The Valley · Satire
Silicon Valley Executive Who Completed 'Digital Detox' Retreat Announces App
The tech founder, who spent ten days without screens at a $4,000-per-night wellness retreat, has returned with a new idea: an app.
NAPA VALLEY — Tyler Ashford, 38, co-founder and former CEO of two venture-backed companies, returned last week from a ten-day digital detox retreat in Napa Valley where he had no access to screens, phones, or internet connectivity.
The experience changed him. He has a new app idea.
“I was sitting with myself for the first time in years,” said Ashford, speaking from the meditation garden where he had the idea. “Really present. And I realised: what if there was an app that helped people be more present?”
The app, which Ashford described as “mindfulness meets AI,” uses a large language model to generate personalised reflection prompts throughout the day, delivered via push notification.
“The irony is not lost on me,” said Ashford, who did not appear to find it ironic.
The retreat, which costs $4,200 per night and requires a two-night minimum, is designed to help technology executives “reconnect with stillness.” Twelve of the sixteen attendees during Ashford’s stay are now building apps.
“There’s something about disconnecting that makes you realise what people really need,” said Ashford. “What they really need is a better connection.”
At press time, the app had raised $2.4 million.
