Lumi Interactive raises $6.75 million to bring crowdhealing project to life

Lumi Interactive announces $6.75 million seed investment led by a16z. Also participating in the round were 1Up Ventures, Galileo Ventures and Heracles Capital. Double Loop Games boss Emily Greer also participated as a business angel.

The oversubscribed seed round is the largest venture capital investment in a female-founded games studio in Australia. The studio is the developer behind Kinder World, a free mobile game that allows players to take care of virtual houseplants by performing mindfulness tasks in the real world.

“Lumi is entering a fast-growing and much-needed category of its own,” said a16z’s James Gwertzman. “The goal here is not to match or compete, but to slow down, take a step back and take a much-needed mental health break.”

The funds will be used to further Lumi Interactive’s mission to make the world a kinder place. Lumi Interactive plans to expand its development team and scale Kinder World for a meaningful global launch. The studio aims to bring the Kinder World experience to more platforms, both online and offline.

So what is Kinder World and what is Crowdhealing?

Kinder World asks players to engage in evidence-based self-care activities. Lumi Interactive employs a full-time wellbeing researcher, a Dr. Hannah C. Gunderman, whose work influences the various activities within the game. The entire game is based on their concept of “crowd healing” and once players take care of their own emotional well-being, they are gently pushed to reach out to other players.

The idea is that these “acts of kindness” improve both the well-being of the individual player and the well-being of the community as a whole.

“The last few years have been anything but friendly,” Lauren Clinnick, head of Lumi Interactive, told GamesBeat. “But even in the depths of Melbourne’s long lockdown, my small team has seen how everyday acts of compassion can make the world seem kinder to ourselves and to others.”

Kinder World kind of exploded on TikTok, attracting an audience made up mostly of women and non-binary people. Lumi Interactive is using the surge in popularity to work with fans to develop the game. Thanks to their input, Lumi Interactive can ensure that the game doesn’t just feel like pointless work.

Kinder World is available for iOS and Android and is expected to be fully launched by the end of 2022.