Dr Janet Beck , Dr Matthias Eichner , Tess Whittaker , Dr Felix Schaeffler
COMPANY NAME
Fitvoice C . I . C .
WEBSITE OR LINK TO FURTHER INFORMATION www . fitvoice . co . uk
Fitvoice is a community interest company ( C . I . C ) providing a smartphone-enabled , technology assisted voice care service . We offer a combination of more traditional voice services like workshops and coaching sessions and innovative voice health monitoring via mobile phones , using the acoustic voice signal and user self-report .
The idea goes back a few years . It started at QMU with a three month project , researching potential acoustic markers for a desktop-based voice monitoring system . That was before smartphones became popular ( the iPhone wasn ’ t even available yet ) but we soon realised that there would be potential for a smartphone app . The whole thing took off in 2015 when we participated in the Converge Challenge competition and Tess and Matthias joined the team . They both added crucial skills to the project which allowed us to move much faster than before . We founded the C . I . C . in November 2016 and obtained private investment and funding from East Lothian Council .
“ We found it immensely motivating to develop something from the stage of an idea into a viable business . It challenges your creativity and problem-solving abilities . And it gives us a chance to work with people we truly enjoy working with .”