Get closer to the people who matter

We have never been more connected, or more alone. Consius is a coach for the human skills that bring us together: understanding yourself, understanding others, communicating, and leading with empathy. A tool for connection, never a substitute for it.

In early development · Investor & partner enquiries welcome

A person in a calm, reflective moment

Our mission

Human first. Always.

“We are not trying to replace the people in your life. We are trying to help you show up better for them.”

We are living through an age of separation. We have more ways to talk and less that we actually say, more followers and fewer friends. The skills that hold relationships together, listening, empathy, honesty, patience, were never really taught, and they are quietly going rusty.

Consius is a coach for those skills. It talks with you the way an honest friend would: it listens, but it also tells you the truth and helps you see what you are missing. Over time it gets to know you, and helps you understand yourself and the people around you a little better each time.

The point is never to keep you talking to an app. It is to send you back into your own life better equipped, to repair the relationship, have the hard conversation, lead your team, and close the distance with the people who matter. Technology in service of people, for the betterment of us all.

Our Approach

From knowing yourself to reaching others

Real connection is not a personality you are born with. It is a set of skills, and skills can be learned. Consius is built around a simple progression: understand yourself, understand others, and put it into practice.

Some moments are small and some are life-changing. Consius is there for both, always on your terms, and always pointing you back towards the people in your life rather than away from them.

01

Understand yourself

It starts with you. Consius helps you notice your patterns, name what you are feeling, and see yourself more clearly.

02

Understand others

The same emotional intelligence Consius brings to you, it helps you bring to other people. Learn to read the room and see where someone else is coming from.

03

Practise

Rehearse the hard conversation before you have it. Work through conflict, persuasion and connection in a space where getting it wrong costs nothing.

04

Grow

Build the habits, reframes and skills that stick, then carry them back into the relationships that matter.

05

On your terms

Always there when you need it, never demanding your attention. Private by default. You decide how and when to engage.

From a tense message you are not sure how to send, to the relationship you have been meaning to repair, Consius helps you find the words, and the courage, to close the distance.

What we're making

Technology that feels human

Voice or text, however you think best

Type when you want to choose your words with care. Speak when you need to hear yourself say it out loud. Consius meets you in whichever feels right.

Built to understand emotion

Consius reads nuance, not just 'happy' or 'sad' but the full range of what you are feeling. The same understanding it brings to you, it helps you bring to the people in your life.

Mind Vault

Your memories and reflections stay in your hands. Decide what matters, review the patterns Consius notices, and delete anything, any time. Your inner world stays yours.

Human first, by design

Consius exists to bring people together, never to replace them. A three-layer responsibility framework keeps every conversation grounded and safe, and when a moment calls for a real person or professional support, Consius knows it, and points you there.

Early glimpses · In development

What we're building

A calm, focused space designed to help you understand yourself, practise the human skills that matter, and connect better with the people in your life. These are early concept views, a hint of where we are heading.

Concept view — Speak it or type it
Speak it or type it Talk out loud or write it down, whichever helps you think.
Concept view — More than listening
More than listening An honest coach that helps you grow, not just somewhere to vent.
Concept view — Frames
Frames Learn new ways to think about problems, and about people.
Concept view — Guided conversations
Guided conversations Start a conversation with a clear goal and work towards it together.
Concept view — Practice and games
Practice and games Rehearse conflict, persuasion and connection where mistakes cost nothing.
Concept view — Mind Vault protected
Mind Vault protected Everything you share is private, encrypted, and yours to delete.
Concept view — Knows your context
Knows your context Share your memories and goals so Consius understands what you are working towards.

The research

Grounded in behavioural science and responsible AI

Our thinking is grounded in peer-reviewed research on coaching, behaviour change, and the responsible use of AI alongside human relationships. The work below has shaped how we are building Consius, and why we believe AI should strengthen human connection rather than stand in for it.

Research
Bournemouth University · March 2026
40% of UK adults open to AI for support

Nearly half of UK adults happy to use ChatGPT as a counsellor, study finds

A study of nearly 31,000 adults across 35 countries found more than 4 in 10 UK adults are happy to use ChatGPT for mental health support. Three quarters of those surveyed would use an AI chat tool as a companion or friend.

Read more
Research
PLOS ONE · 2022
10 mo longitudinal RCT

AI coaching matched human coaches on goal attainment in a 10-month randomised trial

Two longitudinal randomised controlled trials compared human coaching with an AI chatbot coach over ten months. Both significantly outperformed control groups on client goal attainment, suggesting AI coaching can be effective for structured personal goals.

Read more
Report
The Conference Board · HBR · October 2025
89% reported actionable outcomes

AI can deliver up to 90% of career coaching, with humans still essential

Research found 89% of users said AI coaching sessions produced specific, useful next steps. The reports highlight AI’s strengths in structure, goal orientation, and democratising coaching access, while flagging privacy and security as the central risks to manage.

Read more
Review
Journal of Work-Applied Management · February 2025

A systematic review of AI in coaching: what the evidence says

Reviewing the field, the authors found AI coaches designed with a narrow, well-defined purpose are effective at improving outcomes such as goal attainment, self-resilience, and physical activity. Personalisation and clear scope are repeatedly identified as the difference-makers.

Read more
Editorial
Frontiers in Digital Health · 2025

AI for health behaviour change: where it works, and where it doesn’t

A systematic review of human, AI, and hybrid coaching found AI coaching is particularly effective for structured tasks like goal-setting and habit formation, while human and hybrid approaches remain stronger for relational depth. Most effective designs combine the two.

Read more
Perspective
Personnel Services · 2025

The hidden gaps in today’s coaching model

Traditional coaching is expensive, hard to scale, and often arrives too late. The piece argues that AI-powered coaching grounded in behavioural science can fill the gap by offering personalised, in-the-moment support to people at every level, not just executives.

Read more

The people behind Consius

Meet the team

Consius is shaped by a small group of experts and builders who share a belief that the most powerful technology is the kind that brings people closer, not the kind that keeps them staring at a screen.

Michael Brailsford

Founder & CEO

An expert in selling the sizzle!

James

Founder & CTO

A masterful sausage maker.

Mum

Advisory Board

The brains of the operation

Saberus Tajah ACMA CGMA

Finance Director

I began my career in accounting at HML Group, an AIM-listed estate management business, working closely with P&Ls and identifying inefficiencies that delivered cost-saving measures across large property portfolios. This built a strong foundation in financial control and commercial awareness.

I then moved into fund management at Octopus Investments, where I developed a clear focus on analytics, refined my management accounting skills in a fast-moving investment environment, and began linking financial data directly to decision-making.

Next, I joined a multi-billion dollar ASX-listed travel company. My role covered:

  • Internal audit
  • Pricing analytics
  • Commercial accounting

This expanded my scope beyond reporting — I was influencing pricing strategy and driving performance across the business.

I later progressed into senior leadership roles within Omnicom Group, a $22bn global organisation, starting as Financial Controller before becoming Finance Director. In these roles I:

  • Led finance teams
  • Owned financial strategy
  • Partnered with senior stakeholders
  • Delivered commercial and operational improvements

Alongside this, former colleagues began reaching out for fractional Finance Director input, which led me into working closely with software startups. There I developed a focus on:

  • Building strong financial controls
  • Creating scalable reporting systems
  • Supporting founders through growth stages

Over time, I have helped multiple founders secure 8-figure exits.

Most recently, I was approached by Consius to lead their finance function.

Our Principles

Your inner world is not a product

We built Consius on a simple principle: your reflections belong to you. Not advertisers, not data brokers, not us. Ever.

0
Data sold or shared. Ever.

Your conversations stay between you and Consius.

E2E
Encrypted by default

End-to-end encryption protects every message.

You
Own the delete button

Full data deletion, any time, no questions asked.

Let's talk

Help us build something that brings people closer

Consius is human first: built to help people connect, not to replace the people in their lives. We are looking for investors, coaches, researchers and kindred spirits who believe technology should bring us together. If that sounds like you, we would love to hear from you.

Get in Touch

For investors · For partners · For the curious