Scottish tech start-up Frog Systems is poised to announce a set of major new signings after securing more than £500,000 in its latest investment round.
The Glasgow-based company led by veteran businessman Nick Kuenssberg and principal investor Sir Rod Aldridge, has secured a host of blue-chip clients for its online mental wellness platform across a range of sectors including corporate, financial and professional services, higher education, housing, arts, sport and membership and governing bodies.
Last month using the pioneering software developed by Frog Systems, Sussex Cricket became the first sports club in the world to launch its own bespoke mental wellness platform. This links Sussex Cricket and its 182 affiliated clubs directly with hundreds of thousands of people across the county. Several other sporting bodies are now in talks with the company about developing their own versions.
Frog’s software platform allows users to hear from people sharing their personal experiences of overcoming life’s challenges. It also directs them to relevant support including services in their area. The platform generates real time anonymised statistical data enabling an organisation to provide positive and timely response to key issues.
The company has invested £1.8 million in developing an IT platform which is both scalable along with offering the ability to fully customise solutions to a client’s particular circumstances or requirements
The bulk of the latest investment has come from Aldridge, who is chair of the Aldridge Foundation and founder and former chair of Capita Group, with the balance coming from existing and four new investors. The investment will be used to finance the recruitment of new staff, including a sales and service team to lead the company’s expansion over the next 12 months.
Sir Rod said “Mental and physical illness does not discriminate. Each one of us is touched by it at some point in our lives and the current pandemic has exacerbated this situation. The innovative technology developed by Frog which is a free, online resource, uses the power of video to encourage taking the first step in seeking early support – providing a bridge between citizen and service provider.”
The mobile-optimised web platform combines high-quality videos of users’ lived experiences with signposting of local support, tailored to their individual circumstances, without the need for additional internet searches. It can be fully tailored to meet the exact needs of any organisation with a duty of care.
Users can search by topic from drop-down menus of issues relevant to them, including diversity, inclusion, mental health, addiction, abuse and sexual orientation.
For each topic they are directed to professionally filmed and edited, standardised videos of people who have experienced those issues and a list of contact organisations and agencies in their area who can offer help and support.
The benefits of Frog are twofold. The end user receives the encouragement and inspiration to believe they can start their journey to overcome their challenges with the right support, whilst the organisation has access to Frog’s real time anonymised data sets, gaining early insight into the potential levels, and types of, issues that may exist within it.
Nick Kuenssberg, chair of Frog Systems and one of Scotland’s leading business angels and mentors, said: “Having achieved a robust scalable platform, Frog is now well-placed to demonstrate its unique capabilities in partnership with any organisation with a duty of care towards its staff, membership or customers. This funding allows the company to make a real difference to society at a time when mental health and wellbeing are top of most people’s agenda.”
