Mental health tech firm secures £500k for expansion

A Scottish technology firm headed by veteran businessman Nick Kuenssberg has secured more than £500,000 to fund expansion amid growing demand.
Business veteran Nick Kuenssberg said the funding would allow Frog Systems to make a 'real difference to society'. Picture: contributed.Business veteran Nick Kuenssberg said the funding would allow Frog Systems to make a 'real difference to society'. Picture: contributed.
Business veteran Nick Kuenssberg said the funding would allow Frog Systems to make a 'real difference to society'. Picture: contributed.

Frog Systems, which has developed an online mental wellness platform, is set to announce a number of high-profile contract wins as it prepares to launch a recruitment drive to spearhead further growth.

The bulk of the latest fundraise has come from existing backer Sir Rod Aldridge, founder and former chairman of Capita Group. Four new investors have also supported the fundraising round along with a number of existing investors.

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The Glasgow-based company has secured a host of blue-chip clients across sectors including financial and professional services, higher education, housing, arts, sport, and membership and governing bodies.

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Last month, Sussex Cricket became the first sports club in the world to launch its own bespoke mental wellness platform using Frog’s software. The platform links the club and its 182 affiliates 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 free-to-use platform allows users to hear from people sharing their personal experiences of overcoming challenges and 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 responses to key issues.

The company has so far invested £1.8 million in developing an IT platform that clients can customise to their own circumstances and requirements.

Sir Rod said: “Mental and physical illness does not discriminate. Each 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 uses the power of video to encourage people to take the first step in seeking early support and it provides a bridge between citizens and service providers.”

The mobile-optimised web platform combines high-quality videos of users’ experiences with signposting of local support services, tailored to their individual circumstances, without the need for additional internet searches.

Users can search by topic from drop-down menus of issues relevant to them, including diversity, inclusion, mental health, addiction, abuse and sexual orientation.

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Mr Kuenssberg, who chairs the firm and is one of Scotland’s leading business angels and mentors, said: “Having achieved a robust, scalable platform, Frog is now well-placed to demonstrate its 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.”

Mr Kuenssberg is a former chairman of Glasgow cloud computing firm Iomart and has served as a director of companies including Standard Life Assurance, Scottish Power and Dawson International.

At the 2020 Start Up Summit, organised by Edinburgh-based entrepreneurial organisation FutureX, Frog was named winning start-up following a live digital pitch in front of 1,000 delegates.

The top prize was a business support package worth more than £65,000 and a funded place on FutureX’s Silicon Valley Scale programme.

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