Challenge
When the pandemic suddenly shifted a large portion of the workforce to remote or hybrid environments, traditional workplace wellness programs struggled to effectively engage participants.
"83% of HR directors identified 'low engagement' as their biggest wellness program challenge"
Research Approach
Responding to changing market conditions and the challenges of remote work, we pivoted our consumer strategy to address workplace wellness needs:
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Strategic Pivot
Conducted market research to identify emerging workplace wellness challenges in the post-pandemic environment, revealing significant opportunities to apply our core technology in organizational settings.
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Pilot Partnership
Developed a workplace-focused MVP in partnership with the Association of Vanderbilt Black Faculty and Staff (AVBFS) to test our program in an organizational context.
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Structured Implementation
Conducted a 6-week structured implementation with 24 AVBFS participants to validate the workplace MVP and gather feedback for product refinement.
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Market Development
Analyzed market needs and segments to identify higher education institutions as an ideal initial customer base due to their focus on both employee well-being and community building.
Key Results from MVP
90% Completion Rate
Achieved a 90% completion rate for daily check-ins across all participant pairs, demonstrating strong engagement.
80% Relationship Formation
80% of participants formed ongoing relationships with their accountability partners that extended beyond the program duration.
75% Health Improvement
Three-quarters of participants reported improved mental or physical health as a result of the program.
Key Discoveries
Workplace Connection
The platform created unexpected friendships and deepened relationships between colleagues who otherwise might not have connected.
"Movejoy brought connection and honestly a friendship in a fun and unexpected way. You never know how much you have in common with someone until you're encouraged and held accountable for communicating with them almost every day!"
Institutional Impact
Organizations gained benefits beyond wellness, including improved employee networking, reduced silos, and enhanced belonging.
"Within AVBFS, Movejoy was a powerful networking tool for our organization which connected members around their wellness. Even people who knew each other learned new things and deepened connection when they met daily to support each other."
Cross-Department Connection
The platform effectively broke down departmental silos by connecting employees across different areas of the organization.
"I've worked here for five years and had never really interacted with anyone from the business school. Now I have a friend there who I meet with regularly."
Translation Into Action
The successful AVBFS pilot led to several key developments for our workplace wellness platform:
Higher Ed Partnerships
Launched partnerships with the Green Mountain Consortium (Middlebury College, Champlain College, Norwich University, St. Michael's College) and Davidson College as paying customers.
Sales Pipeline
Developed a qualified pipeline of 9 additional higher education institutions based on successful implementation case studies and referrals.
Platform Enhancement
Refined the platform and created a mobile app based on workplace implementation feedback.
ROI Measurement
Developed methods to measure return on investment for institutional clients, including metrics for employee engagement, connection, and wellness improvements.
Business Impact & Lessons
The Movejoy workplace platform successfully demonstrated product-market fit in the higher education sector, with impressive engagement metrics and customer testimonials validating our value proposition. Despite gaining early customers and building a promising pipeline, the challenging fundraising environment and pressure to find a high-growth model ultimately prevented us from reaching sustainable scale before exhausting our initial funding.
This phase of Movejoy's journey provided several valuable insights:
- Core Insight Validation: The fundamental insight about social accountability driving behavior change proved applicable across both consumer and enterprise contexts.
- Adaptability Is Essential: Our ability to pivot our business model in response to changing market conditions was crucial for extending the company's runway.
- Multi-Stakeholder Research: Understanding both end-users (employees) and decision-makers (HR directors) was essential for creating a viable enterprise product.
- Evidence-Based Advantage: Our academic research foundation created significant credibility and differentiation with institutional customers.