In the eighteenth of a series of articles on the Big Venture Challenge Winners, we introduce today Jon Cousins, founder of Moodscope.
Big Venture Challenge is a national programme, run by UnLtd and supported by the Big Lottery Fund, to find 25 of the most ambitious social entrepreneurs in England. The 25 winners all want investment so that their enterprises can deliver social impact on a significant scale. They will each receive a unique package of financial and non-financial support to help them achieve their goals. Meet winner No 18:
Jon Cousins, founder of Moodscope
Who are they?
Jon Cousins had a successful advertising and business career despite suffering from depression and what was eventually diagnosed as bipolar disorder. Seeking help from the NHS made him realise the lack of support for patients like him, so he developed his own and got better. Jon is supported by chairman Adrian Hosford, who was previously director of corporate social responsibility at BT, and Caroline Ashcroft, operations director, who has worked with Jon for 15 years.
What do they do?
Jon discovered that measuring and tracking your mood every day, then sharing your scores with friends who can support you, often has a profound effect on your mental wellbeing. The Moodscope site makes this process easy to use and has resulted in many people overcoming depression without necessarily resorting to medication or therapy. Currently, 37,000 members are reminded to score their mood every day.
Why were they selected?
The judges and UnLtd admired the innovation at the heart of Moodscope's model and its popularity with its user base. The venture tackles a huge and important market, and has similarly large potential. They felt that it was a good fit with the Big Venture Challenge programme's aims.
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