Interview with Buump Active – Getting £340k funding to keep new mums active

Buump Active is one of M14 Industries’ partners, and recently secured £340,000 from Sport England for their social app. If you’d like your own app check our our MVP package.

Buump Active has been a project in the works for a while; it was alluded to when I appeared on Dragon’s Den a couple of years ago. To learn more of the story behind Buump Active’s more recent successes, I had a chat with Rebecca Bishop, Buump Active’s founder.

John Kershaw: When did you first hear about M14 Industries? What was your initial reaction?

Rebecca Bishop: I heard about M14 Industries in 2016 from another Manchester tech entrepreneur. I loved the story of how M14 evolved – from Bristlr to the incredible white label platform for apps it is today. It’s great to see the process of app development being redefined and made so much more accessible.

Is this the first app you’ve made?

Buump Active is my first app – although the idea evolved over time from a generic social connection app for mums to one which is really focussed on keeping women active as they experience the huge life change of becoming a mum.

What surprised you when making an app?

Probably everything! However, the biggest and most pleasant surprise has been John’s approach to keeping everything as simple and effective as it can be at each stage of design and build.

How did it feel when Buump was mentioned on Dragon’s Den?

That was exciting, especially given the fabulous reaction John received by all of the Dragons but also a huge learning curve. Dragon’s Den is probably a platform Buump wasn’t ready for at that point, especially in the emerging market of mum connection apps. However, it was also the trigger point to step back and consider which part of the mum market I wanted to occupy, which has led to Buump Active being what it is today.

Can you talk a bit about the process you went through to start the Buump Active project, and the funding you’ve received?

Buump Active was inspired by personal experience – it is the world’s first social connection app dedicated to keeping women active as they become a mum. Seeing a chance Tweet in 2017 from Sport England announcing a fund to keep people active through a major life change was the exciting moment which led to today.

A rigorous and competitive application process followed which culminated in receiving my funding in June 2018, but it’s incredibly exciting to have their backing to so something truly amazing!

What are your plans for Buump Active over the next few years?

I think I’ve gone quite a few places in my mind with options for Buump Active but I think it’s important to do what is at your core with excellence and to remain agile, especially with something which relies on tech.

My vision is to build a community of active women and shape the future of what we do based on their needs. I definitely see more collaborations as we grow – we’re so excited to have Fiit.tv as our online partner at launch.

What advice would you give people just starting out, perhaps those making their first app?

I think it’s to consider the things you would when developing any product – have a clear vision of the problem you want to solve or need you want to meet; to know your audience and the place in the market you want to occupy and to be brave! Fortune favours the audacious – if there’s an idea you can’t go a day without thinking about, test the concept and go for it, who knows where it could lead!

If you have your own idea for an app, get in touch and see if we can help!