In a world dominated by scrolling and digital entertainment, Nicola Gunby found herself yearning for genuine connections and meaningful encounters. It was this personal struggle that fueled the birth of CLIQ, a revolutionary app designed to bring like-minded individuals together and encourage them to step out from behind their screens.

As a second-time founder, Nicola drew inspiration from her previous venture, MY REV, a marketplace for freelance beauty professionals. The journey from concept to the launch of CLIQ took eight months of meticulous planning and testing. The result is a live app that has garnered positive feedback and demonstrated its potential to address the unique needs of its users. I chatted to Nicola to find out more about the journey so far.

Where and when did the idea of creating and co-founding CLIQ come from?

The concept of CLIQ came to me when I was at a period in my life where I needed to get out, meet new people and I didn’t know how. Current social media apps aren’t social, they are simply entertainment apps that keep us scrolling and addicted. I realised that there is nothing out there which is focused on meeting like-minded people and encouraging people to actually get out from behind the phone, rather than hide behind it.

I am a second-time founder and my previous company, MY REV, was a marketplace for freelance beauty professionals, which gave me a stepping stone into the tech industry from being a Makeup Artist myself. I grew that business from an idea on the beach one day to a partial acquisition from Revolution Beauty within 3 years, seeing a huge gap in the market and hitting the wave of post-COVID life of 80%+ of the beauty industry turning freelance.

The best business ideas come from a personal problem that you want to solve and then realise that there are millions of other people in the world with the same issue.

How long did it take to create and develop the app? I'm so interested to hear about this process!

We had the idea in February and then launched in September, so it was 8 months from idea to concept. We have really great connections which allowed us to dive straight in and validate the idea within the first month.

This meant that we got it in front of our target audience as quickly as we could to gain feedback. I think one of the most crucial things when you have an idea is to test, test, test – which we did! But it is now so amazing to see it live and in the hands of real people.

What kinds of communities are you seeing on the app?

What is amazing about CLIQ is that we already have such a wide variety of communities. The majority of the communities that we have are either social, fitness or wellness communities as I feel that everybody can slot themselves into one of those categories. Whether it is a walking group, run club, fitness class community, social event, brunch club etc. What is more amazing is that the communities on the app are super inclusive and engaging for our users. This means that when they go onto the app they are able to find a community that they resonate with but also have IRL events and meetups to attend.

You launched pretty recently, how have people reacted to and engaged with the app so far?

The past two months have been amazing for the team and the launch couldn’t have gone any better!

The thing with a tech launch is that you never know what could happen – which is the scariest but also most exciting part, as you can only do it once. The feedback that we have had along the way has been nothing but positive and shows that we are on the right path to building something special. We’ve noticed that people are downloading CLIQ for a reason, they either want to meet new people, find a new community, discover local events or they are downloading the app to access a community that is using CLIQ for their brand.   

What's been your favourite part of becoming a co-founder of a tech brand? Do you feel like there are enough women in this field?

My favourite part of being a founder is being in control of the vision and mission of the brand. My role is very much the creative side of things, which I realised from my first business that I am best at. So the brand, the marketing, the content, the partnerships and the communities are all part of my day-to-day and are what I am most passionate about.

Being a woman in a tech business has its pros and cons, as the tech industry is unfortunately still seen as a ‘man’s world’. I do believe with more leaders in tech who are women we can change that narrative, it just takes more exposure and more success stories to come out of the tech industry based around women to increase this.

What does community mean to you?

At CLIQ, community is at the heart of everything that we do. There has been a lot of controversy recently that community is just a ‘buzzword’, but I don’t believe it is.

Community is something that has been around forever and is a basic need for us as humans, as we all desire meaningful connections. Community to me means that safe space where you can be yourself, as you know you are surrounded by like-minded people. It is when you are in a room full of people and you can feel the energy and buzz in the air and then walk away from that experience feeling good and having multiple new connections.

Do you have any women that you admire or take inspiration from?

I do feel that as a founder you are looking to take inspiration from everything that you see and everyone that you meet, no matter how big or small. There are so many incredible women out there doing amazing things that I look up to, such as Grace Beverly and Krissy Cela.

I especially admire people who are founders but also in the limelight, as you have to have such thick skin having your every move criticised.

What are the 3 things you simply cannot live without?

This is a tough one! Exercise, herbal teas and makeup. If you put me on a desert island with these 3 things, I would be more than happy!

What does CLIQ have planned for 2024 and how can we book?

We already have so many exciting plans for 2024 that are huge and totally out of the box which is exciting. As a start-up, you can be super flexible and try everything! We have just closed a funding round which means we can move onto the next stages of development and first we will be tackling the UK and then moving internationally!

You will be seeing lots more campaigns, communities and IRL experiences on CLIQ in 2024!

In a world increasingly digital, CLIQ emerges as a beacon of connection and empowerment, breaking barriers and fostering meaningful interactions. Stay tuned for CLIQ's journey as it unfolds, bringing people together and creating communities that transcend the digital divide. You can download CLIQ in the Apple Store or Google Play, and follow them on Instagram.

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Emily King is a writer and founder of the online female-led magazine The C Word Mag. Her online magazine celebrates women and female expression in all forms by publishing content from women of all ages and backgrounds to help elevate female voices. After spending over 8 years in media & marketing, she’s taking the plunge and going freelance. Follow The C Word on Instagram and if you’re looking for a marketing or paid media consultant, check her out on Instagram or drop her an email.