Chris Thompson

Chris Thompson is the Founder & CEO of Sober Sidekick (Empathy Health Technologies), a relapse-prevention platform built to help people stay sober in the moments that matter most—between appointments, outside office hours, and when isolation hits hardest. Under Chris’s leadership, Sober Sidekick has scaled to 500,000+ members and 1.1M+ downloads, delivering 24/7 peer support through its proprietary Empathy Algorithm, which drives a 100% peer-response rate within minutes and averages 6.2 supportive responses per post.

Sober Sidekick’s outcomes include a reported 68% reduction in relapse rates for highly engaged members, and the company has published results with third-party validation, including the Validation Institute’s outcomes report.The platform also uses predictive analytics to identify rising relapse risk in advance, with materials citing up to ~93–94% accuracy in predicting reported relapse risk two weeks ahead (depending on the model/version referenced).

Chris and Sober Sidekick have been featured in outlets including Harvard Business School (case study), MedCity News, Axios, and USA Today, highlighting the company’s peer-powered approach to relapse prevention and real-time support at scale.

2026 Presentation: