Aarhus startup wants to make the mobile game that saves your relationship

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Can a mobile game save faltering relationships? Yes, says coach Amanda Maya Haywood, who together with developer Mads Wettergren Poulsen and project manager Morten Hyldgaard is developing just that. The game is called Lovely.

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For the small team behind the Lovely project, the goal is to help women reduce conflict in their relationships. The focus is not just on developing a game, but on creating a platform where women can get support to change their inner dialog, which can improve their relationships. The platform combines elements of gaming, self-help and community, and the goal is to offer a solution that is both entertaining and makes a positive difference in users’ lives.

“If we all meditate 3 times a day, we could all be millionaires, but most people don’t do this. Instead, we go on Facebook. We need to reprogram our subconscious. So why not use the same mechanisms as games and social media for something positive?” Amanda Maya Haywood asks rhetorically.

The game is built around a personality model where players are profiled and content is adapted to their personality. It works as a journey of discovery in your own mind, where small daily tasks gradually change habits. According to the Lovely creators, a mobile game allows you to reprogram your subconscious through auto-suggestions, repetition, meditative mode, images and sound. At the same time, data is continuously collected to optimize the game to make it even more effective for future users.

Couples therapy for women only

The game integrates coaching, neuroplasticity and reprogramming of the player’s subconscious. Based on the player’s input, life experiences and profile, the game is continuously adjusted to improve the experience. It is based on the “12 Steps to Lead With Love” method, developed and taught by Amanda Maya Haywood since 2018.

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“I developed a 12-step model myself when I was in the US interviewing some of the world’s leading experts in the field. At the time, I was going through a difficult personal situation with my relationship and I called myself a recovering angry wife. I taught these 12 steps and the feedback was really good. It’s an alternative approach where we only talk to the woman – it’s not traditional couples therapy. It’s basically about stopping talking negatively – both externally and internally. Many of us have an internal dialog that is harmful. We need to manage that dialog,” explains Amanda Maya Haywood.

Lovely is still in the start-up phase, but has already developed the first elements of the game. They have started with audio files and basic tasks. Their approach involves small, simple tasks that are practical and can be easily integrated into everyday life. Some may recognize the 12-step model from Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), and that’s no coincidence.

“We also have a community section where women can share their experiences with each other, just like in AA groups. It’s a great sense of community and the women look forward to meeting and supporting each other. Women tell us that when they hear other women’s experiences, they become more understanding of their own situation and their partner,” says Amanda Maya Haywood.

Exciting technical challenge

Although Amanda Maya Haywood is the originator of the idea and concept behind Lovely, she couldn’t realize the game alone. So she searched for co-founders, and Mads Wettergren Poulsen and Morten Hyldgaard came on board.

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“When I heard about the project, I saw an opportunity to contribute to a greater purpose – not just making a game for entertainment, but also to help people. It’s a great feeling to know that you can help someone who is struggling. Amanda is really passionate about it and it’s contagious,” says co-founder Mads Wettergren Poulsen, developer at Lovely.

For him, however, the technical challenge of developing the game is also part of what makes it interesting. The game is a unique combination of genres – a kind of self-help game with the 12 steps as the central element.

“The project requires us to connect many different elements and make them work as a whole, which is exciting on a technical level. It’s not just about making a simple mobile game. We need data and profiling from the players to be able to help them on an ongoing basis and constantly improve the game’s effectiveness,” says Mads Wettergren Poulsen.

Seeking funding for big ambitions

Lovely is still in the initial phase and is awaiting a response to an application for funding from Innofounder. The plan is to subsequently seek further investment. Amanda Maya Haywood, who has a solid background in sales, among other things, has previous experience in raising capital and will also utilize her network in the US.

“We are also working on raising a pre-seed round to fund further development. The goal is to attract venture capitalFuel for startups' rocket ride. Venture capital is pro investors who create pool funds to seek innovation, and to mentor. It is high risk, high reward journeys.... More and the right partners to help us scale the project and deploy it widely,” she says.

Once some capital is secured, the team behind Lovely expects it to really take wings and move on from the early testing phase.

“In the beginning, it’s all about creating something meaningful, and hopefully it will also be financially stable. When we get to the point where we can work full-time on the project, development will also go faster,” says Mads Wettergren Poulsen.