Bristol-based Family wellbeing app, Famli, has successfully crowdfunded £144,000 to help households improve their health and happiness with fun and engaging activities. The duo, Benjamin Draper and William Testeil, were Silicon Gorge 2021 finalists, and we’re super pleased to see them secure investment. Applications to take place in the 2022 competition are open now – make sure to apply!
Co-founder, Benjamin Draper, tells us the app was designed to help families improve their overall health in a fun and simple way, through engaging wellbeing activities within a gamified mobile app experience.
Focused on exercise, nutrition, and mental health – the three core pillars of wellbeing – Famli’s 200+ intergenerational activities allow families to build healthier habits into their daily routines.
Thanks to their crowdfunding efforts and support from Innovate UK EDGE Innovation and Growth Specialist, Giulia Pratico, who provided investment readiness guidance, the founders can take Famli to its next stage.
Wellness for all the Famli
Upon creating a profile in Famli, each family member can design their own avatar, complete levels and access rewards, fostering a sense of friendly competition.
“We know that family life is busy and that it’s a struggle to get kids to try new things without a fight,” says Benjamin Draper, Co-Founder, Famli.
“But with our animated and gamified experience, we’re making kids excited about eating their veg, playing games outside and taking care of their mental health. With so many of today’s wellbeing apps focused on individuals, we wanted to create something for the family unit, leveraging that readymade support network based on mutual encouragement and fun.”
The app received a very welcome reception, and Famli was able to double its funding aims, which were originally set at £70,000. Benjamin tells us more about the benefits of working with Giulia, which started back in January 2021 when they won Innovate UK’s Young Innovators Award.
“The support has been absolutely invaluable. We’ve been able to understand our customers on a much deeper level, develop a marketing strategy that can fuel growth and prepare for investment and grant funding.”
Famli is using the crowdfunding to expand its offering to primary schools, supporting teachers with the wellbeing curriculum and positively impacting pupil wellbeing at home as well as in the classroom.
Innovate UK EDGE Design Thinking Specialist, Sarah Dickins, helped Famli to complete the pivot, using focus groups to understand teachers’ pain points: “With Sarah’s support, we were able to ask the right questions and develop a deep, objective understanding of what the app needs to deliver in schools. Those findings helped us focus on user-centric design principles and we now have interest from more than 20 schools in the South West.
“With the funding in place, we can now look to reach families and schools both nationally and internationally.”
Already, clinicians in Sweden have identified the Famli app as the number one solution for preventing childhood obesity by 2030, while eight primary schools in Spain have requested access to the app. Across the world, more than 9,000 families have now downloaded the Famli app, so watch this space.
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