C4DI-based health tech startup Moodbeam is hoping to head off what's become known as the most depressing day of the year by launching the sale of its first wearable for the mind, Moodbeam One.
The lightweight device allows its user to log their mood on the go, and visualise feelings so that they get to see how they feel, providing deeper insight and understanding into what triggers a change in mood.
It originated with Christina, who wanted to keep a connection with her young daughter when she wasn’t with her by allowing the young girl to log her feelings easily and create a diary of moods which she could share with her mum.
The company, created by Christina Colmer McHugh and Jonathan Elvidge, thought launching its pre-order page on Monday would give people the opportunity to turn what’s normally seen as a tough day for many into a one that empowers and motivates people into seeing they can do something about what’s getting them down.
Deliberately designed without a screen, and silent apart from a gentle vibration (originally in response to allow use at school), Moodbeam One’s simplicity has meant that it can be easily used within mindfulness and wellbeing, right through to acute and long-term mental illness.
Three years in the making, the team are delighted with the insight and feedback their prototype trials has brought to their trial partners, who include NHS Humber, Hull University student wellbeing services, Brighton and Hove Albion’s Football Academy and a number of workplaces and schools across the UK.
The innovative tool was also recently flagged as One to Watch and has just been awarded one of the ‘Most Exciting Companies 2019’ by Yorkshire Insider magazine.
Jonathan Elvidge, a co-founder of Moodbeam, describes what it’s like to get to this stage:
“When Christina first came to me saying she’d had an idea after looking for a way of keeping a connection with an anxious daughter, I could see that she had really tried to find a solution that simply didn’t exist.
“I couldn’t wait to begin the journey and since then, we have travelled the length and breadth of the UK talking to people who have been so encouraged by the possibilities this added metric could bring to their daily lives."
Christina, co-director, is finally allowing herself to see the impact Moodbeam has had on the people who have had the chance to use it:
“It’s been a hugely rewarding and, at times overwhelming experience for me. To see how this has helped families, therapists, workplaces and school-age children receive the support they need is fantastic. If it can help people from 7-87, it’s a tool that could, and is, helping change lives for the better”.
Pre-orders for the first batch of Moodbeam One, retailing at £49.95, and comes with a free App are now being taken on the website at www.moodbeam.co.uk and based on the current level of interest the company expects to sell out before the first batch arrives.
Moodbeam’s journey as a company can be followed on social media @moodbeamlife.