In recent years, the Montenegrin startup scene has proven to possess huge potential. Through the past three editions of the BoostMeUp program, we have had the opportunity to witness how many innovative and brilliant ideas exist in our country. Flourish startup is one of them.
What is Flourish?
Flourish is an accessible and efficient tool for developing emotional intelligence and soft skills. A mobile application designed for both individuals and organizations, it enhances our self-confidence, strengthens our strengths, reduces the impact of weaknesses, develops communication skills, and leadership capacities, and reduces stress. This unique application represents a simple and effective means for personal and professional development.
The journey from the idea to the first version of Flourish took almost two years. They applied for the pre-acceleration program BoostMeUp in the idea phase.
“BoostMeUp helped us conduct market research, through which we confirmed that the problem we identified – ‘the development of emotional intelligence is inaccessible, expensive, and complicated for most people’ – is indeed relevant. During the program, we worked intensively on the prototype and, with BMU’s help, conducted testing and validation of the prototype, and further developed a strategy for intellectual property protection. In addition to these benefits, the greatest benefit for us was connecting with mentors, which led to later business collaborations,” says Jasna Pejovic, Executive Director of Flourish. Alongside Valentina Radulović, she is also a co-founder of this startup.
Three months is enough for the initial results
The application works by first assessing the user’s current level of emotional intelligence and then enabling its development through simple and short exercises.
A scientific study conducted with the University of Montenegro, Faculty of Philosophy, Department of Psychology, proved that Flourish develops emotional intelligence within the first three months of use.
“This research also revealed that to achieve optimal results, it is sufficient to use the application twice a week, for 10 minutes each time, and that 70% of users increase their emotional intelligence after the first month, while after three months, this number jumps to an impressive 85.9%. This is a historic result that helped us further improve the application and gain greater trust from existing and future users,” emphasizes Pejovic.
As further stated, developing innovative ideas costs and takes time, requires vision and dedicated work, and success is not achieved overnight. Connecting with the right partners and mentorship were crucial. Besides BoostMeUp, they were part of several other accelerators – EU4Tech, UNDP Boost, BigBooster, EBRD StarVenture, and their partners in realizing the idea were DigitalDen hub and technological partner Amplitudo, with whom they joined forces to turn the idea into a product.
The most innovative regional startup
Flourish was awarded as the Most Innovative Company in Montenegro by the Chamber of Economy of Montenegro at the end of 2023 and also received the prestigious “Butterfly Innovation Award 2023” for the most innovative regional startup, awarded by the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC). Additionally, they received financial assistance from competitions held by the Capital City, the Ministry of Economic Development, and the Innovation Fund, as well as numerous international competitions.
The fact that the University of Denver in the United States was one of the first users of the Flourish application indicates that its success transcends regional boundaries. Since September 2022, the application has been included in the UNDP catalog of recommended solutions that change the world for the better, as the only solution from Southeast Europe, which speaks volumes about their global impact.
Today, Flourish is used by banks, telecommunications companies, hotels… all those companies that want to invest in employee development and want fast and measurable results that will positively impact both employees and the company’s business results.
With their innovative mobile application, Flourish is transforming the dynamics of emotional intelligence development and setting new standards in the field of technological innovation. Their success, awards, and recognitions are a strong testament to the exceptional commitment and dedication of the team, inspiring others to explore the potential of innovation for improving society and the business sector.
We are pleased to observe how Flourish leaves a lasting and positive impact on the world, and we hope that their story will encourage others to explore and develop innovative solutions for global challenges.
