nir-vana innovation network

A UK based fast-growing SME founded in 2013. Their innovative training tools change the habits and behaviours of employees in organisations, ranging from SME's up to large multi-national organisations. The tools use many different techniques in order to generate user engagement and, consequently improve their client's risk mitigation of a variety of vulnerabilities, exposed by employee behaviour. They use a mixture of teaching techniques include original feature TV-style drama, ‘nudge' technique reminders, scenario challenges and self-assessment into interactive e-learning tools.

The company's main environmental tool supports saving energy and reducing costs. In the public sector alone, public buildings, community centres and schools, often operating in ‘leaky' buildings, currently make up around 40% of Europe's entire energy consumption and produce approximately 36% of CO2 emissions. The tool is an immersive game played in short bursts over a number of weeks, ensuring lasting behaviour changes. There are competitive elements to incentivise the learners, to make significant changes to their habits and lifestyles to improve their rating on virtual scoreboards. During play they become quickly aware of the positive impacts they can make. The gamification element of training is developed in association with clients and can be run either as a campaign, engaging the whole organisation, or separately in targeted teams/divisions/areas of a business.

These products are designed to overcome the barriers that most staff feel: a) 'my little habit change won't make that much difference'; and b) 'it's not my problem, it's the company that needs to sort this'.

The company has a great deal of experience in the behaviour change and training sector. All of the content is authenticated by psychologists, academics and a panel of global experts in the field who contribute to the development process of each tool.

They seek partners under license and commercial agency agreements. They are looking to find:

• VAR partners to sell licences on a shared revenue basis
• Potential clients
• Those in other sectors who could see value in this behaviour change tool to support their own sector risk areas that are driven by human factors.

Advantages & innovations

• The company has worked collaboratively with many European businesses and academics in developing some of the tools that elicit changes in habits and behaviours. • Their learning tools have led to reduction in running costs of buildings, lowering of energy waste and CO2 emissions, and pollution to the environment. • Their tools incorporate behaviour change into day-to-day activities, beyond the workplace. • They can produce broadcast-standard fictional content at a fraction of the industry cost, and work closely with their clients using a profiling process to configure the tools style to suit each organisation's culture, language versioning and organisational needs. • Their data capture and analytics enable them to track understanding and knowledge retention and give qualitative data measurement. • A multi-award winning company. Also, Cyber Security GCHQ accredited and Highly Secure status within the Defence Industry.

Stage of development

Already on the market

Partner sought

The company is seeking partners that are: Large organisations that wish to address their employee's behaviour change in a measurable way that quickly repays the training investment. Technical consultancies in energy auditing and upgrading of business estate who are looking for tools they can leave behind to engage the workforce in energy behaviour change Businesses in other sectors where they can see a potential partnership to develop other areas of behaviour change to mitigate against human factor risk.