hint to help homeowners manage maintenance and home care
The domestic lifestyle icon has become a co-founder of a new app that uses artificial intelligence to help homeowners track maintenance tasks, energy use, and home-related documents.
TechCrunch — AI
Martha Stewart has stepped into the artificial intelligence world by co-founding Hint, a newly launched application designed to serve as a home management assistant for homeowners. The app combines AI technology with Stewart's expertise to help users organize maintenance schedules, monitor energy consumption, track home documents, and manage other aspects of residential upkeep.
How the app works#
Users begin by entering their home address, which allows Hint to construct a comprehensive profile using publicly available information such as property records, local weather patterns, and soil composition. The app then lets homeowners upload relevant documents—inspection reports, warranties, insurance policies, repair invoices, and mortgage papers—creating a searchable knowledge base that the AI assistant can reference.
The application guides users through practical maintenance tasks by having them photograph major appliances and systems. This feature provides personalized reminders about less obvious upkeep needs—for example, many homeowners don't realize they should periodically vacuum refrigerator coils to prevent fire hazards or know when to flush water heaters. Hint generates a customized maintenance schedule that adapts as environmental conditions change, sending notifications about what requires attention and when.
The app also synthesizes data about surrounding environmental conditions, including air quality, drought risk, and climate patterns, which can inform decisions about flood risk, energy usage, and insurance rates. A built-in "home score" provides an at-a-glance assessment of overall home management, while an AI chatbot answers questions ranging from simple queries—like when the AC was last serviced—to more complex financial questions about home equity lines of credit.
Stewart's hands-on role#
Unlike typical celebrity endorsements, Stewart serves as an active co-founder with equity in the company rather than simply lending her name. Co-founder and CTO Kyle Rush describes her involvement as genuine and ongoing. "She's a real co-founder with a serious stake in equity, and she does work for the company and the app," Rush explains, noting that he meets with Stewart roughly twice weekly to review the app's functionality and provide feedback on design, language, and technical accuracy. Her decades of experience managing homes has directly shaped the app's development, particularly in areas where Stewart identified gaps in the software's recommendations.
