These days, the average person spends over 5.7 hours a day on their smartphone – that's almost two full months a year. But the real problem isn't the time. It's what we're losing: our concentration, our mental health, and above all, our genuine human connections. We sit next to the people we love, yet our minds are elsewhere. And while this affects us all, our children and teenagers are most at risk, growing up in a world where being present is becoming the exception rather than the rule.
What makes this even more difficult is that it's not just a habit—it's more like an addiction. And like most addictions, it's incredibly hard to deal with alone, especially when the source of that addiction is always within our control. Most existing solutions attempt to address this by forcing individuals to disconnect through restrictions, blockers, or discipline. But this approach often fails because the problem itself is social in nature. This is where BeWithly comes in.
BeWithly is the first app that transforms switching off into a shared experience for multiple participants. It works in a simple yet effective way: you create a room, invite friends, family, or colleagues, set a timer, and start a session. From that moment on, everyone puts their phone aside. Whoever stays present wins. Whoever gives in and uses their phone loses. It's simple, but it completely changes the dynamic – because now you're no longer alone.
By combining social responsibility with simple gameplay mechanics, BeWithly transforms something difficult into something captivating, even entertaining. It shifts the experience from discipline to motivation, from isolation to connection. Because if the problem is social, then so should the solution be.
We are currently live as an MVP, available on the App Store and Google Play, and are already being used by people who want to reclaim control over their time and attention. Our vision is to expand this into a platform that supports students, families, and even workplaces – anywhere people want to reconnect and create uninterrupted, meaningful moments.
For me, this is a very personal matter. I'm a father of three, I work full-time, and I struggle with the same distractions every single day. I'm not just developing this as a founder—I'm developing it as a user. And I firmly believe that the big tech companies won't solve this problem, because the very systems that encourage this behavior are incredibly profitable. That's why we need a different approach.
I know I can't solve this alone. I'm looking for partners, supporters, and investors who believe this is a problem worth solving—not just as a product, but as a movement. Because if we approach this correctly, we're not just developing an app.
We help people reclaim their lives.
Patrick Kiyombo is an international sales leader and entrepreneur based in Munich. As a father of three, he experienced how phone use disrupts real-life connection, inspiring him to build BeWithly. Combining professional experience with a personal mission, he is creating a platform that helps people disconnect from screens and reconnect meaningfully, while seeking partners and investors to scale its global impact. 
