Mohit Midha, cofounder and CEO of Hoogly was at Blackbird’s Sunrise last week, tired but unable to stop smiling after global recognition for his employee engagement startup in California and London.
The fact that he set out to also raise $500,000 and now has $1 million with 10 days left before he closes his latest round is also putting a spring in his step.
As organisations continue to grapple with building strong work culture and maintaining wellbeing in the hybrid workplace, a new digital platform called Hoogly is a remote-first way to foster a sense of connectedness and prevent loneliness and isolation in hybrid workplaces.
It uses digital prompts and nudges grounded in neuroscience and psychology to help team members open up to one another and share everyday highs and lows. Feelings and emotions are captured in a ‘mood card’ that can be shared with colleagues, with granular control on who sees what.
Hoogly.ai helps fix employee engagement via personalised AI-powered conversations instead of generic surveys.
Hoogly was founded in Sydney, in 2023 by Midha, a serial entrepreneur, CTO Mark Libres and product designer Natalie Lui, emerging out of the UNSW Accelerator Program.
The startup’s name is derived from the Danish word ‘hygge,’ which means wellbeing and togetherness.
Last month, Midha headed to San Diego, with Hoogly selected from among 1,900 global startups as one of the Top 50 most innovative in digital learning and workforce skilling for the GSV Cup. The competition is part of the annual ASU+GSV Summit created by Arizona State University and venture fund GSV.
Midha was up against 11 other startups in the AI Future of Work stream and Hoogly won. He then we on to pitch on the main stage at the ASU+GSV Summit as one of the top 3 winning startups.
The Hoogly cofounder said it was an unforgettable moment for his team.
“As a startup, wins like these mean everything. They’re proof that what we’re building at Hoogly is truly resonating — with the right people,” he said.
“They’re also fuel — keeping us moving through the inevitable uncertainty, risks, and late nights that come with building something new. Every startup team knows the feeling — and moments like this make it worthwhile.”
“We’re incredibly grateful to AWS and GSV Ventures for recognising our mission to transform the employee experience— through genuine conversations over surveys, real data insights, and AI-powered coaching,” Mohit Midha said.
“Massive credit to the entire Hoogly team — your passion, creativity, and belief in building a better workplace made this happen. This is just the beginning. Let’s reinvent employee engagement, one conversation at a time.”