With the start of the Amcom Upstart program, we thought getting an inside view would be a good idea. So we asked Dr Felicity Millman, founder of Circadyn and veteran of both Founder Institute and RAC Seedspark, to keep a regular diary of her experience in the accelerator.
Hello //Startup News readers,
My name is Dr Felicity Millman. I am the founder of Circadyn, which was recently announced as a winner of a place in the Amcom Upstart technology accelerator program. The program has provided Circadyn with $40,000 AUD in funding in return for 8% equity, as well as a place in a 3 month technology accelerator program. I’ll be sharing my story as a new founder and my experience of going through the Amcom Upstart accelerator program in a series of posts over the next few months. But first, some background on me and how I got to this point:
Prior to developing Circadyn, I had worked in psychology for over ten years while I also completed a PhD in psychology and genetics. I was a university lecturer in psychology, had worked in private practice and held a position as the research psychologist for a specialist child and adolescent mental health service. I have researched an array of areas from neurodevelopmental disorders to animal immunogenetics and many weird and wonderful things in between. My career had focussed on understanding people and finding solutions to improve their lives in one way or another.
In 2014 I decided I wanted a more practical way of sharing my knowledge with people. I wanted something more fulfilling and rewarding from my career and became interested in entrepreneurship. It was then I applied for and was accepted into the 2014 Perth chapter of Founder Institute. During Founder Institute I combined my lifelong passion for technology with my knowledge of psychology to create Circadyn. Following my FI graduation, RAC SeedSpark was launched. I won a place in the inaugural program which provided me the funds to build the Circadyn MVP. Now, less than 12 months on from the first seeds of Circadyn I am a very grateful participant in Amcom Upstart and I hope to share my journey and lessons learned through this process with you.
So, what is Circadyn? Circadyn is a software solution which analyses information collected from wearable technology to provide an alert and dashboard system to helps individual employees to better manage their sleep and reduce their likelihood of an accident. It also enables employers to better plan and schedule for their workforce and to reduce the flow-on costs of fatigue in the workplace. Circadyn’s main target market is transport industry due to recent regulatory changes associated with fatigue management which require organisations to actively manage the fatigue of their employees.
Circadyn measures wake and sleep cycles using wearable technology. When the wearable (Fitbit or misfit) is synced with a Bluetooth device, Circadyn is able to analyse the individual’s data. It then sends an alert, via SMS or email, to users if they are at risk of fatigue impairment. Circadyn provides personalised, time sensitive feedback and suggestions on how to improve sleep and manage fatigue impairment. It prevents people getting into vehicles when they are likely to be fatigued and lets them know what they need to do to reduce their fatigue impairment. If an individual is dangerously fatigue impaired it can provide alerts to the organization, but otherwise ensures all employee information is private and secure.
Circadyn was founded with a primary vision of promoting happy and balanced lives for all as I have always been a strong believer in maintaining a work life balance. Not just because it improves well-being but it also increases productivity. Therefore I figure I should share a little bit about me personally. On weekends I can generally be found out on the water, hunting for new dive spots or climbing the local quarries and sea-cliffs as I am an avid rock climber and scuba diver. I am also an active member in the Australian Obstacle Course Racing League. In 2014 I was ranked in the top 20 female athletes across Australia and ranked 2nd in WA. Interestingly, Circadyn helps my sporting pursuits. It ensures I am not undertaking high risk sports if I am fatigued and ensures I am in my best form to race. If I am not out on adventures or working on Circadyn I tend to be reading or checking out the latest Marvel episodes.
If you’re around Spacecubed and ever feel like having a chat about start-up life or the Perth rock-climbing scene feel free to say hello. Until next week!
