Knoxville’s Happego gearing-up for Series A round, originally possible as early as next month
(EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was finalized before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S. and caused considerable distress in the financial markets.)
One might say that Lindsey Lieb has completed the priming of her start-up and is now preparing for the launch of a Series A funding round.
She’s the Founder of Happego LLC, the company behind the app with the patent pending psychological priming tool that works behind the scenes to help people achieve their personal goals. There’s also a version for organizations that helps employers enhance outcomes for organizational initiatives.
We first spotlighted Lieb in this May 2019 article on teknovation.biz where she told us that Happego was not her first start-up. In fact, in many respects, it’s a radical departure from her previous work in property management and landscape design.
“The tech world is a totally different ballgame,” Lieb told us in a recent interview. Yet, she says the journey since she started Happego two years ago has been educational.
“I love problem solving,” Lieb explains. “I’ve been working with psychological, business and technology leaders to solve the unexpected problems that have been created by being constantly connected to a smartphone screen.”
The Happego technology is backed-up with a deep catalog of scientific and academic study by experts in interrelated fields. It’s available for download on the Google Play Store.
“Our approach is proven to immediately impact implicit attitudes and behaviors,” Lieb says. “We prime with science-backed stimuli, measure key behavioral data, then adjust based on what is working to help our end users achieve their chosen goals. Priming is validated with over 25 years of research across many disciplines including neuroscience, disease study, health care, nutrition, fitness, psychology, economics, business, motivation and marketing,”
Happego’s Chief Psychological Priming Officer is John Bargh, the James Rowland Angell Professor of Psychology and Professor of Management at Yale University. His experience and research in the areas of automatic motivations are an important part of the organizational platform.
Lieb emphasized that Happego’s technology is best used to advance mental health, improve motivation, achieve personal goals, strengthen relationships and enhance pro-social behaviors. Unlike the subliminal advertising of the 60’s and current advertising platforms, Lieb is dedicated to empowering people to use their screens to unlock the power of their unconscious minds.
“It’s easy to get swept away with emotion by sexy advertising campaigns or to become enraged at political messages,” she says. “We are here to help offset the negativity. ”
With guidance from G. Clifton Goodgame, she has recently launched the non-profit arm of the business. The Happego Foundation is working to reduce opioid addiction in Appalachia and improve education globally.
To get more individuals involved ahead of launching a Series A round, most likely in April, Lieb is offering a limited-time opportunity to enjoy Happego for free in exchange for providing feedback on the benefits of the app. More information is available on the Happego website.
As far as the upcoming Series A round, Lieb says the $2 to $2.5 million will be used to launch a full-fledged marketing effort, add to the R&D team, and expand business development efforts.
“We are particularly interested in providing additional features in the consumer side of the app,” she says. Those would include guided imagery and positive gaming features.
