The pre-seed funding will support the development of the company's emotional matching algorithm and technical team.
"That got me thinking music clearly plays a deeper role in who we are than most think. It’s a voice for emotion, and using music as a vehicle to understand emotion allows for a greater understanding of other people, and of course, potential partners."
The funding round was closed in fourteen days with backing from existing shareholders and the Aviva Foundation.
"At 87%, we see building mental fitness foundations as a critical part of everyday life. Without strong foundations, we all struggle to fulfil our potential or recover quickly when the winds of change shift against us. With data sitting at the heart of our proposition, we can make this tangible for users and businesses. Whether it’s the user benefitting from better focus and performance, and therefore greater fulfilment in life, or businesses getting more from staff through improved productivity and efficiency, our measurements drive the insights needed to take appropriate action. This funding is testament to team’s work in the last 18 months and will pave the way for us to further realise our vision of improving the mental wellbeing of society, percent by percent."
The financing round was backed by investors including Ascension and Connect Ventures.
"Just four weeks into launching and we’re delighted to have a number of notable investors on board who really believe in our vision and back this app. We’ve got big plans with a clear mission, to change a culture of how people date. This is just the start and we will deliver. Dating apps just got exciting again."
The Series A round featured participation from Sonoma Brands, Waldencast, Felix Capital, and Cherry Ventures.
"We’ve been encouraged to see men of all ages increasingly turning to Manual to solve multiple health problems, with almost half of our customers seeking help for more than one issue. It’s clear that a health concern may have more than one cause, and we can provide customers with the ability to treat their health in a more holistic way. Using different treatments to understand and improve their wellbeing."