EQ Beats IQ: Our Investment in ahead

It’s hard to be your best self

It’s a familiar situation for many. You want to take the next step in your life - either business or personal - but then something gets in your way. It’s very probable that something is you. Maybe you reacted defensively to an honestly innocent question or you felt too intimidated to go and talk to that person who caught your eye at a party. Have you ever thought that you could be further along in your career… if only you had the confidence to ask for that promotion or raise?

If you’re lucky enough to recognize these things in yourself, then maybe you try and change. You make New Year's resolutions, read self-help books, watch TED Talks, and get advice from our friends - whether you want it or not. But finally, you probably end up back where you started, just with a healthy dose of disappointment.

Kai and John have been there and they decided to find a better way. That’s why they founded ahead, your own personalized pocket coach.

Higher EQ means higher quality of life

That’s a fact. However, it’s also a fact - as mentioned above - that most people struggle with improving their self-awareness and social skills, learning how to handle emotions or how to overcome old habits. Do you always recognize your own feelings and are you able to manage them well? Do you know what others think, sense how they feel, and can you react sensitively to that?

Take ahead’s free self-awareness assessment

Ultimately, the good news is that developing your EQ, unlike one’s IQ, is a lifelong process of developing skills that can be learned, both by improving upon existing skills and introducing them where absent. However, while there is definitely no lack of content and resources on that topic, we find it extremely hard to practically apply what we learn. We just don’t know where to start, how to remember it all, how to stay motivated, and how to make it stick in the end. 

This is where ahead comes into play. The mobile app is a digital companion that gives you bite-sized, smart insights that you can directly apply in real life. The app feels like a game rather than a chore or any kind of therapy. It aims to improve your emotional intelligence through personality tests, playful challenges and interactive learning elements. The real game-changer here is not the content itself but the preparation of the information in a way that makes it actionable. 

EQ is fueling growth in the already large self-improvement market

B2C self-improvement is a $70bn addressable market and is growing at 8% per year. The app market for the same category is growing at 23% per year. and millenials are willing to spend 2x more than boomers on that topic. We strongly believe that effective EQ apps will create a market boom, similar as we have seen in the meditation app space. 

People skills are becoming more important

There is a growing awareness that individuals with higher EQ are better equipped to work within teams, manage stress more effectively and deal with change more easily. Increasingly, employers are recognizing the value and importance of EQ in the professional context and are adjusting their expectations accordingly. It is a crucial factor in job performance both on an individual and organizational level. 

The time is now

Improving social skills and healthy awareness of the self, such as one’s emotions, character traits, habits, individual values, and the psychological needs that shape the day-to-day behavior of individuals are gaining importance. Noom, Duolingo, but also apps like Headspace and Calm have not only proven that the mobile phone is uniquely positioned to teach skills, but also how an accessible and effective solution can attract 10x more people to something like meditation.

A great team of seasoned entrepreneurs

Kai and John are the masterminds behind ahead and we are more than excited to partner up with them on their journey to give everyone the chance to improve their emotional intelligence. Being close friends for over 12 years and having already founded a company together before, we were impressed by their passion and energy. Kai has an entrepreneurial past, having co-founded Helpling and experience as VP at Casper Sleep and John started his professional career at McKinsey, building out their digital practice.

Join us on their journey to make this world a happier place. :) 

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