SYDNEY, AU — August 8, 2025
Last night at the Startup World Cup Sydney, organized by Startup&Angels, something unexpected happened.
To be honest, it wasn’t my best pitch. I walked off stage feeling like I’d let my colleague, Natalie Lui, down after all our preparation. But as the votes came in, the result was clear: hoogly.ai took home the People’s Choice Award.
Why the Audience Chose “Listening” Over “Surveying”
The fumbles on stage didn’t matter because the core problem we are solving is one that every person in that room felt personally. In the conversations that followed the pitch, the feedback was visceral:
- “I hate surveys.”
- “Your approach actually feels human.”
- “I want to apply this to schools to help kids connect.”
This is why we call Hoogly a Culture OS rather than just another engagement tool. People don’t want to be “measured”; they want to be heard.
Moving Past the “Downward Spiral”
Most employee engagement tools in the market today are built for the benefit of the admin, not the employee. This creates a “downward spiral” of culture: generic questions lead to survey fatigue, which leads to low-quality data, which leads to leadership paralysis.
By winning the People’s Choice, Hoogly has been validated by the most important stakeholders of all: the people who actually use the tools. Our mission is to fix employee engagement through personalised, AI-powered conversations that feel like a chat with a trusted peer, not a corporate interrogation.
A Growing Movement
We want to extend a massive thank you to the judges—Natasha Prévot, Taryn Pieterse, Shaina Brown, Kirstin Hunter, David Kenney, William Hasko, and Tim Griffiths—and to Simon Thomsen for keeping the energy high as MC.
We also want to congratulate Richard Salkeld for his incredible win—do us proud in the US!
What This Means for Your Team
This win in Sydney, following our global recognition in San Diego and London, proves that the demand for human connection is global. Whether you are a team of 20 or 200, the future of work isn’t in a spreadsheet; it’s in the neuroscience-backed “mood cards” and empathic listening that Hoogly provides.
Stop sending surveys. Start listening. Book a demo today and see why the audience at Startup World Cup voted Hoogly as the #1 tool for the human-centric workplace.
