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Based in Paris, France, Focus Tree is a web3 productivity application that gamifies focus sessions to help users reduce social media addiction. The platform allows individuals to set timers that temporarily restrict access to distracting applications, rewarding successful completion with digital assets used to cultivate virtual gardens. To enhance personal well-being, the software also incorporates social accountability features through collaborative focus sessions and friend engagement. Following its initial launch, the consumer wellness application experienced rapid adoption, scaling to over 110,000 weekly active users within its first two months of operation. The startup secured $2 million in a seed funding round in May 2024 across a syndicate of 14 investors, backed by venture capital firms including StarkWare, Sfermion, Volt Capital, and Foresight Ventures. Focus Tree was founded in 2022 by Laurent Boulin and Gabin Marignier.
Focus Tree has raised $2.0M across 1 funding round.
Focus Tree has raised $2.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Focus Tree has raised $2.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $2.0M Seed in May 2024.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1, 2024 | $2M Seed | Sfermion | Joakim Achren, Benjamin Flores, Christophe Lassuyt, Elias, Giuliox, Henry Chen, Mentor Reka, Ramzi Laieb, Sebastien Borget, Th0rgal, Foresight Ventures, Psalion, StarkWare Industries, Typhon Ventures, Volt Capital | Announced |
Focus Tree has raised $2.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Focus Tree's investors include Sfermion, Joakim Achren, Benjamin Flores, Christophe Lassuyt, Elias, GiulioX, Henry Chen, Mentor Reka, Ramzi Laieb, Sebastien Borget, Th0rgal, Foresight Ventures.
Focus Tree is a gamified productivity app built on the Starknet blockchain, designed as the "Strava for studying" to combat social media addiction and boost focus among students and users.[1][3][4] Users start focus timers that block other apps, earning "tiles" and "focus points" for successful sessions to grow virtual gardens, share progress with friends, and unlock rewards like new trees or coins, fostering social accountability and personal growth.[1][3][4] Founded by Laurent Boulin and Gabin Marignier, it serves mainstream students worldwide—targeting 500 million globally—with explosive growth from hundreds to over 105,000 users in 15 days via low-cost acquisition ($0.10/user) and $2M seed funding, prioritizing scale over early monetization.[1][2][3]
Focus Tree emerged from founders Laurent Boulin and Gabin Marignier's insight into student productivity gaps, observing apps like Forest's enduring appeal despite outdated design due to better alignment with mainstream needs.[1] After two years of development, they pivoted in November 2024 by adopting a "media-first" validation strategy inspired by Blake Anderson's Cal AI approach: posting mockups on Reddit that went viral, confirming demand before heavy coding.[1] This broke the product-user feedback loop, leading to three months of hypergrowth.[1] Launched on Starknet for blockchain-secured progress and rewards, it secured $2M seed funding on May 17, 2024, from 14 investors including Sfermion, StarkWare, Foresight Ventures, and Volt Capital.[2][3][4]
Focus Tree rides the productivity gamification wave fused with Web3, addressing digital distraction amid rising social media addiction—especially for 500M students—by blending social fitness mechanics (Strava-style) with blockchain rewards on Starknet's scalable L2.[1][3][4] Timing aligns with post-2024 crypto consumer app boom and AI-validated growth hacks, filling gaps in outdated tools like Forest via viral, low-cost acquisition.[1] It influences the ecosystem by proving Web3's viability for non-finance apps—secure, rewarding focus—potentially inspiring more gamified wellness tools on L2s, while Starknet investors amplify its network effects.[2][3][4]
Focus Tree's trajectory points to dominating student productivity with Web3 hooks, scaling to millions via sub-$0.10 CAC and garden-sharing virality, before monetizing rewards or premium features.[1][3] Trends like AI growth plays, L2 adoption, and social-fi will propel it, evolving from niche app to ecosystem with collaborative gardens and real-world rewards.[1][4] As the "Strava for studying" scales globally, its media-first, VC-fueled momentum positions it to redefine focus in a distracted world—watch for mainstream app store dominance and deeper Starknet integrations.
