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On the TechTO stage
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About
Flipd came out of a specific moment: Cristian Villamarin gave his younger brother — about a decade younger — his first smartphone, and was alarmed at how fast his behaviour changed. He and Alanna Harvey built an app around that problem. Harvey described it on the TechTO stage in May 2018 as 'a digital wellness company that's reengineering healthy screen habits for the next generation,' and said the product uses technology to nudge people away from spending too much time on technology. The main use case narrowed over time to social productivity tools for high-achieving students. The company took angel investment rather than institutional venture rounds, and later used non-dilutive revenue-based financing from Braavo Capital, which Braavo says helped Flipd reach profitability within months and pass one million users. Harvey has since left; the app remains available and flipdapp.co was still selling a Premium subscription as of July 2026.
Backers
Angels, not institutional venture rounds. Asked on stage in May 2018 whether they had raised, Harvey said 'we raised money so far from angels' and credited Toronto angel groups. Freycinet Ventures lists Flipd as a portfolio case study. Flipd later took non-dilutive revenue-based financing from Braavo Capital — debt-style growth funding, not equity.
Quick answers
What does Flipd do?
It helps you stop looking at your phone. Flipd locks you out of distracting apps for a chosen stretch of time and tracks the focused time you build up, with group sessions so people can do it together. Alanna Harvey summed up the approach on stage: 'We use technology to nudge people away from spending too much time on technology.' The core audience narrowed over time to students.
Who founded Flipd and why?
Alanna Harvey and Cristian Villamarin, in Toronto. The trigger was Villamarin giving his younger brother, roughly a decade younger, his first smartphone and watching how quickly his behaviour changed. Harvey told the TechTO audience in May 2018 that they saw it as a problem everyone was having.
Is Flipd still running?
The app is still available and flipdapp.co was still offering a Premium subscription as of July 2026. Alanna Harvey is no longer involved — she moved to Braavo Capital after roughly seven years as Flipd's CMO. Several secondary sources say Flipd was acquired in 2023, but no primary source or named acquirer could be found, so this page does not treat that as fact.