Dive Brief:

• Tenacity, an MIT spinoff that offers an application delivering "social physics for workforce optimization," has announced a $1.5 million funding round led by Health Tech Capital, according to Geekwire.

• The article reports that Tenacity research (and other studies) has shown that happy, healthy, engaged employees work more efficiently and are less likely to seek greener pastures. The company’s platform roots out workplace problems and delivers data-driven solutions to improve productivity and reduce that often expensive attrition.

• The Tenacity program also encourages workers to set specific goals and do what it takes to hit them. Goals range from reducing stress to fitness monitoring, according to Geekwire. 

Dive Insight:

Tenacity uses social incentives to structure these employees’ reward systems. It includes a buddy system known as “accountability partners,” whereby any time an employee achieves a goal, the worker and his/her partner receive Amazon gift cards, for example.

Geekwire reports that other investors include Harvard Business School Angels, Band of Angels, Launch Capital, Seattle Angel Fund, Seattle Angel Conference, and Rising Tide Fund. Individual investors include former Secretary of the Treasury Larry Summers; former Overture CEO Ted Meisel; EMC Corp. Chief Legal Officer Paul Dacier; and former OptumHealth CTO Steve Meyers. Total funding for the 7-person company is now at $1.9 million.

Whether or not Tenacity gets traction among U.S. employers remains to be seen, but the latest funding round shows that there are some true believes in its ability to help improve workplace culture.