An app that combats student isolation and loneliness is set for international expansion.
Founded by 26-year-old Georgia Wheadon, Umii enables friendship making in the post-COVID real world.
The company has already raised £1.3 million and will this month represent TiE UK North at the TiE Global Awards in Hyderabad.
As a finalist, Georgia will pitch Umii’s business concept to hundreds of global investors.
“To be in the final is really exciting,” says Georgia, “as it’s a great chance to be in front of global investors.
“I started Umii because my experience at university wasn’t great. I missed out on a really big part of my life and I don’t want others to experience isolation, loneliness or to feel marginalised.”
She adds: “While it feels a bit surreal, we now have an international expansion strategy in place, with Australia, Canada and countries with a similar higher education sector to the UK being Umii’s focal points.
“With 14 universities as partners we believe we can partner with 60% of the 160 universities in the UK which is why we are aiming to also go overseas.”
The Umii app is free to students while partner universities pay a yearly subscription. It sends students 3-5 matches daily based on users’ similar interests and course types – helping even the less outgoing students to connect and build friendships.
Alongside other features, the app also includes a list of contacts to mental health and well-being resources specific to each student union and university.
GC Angels and the British Business Bank’s Future Fund are among those to have invested in Umii.
The company landed its first customer, the University of Hull, in 2020 and an investment raise is due towards the end of 2023.
Leeds Trinity University, University of Bath, University of Bolton, Cardiff Students’ Union , University of Chester, Essex Students’ Union, Gloucestershire Students Union, the University of Kent, the University of Lincoln, University of Salford/Salford Students Union, University of Sunderland and UCLan Students Union.
Umii is also aiming to grow its workforce during 2023. With an account manager employed and a student running Umii’s social media platforms, the company currently has an outsourced development team and head of product.
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“We are planning to expand our team with sales people as I work in this area at present,” says Georgia, who is from Barnoldswick and now lives in Manchester, from where she studied Sociology and Geography at the University of Leeds.
“When I started Umii and was talking to people about the concept, not everyone would say they had a great university experience.
“They would say that they didn’t really want to talk about how they didn’t enjoy it while feeling that there was a stigma around it. Then COVID happened and social anxieties became even more prominent.
“When we speak to university staff now they tell us about the difference between pre-Covid and post-Covid. How there are massive numbers of students who feel marginalised and isolated because they don’t want to do in-person stuff.
“We know it’s a common problem for people, especially in students’ first year of university.
“It’s Umii’s mission to make sure no one feels isolated and lonely. But it’s not about making everything digital. It’s about giving solutions to students and making the experience socially comfortable for them.”
Georgia adds: “If you look at Gen-Z, they are doing almost everything online. We thought, ‘why not do this with friendship making’. We want to make it as easy as possible for them to make that initial introduction and then go into the real world.
“If you’ve met loads of people on Umii before you’ve even gone to university, when you do go, and see them in the corridors or on campus, it makes it so much easier.
“It’s amazing when we hear stories from students who use Umii. They talk of the confidence it gives them to get out there in the world. I know how bad my experience was, and how it can be so horrible if you’re sitting in your room on your own watching My Mad Fat Diary.”
Walli Ullah MBE, TiE UK North Chair of Mentoring and Board member, said: “We’re proud that Georgia will be representing TiE UK North in Hyderabad on December 12.
“In these times of mental health issues that young people suffer from, Umii is a solutions focussed business and a very impressive one.”