When you have an ice cream named after you, you know you’ve made it.
Thanks to her win in Ben & Jerry’s Join Our Core Competition, CEO of Singapore startup PlayMoolah Audrey Tan had the opportunity to name a new flavour of ice cream after her company. As of today, PlayMoolah Mochabundance has been launched in Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shops islandwide.
A Mochabundance Of Opportunities
It’s not everyday that a startup gets an ice cream flavour made for them and named after them. In fact, this is the first of its kind in Singapore, with PlayMoolah being the first recipient of this generous award. Luckily, the 4-year-old startup has a whimsical name that suits both Ben & Jerry’s quirky flavour names, and reflects their own goals and aspirations.
But what does Mochabundance mean?
Tan explains that, “Jerry, the founder, says that it’s all about taking difficult conversations and turning it into a more light-hearted conversation, like ice cream. And one of the hardest conversations thus far has been around money. So when we ask young adults what they feel about money, it’s often times attached with emotions like fear, worry, anxiety, insecurity, and even insufficiency.”
“So for us, it’s all about how (…) we can shift this mindset of one from scarcity to abundance. Because truly, if we look at the resources that’s around us, there’s really more than enough!”
With “Moolah” from PlayMoolah meaning money, they specialise in creating financial literacy tools for children and young adults, aiming to inspire conversations on what still is a touchy subject in Singapore. They currently run the Moolahverse — an online portal that introduces young children to money — and WhyMoolah, a virtual simulation game that reenacts life after university in a local setting.
“We’re humbled and honoured to have our brand featured in all the Ben & Jerry’s outlets. Echoing Jerry’s statement about making difficult conversations easier with the help of some ice cream is truly relevant for PlayMoolah. This Ben & Jerry’s partnership allows us to transform some of the originally tense and emotionally laden topics around money into something more lighthearted.”
Along with the ice cream flavour, they have also scooped up a €10,000 unrestricted grant, invaluable mentoring from Ashoka, as well as a trip to Vermont, USA, where Ben & Jerry’s was created. There, they will gain valuable training from US-based entrepreneurs and business leaders.
From Digital To Real Life
When asked what plans PlayMoolah has for the €10,000 grant, Tan explains that the money will be channelled to bringing PlayMoolah to more people, with most of it going into building their newest real-life strategy game, Moolah Run. This is a breakaway from PlayMoolah’s usual digital focus, where people who sign up play through gamified money decisions and challenges.
To celebrate the launch of PlayMoolah Mochabundance, which was held on PlayMoolah’s 4th birthday, PlayMoolah will be offering an exclusive 30% discount coupon with every purchase of their flavour to experience Moolah Run.
“2015 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for PlayMoolah and we are looking forward to working closely with Ben & Jerry’s to bring more new programmes to the community,” said Tan. “This year, our mission is to enable young people to develop a positive relationship to money by questioning current narratives and developing their own definition of success.”
The ice cream will be sold in Scoop Stores for the next 6 months. So the next time you get a scoop of ice cream, you can get a fresh perspective and great ideas with every bite.
