Belfast-based tech company Fluid Focus has secured £640,000 in investment from Co-Fund III and a network of business angels across the UK and Europe, to grow its team, enhance its core product and expand in new markets, beginning with the United States.
Founded by Belfast-based Glenn Stephenson and Connor Mason, Fluid Focus is an app which rewards users for healthier screentime and productivity habits. Users can earn ‘Fluid Coins’ for reducing time spent on distracting apps and spending time in productivity sessions, which can then be exchanged for rewards including weekly giveaways and charitable donations.
The company recently completed a research programme in partnership with globally renowned generational theorist, Dr. Paul Redmond, of the University of Liverpool, with 18 academic institutions and over 2,800 students taking part. The research investigated how Gen Z interact with technology and gave them a platform to share how smartphones are impacting their studies, focus, sleep, and broader mental wellbeing. It discovered that current students spend on average 5.5 hours on their phone every day, which amounts to 25 years of scrolling over their waking lifetime, if their habits remain unchanged.
Fluid Focus’s plan is now to expand the team and establish a presence in the United States with a focus on building partnerships with academic institutions and businesses to provide its service for students and employees to enhance productivity, wellbeing and general lifestyles.
The funding round attracted a diverse group of distinguished local and international investors, with strong participation from Co-Fund III, managed by Clarendon Fund Managers. Among the angel investors are serial entrepreneurs, CEOs, seasoned technology investors, and leaders from Apple, Airbnb, top-tier global banks and law firms.
