IIM Bangalore incubated Zoojoo.be helps corporate professionals form and track healthier habits Game based social wellness platform Zoojoo.be unites the workforce to form healthier habits.
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The overall wellness market in India is estimated at Rs 490 billion, of which, 40 per cent consists of wellness-related services alone, according to the PwC Report on Wellness in India. It further adds that Indian wellness industry will grow at a CAGR of 20 per cent to reach Rs 875 billion over the next three years. The key driver behind the growth of this industry is the emerging start-ups in this sector. These start-ups are getting huge backing by good amount of investor these days, further contributing towards the expansion of the wellness sector.
Gamification in Wellness
Digital era has enabled employers to list gamification as their most common strategy for engaging employees in wellness programs. Today, employers use more and more gamification elements to promote health engagement among employees. Though the trend is more popular in Western countries, but the same is gaining pace in India, with a handful of start-ups entering this space.
Recently, game based social wellness platform Zoojoo.be is one such start-up that unites the workforce to form healthier habits. It leverages the power of trusted social network at workplace to motivate employees by fostering positive behaviour change and helps them strike a work-life balance by encouraging healthy habits like eating better, exercising, spending time with family, and starting new hobbies etc.
Further planning to introduce more product enhancements, the start-up has announced to raise $1 million (Rs 6.4 crore) from US based VC fund RoundGlass Partners. The firm focuses on healthcare start-ups enabling paradigm-shifting innovations and disruptive solutions to make healthcare more accessible and affordable for the masses.
Commenting on the investment, Gurpreet Singh, Founder, RoundGalss Partners said," With the increasing cost of care, the need of the hour is to shift focus from curative healthcare to preventive healthcare and wellness. I believe that Zoojoo.be's wellness app with its behavior changing approach will help users bring a positive change in their habits. The solution with its incentive models and personalise wellness plans will revolutionise the approach of individuals towards their personal well-being."
The Journey
Founded in 2012, Bengaluru-based Zoojoo.be transforms the habit formation process, which traditionally relies on self-motivation into a fun game played between colleagues and co-workers. Incubated at NS Raghavan Centre for BIZ Experiencesial Learning (NSRCEL) at IIM Bangalore, Zoojoo.be is building both web and mobile based apps, which would use gamification and social collaboration to help users form healthier habit.
During its 18 month incubation at NSRCEL, Zoojoo.be has been able to transform itself from an idea to a successful business with paying customers and highly engaged user base. Commenting on the same line, Prof. Sabrinathan, Chairperson, NSRCEL, said, "I believe that the team's relentless focus on user engagement has helped them solve some of the biggest challenges in behavior change."
