Beluga Pods

Beluga Pods Ltd

Beluga Pods

Tackling loneliness and breaking the stigma.

London, UK

GBR

For-profit, including B-Corp or similar models

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We are addressing loneliness — a normal but deeply misunderstood human emotion that has become one of the most urgent public health issues of our time. Loneliness affects people of all ages, backgrounds, and walks of life. In the UK alone, nearly half of adults say they feel lonely at least sometimes, and over 3 million people feel chronically lonely. Globally, loneliness impacts 1 in 4 people, with young adults, older individuals, caregivers, and those experiencing life transitions most at risk. The World Health Organization has declared loneliness a pressing global health threat, with long-term effects on mental and physical health. Prolonged loneliness increases the risk of depression, anxiety, heart disease, cognitive decline, and early death — comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Yet loneliness is still met with shame or silence. Most people don’t know how to talk about it, let alone how to manage or overcome it. Beluga Pods normalises loneliness as a part of life and offers early, private, human-centred tools to help people feel understood and connected. By creating space for daily reflection, emotional awareness, and meaningful habits, we empower individuals to move through loneliness — not hide from it.

Beluga Pods is a mobile app that helps people understand and navigate loneliness in a safe, stigma-free way. It provides personalised, proactive wellbeing support through private daily tools, guided reflections, and a warm in-app companion called Beluga Pal — always available to talk, listen, and gently encourage growth. Instead of overwhelming users with clinical content or waiting for a crisis, Beluga Pods meets people where they are — helping them build self-awareness, connection, and purpose through bite-sized, science-backed activities. From daily nudges and habit tracking to tailored toolkits for different life transitions (like moving, grief, or starting university), the app is designed to be human, supportive, and easy to use. Under the hood, Beluga Pods uses natural language processing and behavioural science to adapt support over time. Our technology learns what works for each person, offering thoughtful prompts and tracking shifts in mood, engagement, and wellbeing (all anonymised and privacy-first). By normalising loneliness and supporting early intervention, Beluga Pods helps people build resilience and thrive — before loneliness turns into something more serious. https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/beluga-pods/id6605941850 https://www.instagram.com/belugapods/

Beluga Pods is designed for anyone experiencing loneliness — from young adults navigating transitions, to older individuals facing isolation, to anyone feeling disconnected in a fast-paced, digital world. We focus especially on those who fall through the cracks: people who don’t seek formal support, can’t easily describe how they feel, or won’t speak up due to shame or stigma. This includes students, caregivers, remote workers, new parents, the recently bereaved, migrants, and more. These individuals are often left to cope alone. Support services can feel clinical, intimidating, or reactive — only stepping in when things reach crisis point. Loneliness, meanwhile, is often minimised or misunderstood, despite its serious mental and physical health impacts. Beluga Pods offers early, empowering support — right from a person’s pocket. Through daily guidance, reflection tools, and Beluga Pal (our in-app emotional companion), users feel seen, supported, and encouraged to make small, positive changes. The experience is private, personalised, and stigma-free. By building emotional awareness, resilience, and connection — in just a few minutes a day — Beluga Pods helps people better understand themselves and their needs, and gently guides them toward belonging, purpose, and hope.