Animorph is a London-based workers cooperative that aims to enhance human potential through technology. The cooperative was started by a group of friends that met while living in the Sanford Housing Cooperative in south east London, which led them consider the cooperative model as a natural choice to structure their venture.
The cooperative’s goal is to create software that uses immersive technology to help people facing challenges such as stroke, dementia, bipolar disorder, psychosis, anxiety, and more. Rather than trying to "solve" these conditions, Animorph focuses on easing the impact they have on people's lives. Using a mixed-reality headset Animorph has developed apps that allow users to express their symptoms, which they can later discuss with their therapist. A clinical neuroscientist serves as their primary advisor to guide this work.
Animorph operates with a flat structure, where all members are on equal footing. This helps keep the work environment relaxed and ensures that the cooperative maintains control over their product and research. They stick to cooperative principles, contributing to open-source projects and sharing a cooperative workspace.
However, being a cooperative in the tech industry comes with its challenges. Securing enough funding is difficult, especially for projects requiring high-end, expensive headsets and GPUs. Testing their dementia-related augmented reality program was also tough, as it was hard to find dementia care homes willing to participate. Fortunately, a social care support cooperative in the UK agreed to collaborate by organising codesign sessions and providing opportunities to test their app.
Currently Animorph is looking for social impact investors and support to bring their products to the community. Do you want to support innovation that puts people and their wellbeing at the heart of its approach? Contact idea@animorph.coop
Animorph is a member of workers.coop, our UK members.
