Spoke is the latest startup looking to put music to use in a mindfulness service, with an app that claims to “re-tune your mind”. Now the UK-based startup has £1.1m of pre-seed funding (around $1.5m) to continue building its business.
Spoke’s app offers a mixture of “lo-fi beats, ambient sounds and proven mindfulness techniques”. A profile by TechCrunch accompanying the funding explains that the company is working with more than 25 artists to provide the music, and that it is targeting younger Gen-Z users than established mindfulness apps like Calm and Headspace, which CEO Ariana Alexander-Sefre suggested “are used largely by women aged over 25”.
Mixcloud co-founder Nikhil Shah was among the investors in the pre-seed funding round, which was led by investment firm Ada Ventures. A clinical trial is apparently in the works. That’s important for this kind of app, as shown by the way Alexander-Sefre’s TEDx Talk last year about whether music can “reduce the world’s male suicide epidemic” is accompanied by a flag from TED warning viewers to “please consult a mental health professional and do not look to this talk as a substitute for medical advice”.
There is lots of potential for music to be used in health services, but full clinical trials are vital in proving the science behind that.
Tools: platforms to help you reach new audiences
Tools :: Wyng
Through Music Ally’s internal marketing campaign tracking, we’ve recently discovered an interesting website by the…