This month we are announcing the fifth investment from our impact fund – into FutureGov. 

FutureGov is transforming public services by using elegantly designed technology to improve local government services in areas of high importance, cost and risk such as child protection or social care. Nesta has been working with FutureGov for a number of years throughout the different stages of its journey. 

Nesta Impact Investments has now made an investment of £750k to support FutureGov to really scale up its products and services across the UK. Here’s a little bit about why we think this is such an exciting investment.

What does FutureGov do and what’s its impact?

FutureGov designs digital products that improve public services. Read more about it here.  One of the best things about FutureGov is that its tools and products have all been created in response to an identified social need, and developed with a user centred approach to their design. 

Its first product Patchwork was developed in response to the Baby P crisis. The crisis brought to light the need to improve communication between practitioners working with a vulnerable child. FutureGov worked with front line staff to design a solution that would work for them in practice - putting an effective tool in the hands of people who can make a difference.

Why was FutureGov a good investment?

Nesta Impact Investments is seeking to back great entrepreneurs with a passion to solve social problems. FutureGov’s founders, Dom and Carrie, are exceptionally talented yet modest individuals. They know how to use their talents to achieve positive impact, through product innovation but also motivating other people to change their practice. They also know the limits of their own abilities and are open to bringing other people’s views on board.  Exactly the kind of entrepreneurs we want to work with. 

We see huge potential for FutureGov to increase the scale of use of its products and services and therefore to achieve real and lasting impact in the UK and, overtime, internationally. Public services are facing challenging times; experiencing increased demand for services while at the same time having to implement steep budget cuts. The sector urgently needs to find ways to improve services and deliver ‘more for less’ – and that’s what FutureGov’s approach can deliver.

FutureGov’s products address big social needs, such as how we address the issue of loneliness among our older population, and how we provide the best care possible to society’s vulnerable children.  These issues are prevalent across all of the UK, making FutureGov’s offering highly relevant to all local authorities.

What is the investment for?

Our investment will allow FutureGov to scale up what it has already developed. The Patchwork and Casserole products are already being used in a number of local authorities in the UK and internationally. Our investment will help the FutureGov team reach more councils and therefore more people.   

But the ambition goes much further than that. There is a pipeline of really exciting products coming through, addressing issues such as helping people to understand and discuss mental health issues, helping people and families manage their personal finances, and much more. 

Watch this space!

This blog was originally published on Nesta Impact Investments. Read the original blog.