Turning Financial Education Into Two-Minute Games
The founder behind 2mins on gamifying money, closing the UK financial education gap, and making pensions and investing finally click.
2mins
Emily Boxall, with her father, co-founders of the financial education app.
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Financial education is often too complex, too dry, or simply ignored – leaving many people to make major money decisions without real understanding. 2mins is a free app tackling that gap by turning topics like investing, payslips, and pensions into fast, engaging, two-minute games designed to build real financial confidence. We spoke to the founder about why accessibility matters more than simplification, and how humour and behaviour design could change the way we learn about money. Entrepreneur UK talks to Emily Boxall, co-founder of the financial education app she built with her father Chris Boxall.
What is 2mins and what problem are you solving?
2mins is a free app that turns financial education into fun, bite-sized games. Each piece of content takes around two minutes and is designed to make topics like pensions, investing and payslips feel simple, engaging and memorable. The problem we’re solving is that most people are expected to make huge financial decisions without ever being properly taught how. And when education does exist, it’s often too complex or too dry to stick.
What inspired you to start it?
2mins actually started with my dad. Through his experience working in finance, he’d seen first-hand how significant the financial education gap is in the UK, and had the idea to build an app to help tackle it. He also knew I had a slightly wacky creative streak and a background in communications — particularly in turning dry, complex topics into something more engaging — so he pitched the idea to me. It immediately clicked. It felt like a chance to combine both of our strengths to solve a really important problem, and I haven’t looked back since.
What makes your approach different?
We focus heavily on behaviour and engagement, not just information. Everything is designed to be completed in two minutes, using humour, storytelling and game mechanics to reinforce concepts. It’s closer to something like Duolingo than traditional financial education: short, repeatable, and designed to build habits over time.
What have you learned since launching?
One of the biggest insights is that people are far more willing to engage with financial content when it doesn’t feel overwhelming. We’ve seen strong engagement with topics people typically avoid, like pensions and investing, simply by changing how they’re presented. It’s reinforced the idea that accessibility isn’t about dumbing things down, it’s about designing them better.
Why do you think financial education is still lacking?
A sense of humour and fun! There’s a huge opportunity to present financial information in a more creative way. Not only does that improve engagement, it also has a meaningful impact on long-term retention.
What’s been the biggest challenge in building 2mins?
One of the biggest challenges has been balancing simplicity with accuracy. Financial topics can be complex, so the challenge is breaking them down without losing what matters. There’s also the challenge of building something in a category that people don’t naturally gravitate towards. You have to work much harder to earn attention.
What’s next for 2mins?
We’re focused on growing the platform and partnering with organisations to bring 2mins to wider audiences, particularly through schools and workplaces. The long-term goal is to make financial education something people engage with regularly, not something they avoid or only encounter when it’s too late.
Financial education is often too complex, too dry, or simply ignored – leaving many people to make major money decisions without real understanding. 2mins is a free app tackling that gap by turning topics like investing, payslips, and pensions into fast, engaging, two-minute games designed to build real financial confidence. We spoke to the founder about why accessibility matters more than simplification, and how humour and behaviour design could change the way we learn about money. Entrepreneur UK talks to Emily Boxall, co-founder of the financial education app she built with her father Chris Boxall.
What is 2mins and what problem are you solving?
2mins is a free app that turns financial education into fun, bite-sized games. Each piece of content takes around two minutes and is designed to make topics like pensions, investing and payslips feel simple, engaging and memorable. The problem we’re solving is that most people are expected to make huge financial decisions without ever being properly taught how. And when education does exist, it’s often too complex or too dry to stick.
What inspired you to start it?
2mins actually started with my dad. Through his experience working in finance, he’d seen first-hand how significant the financial education gap is in the UK, and had the idea to build an app to help tackle it. He also knew I had a slightly wacky creative streak and a background in communications — particularly in turning dry, complex topics into something more engaging — so he pitched the idea to me. It immediately clicked. It felt like a chance to combine both of our strengths to solve a really important problem, and I haven’t looked back since.
