It’s that time of year when we’re supposed to be full of joy but the reality is we’re all very stressed. Limerick sisters Jacqui and Perry Meskell are here to take some of that stress away - one Hugg at a time!
Their music app Huggnote is a way to communicate through music and enables users to send a festive Hugg to anyone, anywhere in seconds! Perfect for those of us who just don’t have time/money for greeting cards but wish they had because we all want those we love to feel our support this time of year especially.
Winner of this year’s ‘Best Emerging Business’ at the Limerick Chamber in association with Limerick City and County Council and LIT Moylish - Huggnote is cheaper (its FREE), faster and greener than cards and a much more emotional experience because music is proven to release the same happy hormones as a physical hug! So even if you can’t be there – Huggnote can!
A former researcher on RTE’s The Late Late Show Jacqui had the idea for Huggnote when she was living abroad and her friend at home was going through a really tough time. Then a song on the radio brought back so many happy memories that she realised if there was a way to digitally gift-wrap it and send it from her heart to her friends ears… there’d be nothing else she needed to say. Her friend would get an emotional boost and feel how much Jacqui cared!
With no start-up, tech experience the sisters have taken Huggnote from idea to now having users in 143 countries across the globe! Enterprise Ireland clients and winners of Google’s Adopt a Start-Up, the DCU High Fliers Academy and recently Best Emerging Business at the Limerick Chamber - Huggnote Founders Jacqui & Perry Meskell are also passionate about inspiring others to follow their dreams and take some risks – a great message as we approach a new decade!!
“It’s shocking for most people to realise that we’re actually twice as lonely now than we were in the 1980s! And so that’s where Huggnote comes in. Launching a startup is such hard work but realising that people in places like Syria are using our app to send some Hugg love just means so much! We especially love those days when a user tells us how someone cried when they received their HUGG or how we helped mend a broken relationship – so we’ve realised we’re in the business of relationship recovery – and nothing could be more rewarding!” says Jacqui.
Christmas Huggs are available to send for ‘Merry Christmas’, ‘Missing You this Christmas’, ‘Happy Holidays’, ‘Thinking of You this Christmas’ and ‘Mistletoe Kisses’. And of course ‘Happy New Year’as well as many others from ‘I’m Sorry’ and ‘You’ve Got This’.
