How a Personal Struggle with Loneliness Inspired Hoogly’s Mission to Improve Social Well-being at Work

An Interview with Mohit Midha, CEO of Hoogly (second from left in the picture above)

Instead of a traditional founder’s story, we thought it would be more engaging to present this as an open and insightful conversation with Mohit Midha, CEO and founder of Hoogly. As part of the Hoogly team, I (Sharath) wanted to let the interview flow naturally, capturing the spirit of our candid discussion. What started as a reflection on Mohit’s journey—from surviving a medical emergency to addressing the well-being challenges of hybrid work—became a deep dive into the importance of connection, leadership, and mental health in today’s workplace.

But first, a quick introduction to Hoogly. Inspired by the Danish concept of hygge—which emphasises comfort, well-being, and togetherness—Hoogly is a platform designed to help distributed teams build culture and belonging. With a mix of neuroscience, psychology, and AI, Hoogly promotes emotional awareness, connection, and well-being in hybrid work environments. It’s about more than just staying connected; it’s about fostering a culture where everyone feels supported, valued, and motivated to perform at their best, leading to higher productivity, lower turnover, and improved overall business outcomes.

Here’s Mohit’s journey, in his own words.

From a Medical Emergency to a New Purpose

Sharath: Mohit, I know we’ve discussed this before, but could you take us back to the day you faced this medical emergency? How did it shape the vision for Hoogly?

Mohit: That day completely changed my perspective on life. I woke up at 6 AM, feeling off but still went to the gym. Afterward, I dropped my son at school. We were running late, so I sprinted with him to the gate, and I remember being out of breath. By 11 AM, I was sure I had COVID, so I got tested, but they wouldn’t give me the result for another 24hrs. My breathlessness just got worse throughout the day. By 5 PM, we called an ambulance. The paramedics told me, “You’re having a heart attack.” I was rushed to the hospital, and by 10 PM, they’d placed a stent in my heart. Later, I was told, “it was a close call!”

Lying there in the recovery ward, unsure of what was going to happen, I started reflecting. I had exited my first startup Mangahigh and moved from UK to Australia, away from the support system and network I had built for years. It felt like I’d lost my sense of purpose and my connection to others in one go. That loneliness had hit me hard and it manifested itself in this medical crisis. It was then that I realised how important human connection is—both for well-being and survival. That’s when I started researching the space and the idea of Hoogly was born.

Building Meaningful Connections in a Hybrid World

Sharath: That’s incredibly powerful. How did those experiences with loneliness and isolation inspire you to start Hoogly?

Mohit: The isolation I felt made me think deeply about how disconnected we’ve all become, especially with hybrid and remote work. I’d spent years building Mangahigh, and we had a great team culture. We were helping millions of kids around the world learn math through games. That sense of shared purpose was everything. When I stepped down and moved to Australia, it was like all of that was gone overnight. I lost the daily interactions, the problem-solving, the camaraderie.. my community!

But it wasn’t just me—I saw it everywhere. I dove into the research, and it all pointed to the same thing: people who feel like they belong at work perform better. I read a study that said employees who feel connected have a 56% increase in job performance and a 50% drop in turnover risk (Value of Belonging by HBR). And it’s not just about performance. Social isolation increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes by 30% (American Heart Association). I’m sure loneliness played a part in mine. That’s why Hoogly isn’t just about helping people connect—it’s a personal mission to make sure other people don’t go through what I did.

When employees feel supported and engaged, companies see real, tangible benefits: fewer sick days, less burnout, and better overall performance. So, improving well-being isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s essential for business success in the long run.

Gamification: From Teaching Kids to Building Connections

Sharath: You mentioned Mangahigh—how did your experience there shape your approach to building Hoogly?

Mohit: At MangaHigh, our mission was to make math more engaging for kids by turning it into a series of casual games all mapped to an overall learning framework. We reached millions of students across 50 countries, and it worked because we made learning fun and met kids where they were at. That same principle of gamification is central to Hoogly. We’re using the same kind of mechanics—like nudges and prompts—to encourage people to open up, share, and build connections with their colleagues. We have different features that map to an overall framework, where the ultimate goal is to build meaningful connections with your peers.

But Hoogly isn’t just about fun; it’s grounded in neuroscience and psychology. We’ve designed it to help people become more emotionally aware, both of themselves and others. For example, our mood cards allow users to check in on how they’re feeling—whether they share that with the team or keep it to themselves is up to them. But it’s that simple act of self-reflection that leads to greater emotional literacy, and building deeper connection over time.

Survival, Leadership, and Layoffs at Mangahigh

Sharath: When you were at MangaHigh, you faced some difficult moments—especially with burnout and tough decisions like layoffs. How did that experience influence your leadership approach now at Hoogly?

Mohit: One of the hardest things I ever had to do was lay off more than half the team at Mangahigh. It wasn’t a decision I took lightly, but it was the only way to keep the company alive.

What really stood out to me during that process was how some people responded. One team member showed told me he understood why it had to be done and felt sorry for how I must be feeling. I was deeply moved by the compassion he showed me, even when I had delivered such bad news to him. In difficult situations, we have a knee-jerk reaction to think of ourselves, but here was someone modelling how to think of other people even then.

That same person came back later when we were able to grow the team again. He taught me to always see the human behind the work. At Hoogly, I’m trying to apply that lesson.

Modelling Vulnerability as a Leader

Sharath: You’ve mentioned before that you believe in modelling vulnerability as a leader. Can you share how that looks in practice?

Mohit: Yeah, that’s really important to me. Vulnerability has to start at the top. Take this interview, for example—I had to pause to change my baby’s nappy. I told you that because I want to normalise this kind of behaviour. Now, next time you’re in a similar situation, you’ll know it’s okay to prioritise your family or personal life.

If I don’t show that it’s okay to be human, how can I expect my team to feel comfortable doing the same? Leaders need to set the tone. If you want people to open up, you need to be the first to show vulnerability. At Hoogly, we’re trying to build an environment where people feel safe sharing their struggles, their challenges—without any fear of being judged or punished for it.

AI as a Catalyst for Connection

Sharath: Let’s talk about AI. Hoogly uses it in an innovative way to foster connection. How does AI fit into the mission of making work more human?

Mohit: AI is a tool—a catalyst for connection, not a replacement for it. At Hoogly, we use AI to help people gradually open up in a way that feels safe. For example, if someone rates their mood as low but only share a little bit about the ‘why’, the AI will take note and, next time, gently nudge them to share a little more. It’s like levelling up your emotional awareness. Exactly, what we did to make learning more personalised with my last start-up.

The other key point is that of your values. I like to use the analogy of being in a pub. Imagine you’re in one pub, and your best friend is in the pub next door. The incumbent social platforms won’t tell you that your friend’s right there—they want you both on your phones, doom-scrolling. Their incentives are aligned with engagement as the business model is all about advertisements. But Hoogly’s goal is to get people to connect meaningfully, whether that is online or offline. We’re using AI to make that happen. For instance, our AI can help you find out who else likes running at lunch time, or is a new mom, or is simply around for a coffee. We use AI to facilitate connections with people you have things in common with, even when it’s not obvious.

In the same genre, I am also excited about our relationship intelligence tool that analyses each individual in terms of their personality, their values, their working preferences and any neurodivergent traits in order to provides actionable recommendations for you and your colleagues to understand and work with each other.

Advice for Leaders and Teams

Sharath: Finally, what advice would you give to leaders and teams dealing with burnout, stress, and isolation in today’s work environment?

Mohit: First, model the behaviour you want to see. If you want your team to prioritise well-being, you need to do it yourself. Be vulnerable. Be open about your challenges and make it clear that it’s okay to not be okay.

Second, focus on psychological safety. If your team doesn’t feel safe sharing their feelings, burnout is inevitable. Hoogly is giving people the tools to build real connections and understand each other better, but it still needs buy-in and support from leadership.

Lastly, remember that life is short. Don’t wait for some perfect moment in the future. Enjoy the journey, work with passion, and focus on what really matters—both in life and at work.