The first pitcher to win £1m investment on Dragons’ Den has offered up shares in his newly launched dementia app Peggi.
Part-time radio presenter Andy Leslie secured the investment for his previous business Shopbox Systems, a provider of unattended delivery solutions for the receipt of online groceries & other items, in 2010.
However the promised investment never materialised and Shopbox Systems, which raised early-stage then follow-on capital, became profitable by year 3 thanks to a contract with DHL.
However the industry didn’t catch up to the potential of the technology quickly enough, says Leslie. “This would have been a great solution during lockdown, if only the industry had the appropriate vision. It will one day be commonplace,” he wrote on LinkedIn.
Now Leslie, CEO of Your Health & Care, is launching Peggi with Glenda Devlin to shape the future of dementia care technology.
The app is designed to support families caring for loved ones with dementia. It allows a small network of people to communicate, create, exchange and preserve memories as a way to reduce isolation, improve wellbeing and strengthen relationships.
The 500 participants in its three-month beta programme will play a key role in shaping the app’s features and in exchange receive a free lifetime subscription and a solitary share in the company behind it.
“There is a clear need for a social media technology that is really easy to use. It has to be very safe, and made incredibly useful for families and friends,” said Devlin. “This so they can support and stay connected with their vulnerable loved ones.”
Peggi claims to do this without any of the distractions, unwanted intrusions or complexity of mainstream social media platforms.
At the same time, everyone in the group can contribute to building a whole life story of the person they are caring for.
“We’ve learned so much in the last 18 months. This is by working with dementia communities, and so now we want to rebuild it,” added Devlin. “The app’s forthcoming features will include AI-driven tools to generate life stories you can actually interact with.
“But we want to make sure it’s absolutely right for the people who need the help most as well as the people they are caring for.”
Leslie is chair of the board of trustees at Dementia Matters, a dementia and adult social care provider in the North East.