Please welcome Dailyhuman, a new category of software that combines mindfulness and brain science to solve the $1 trillion burnout epidemic.
Meet Dailyhuman, the latest addition to Softeq’s portfolio.
HQ:
New York, NY
Founders:
Kim Bach and Josh Roenitz
The Problem:
According to Gallup, six in 10 Americans are burned out and not psychologically invested in their work, their school, or their organizations. Long-relied-on perks and strategies — from gifts to mandatory bonding activities to well-being surveys — aren’t cutting it. Employee and student burnout and turnover both continue to worsen, costing U.S. organizations over $1 trillion each year and inspiring a slew of negative mental and even physical health impacts.
Dailyhuman’s solution:
Trust is the cornerstone of team communication, innovation, and growth, creating a supportive and open environment where individuals freely express their thoughts and ideas. Trust is earned in small moments. It’s established through consistent, positive interactions and strengthened over time.
Dailyhuman productized a framework that major research universities and Fortune 100 companies developed over the past 20 years. Utilizing Generative AI, SMS, and popular communication tools like WhatsApp, the software regularly matches participants who complete progressive, guided conversations. These interactions are backed by brain science and designed to stimulate the production of chemicals such as serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin. Instead of focusing on temporary solutions and stopgaps, this framework treats trust as something that can be developed and maintained, ultimately upgrading the brain’s “default mode network” and empowering individuals to realize their full human potential.
Origin story:
Kim Bach and Josh Roenitz met 25 years ago as undergrads at the University of Richmond. After college, Josh built work tech and health tech software, completing a successful exit as a founder. Kim spent two decades at leading financial services organizations, including ARS National, as VP of Human Resources, and Capital One, serving in various leadership roles for talent development. In 2022, they saw a generational gap in expectations in the workplace and joined forces to fix it. Workers expect more from employers, and companies need to meet those demands to stay competitive. Dailyhuman addresses this market need by helping employers provide the intangible benefits that workers really want: meaning and connection.
Why we’re betting on it:
From the burnout epidemic to the Great Resignation to quiet quitting, worker engagement has never been more crucial or more widely discussed. Organizations are scrambling to plug the holes in the boat without a solution that addresses the root cause. Dailyhuman harnesses science and technology to help organizations build relationships and develop a culture of trust in a simple, relevant, and meaningful way.
As Dailyhuman expands its reach globally into Europe this year, we firmly believe that Dailyhuman is set to become a “must-have” indispensable technology. According to Gallup’s research, only 38% of employees worldwide express trust in their leaders and feel comfortable confiding in their colleagues regarding matters of transparency and integrity. This prevailing lack of trust has far-reaching consequences, leading to disengaged employees and an estimated annual productivity loss of approximately $8.1 trillion worldwide, accounting for 11% of the global GDP. Furthermore, beyond the economic implications, the absence of trust fosters dysfunctional and hostile work environments, posing a significant risk to the long-term sustainability of global organizations.
Our take:
We first met the Dailyhuman team in the spring of 2022 when the company began the Softeq Venture Studio. Since then, we’ve watched as Josh and Kim have refined the product, achieved industry-beating monthly engagement, and secured a backlog of small, midsize, and enterprise customers in a variety of industries. With an ambitious vision, unshakable passion, deep experience, and long-term industry relationships, we know that Josh and Kim have the commitment, grit, and know-how to reinvent engagement and conquer the ever-increasing burnout and retention problems facing today’s employers and schools.
About Dailyhuman:
Dailyhuman is a New York City-based SaaS company that specializes in engagement software for workers and students. Organizations in the U.S. and Europe are using Dailyhuman to enhance their talent onboarding, mentor programming, and relationship building for in-person and hybrid-first teams. The company is pioneering a revolutionary new software category that accelerates trust, connection, and a sense of belonging in a manner that is far more personal, effortless, and scalable than ever before.
