From Burnout to Breakthrough: Zebble Founder Wins Barclays Entrepreneur of the Year

From Burnout to Breakthrough: Zebble Founder Wins Barclays Entrepreneur of the Year

Barclays honours Eliza Twist for creating Zebble, a first-of-its-kind solution to help people disconnect and sleep.

While working in investment banking, Eliza Twist experienced first-hand the effects of always being available early mornings, late-night calls, and the constant pressure to be on. Burnout and sleep issues became the norm, until one night she made a simple decision: to stop sleeping with her phone beside her bed.

That one change sparked something bigger. She quickly noticed the impact on her sleep and mental clarity and soon helped her friends and family do the same. But it was only after a safety scare that the idea for Zebble was born: a way to switch off from the digital world while staying reachable in case of emergency.

This year, Eliza received an Award for Outstanding Contribution to Entrepreneurship, recognising her work as the Founder of Detach Tech and the creator of Zebble a calming, screen-free device that supports healthy digital boundaries and better sleep.

Zebble has already attracted interest from luxury hotels, corporate wellbeing programmes, sleep clinicians and athletes. But at its core, it’s simple: a beautifully designed tool that helps people put their phone away with peace of mind.

“This all started with one small change leaving my phone out of the bedroom. It changed how I slept, how I felt, and how I lived. I created Zebble to make that change easier for others. Being recognised by Barclays makes me feel proud, but more than anything, it shows there’s real momentum behind doing things differently.”

Now preparing for launch in the UK and US, Zebble includes a companion platform, Zebble+, offering expert audio content for sleep and digital wellbeing.