In my childhood I ate peanut butter by accident – it ended with a rash and shortness of breath. Tests showed allergies to nuts and legumes. I got two syringes with adrenaline and I was told that in the event of a strong reaction an anaphylactic shock could occur.
I didn't understand what it meant. But it was these allergies that initiated my path to establish Kitt Medical, which generates 998 thousand. hole. annual, repetitive income.
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I did not carry adrenaline, despite the risk
I never had to use it – I never had a full -symptomatic anaphylactic shock (e.g. throat swelling, circulatory disorders).
Until my studies, my mother wore the so -called pen. When I went to college, I didn't want to take a bulky device with myself.
At studies in product design, we were told to create something that matters to us.
Not having engineering skills, I could not redesign Pen himself. So I started to think: “If I can't change Pen myself, what can I create around him to solve this problem?”
Poor points were that the validity of injections with adrenaline usually passes after 12-18 months, are uncomfortable to wear and most people are not aware of their existence or are not trained in their use.
The inspiration became fire extinguishers and defibrillators – this is how the idea for a rescue kit mounted on the wall was born.
The initial idea, inspired by fire extinguishers and defibrillators, put on a wall set with a screen and speakers mounted on the wall. Through pilot programs and tests, we reduced it to something like an extensive suitcase that can store penny.
Building without knowledge in the field of medicine or business
Our goal is to create a new standard of allergic care – a set like a defibrillator in every school, workplace, restaurant or stadium. When someone has a reaction, the trained employee runs to the set, brings him to this person, pulls out Pen with adrenaline, follows training and saves life.
I wanted to realize this idea, but I didn't have medical facilities. I was fresh after graduation and I didn't even know how to run my own business.
My dad and brother -in -law advised me that I needed a co -founder. Fortunately, I was introduced to James Cohen, who worked on sale, acted in schools and had a head for surgery and finances.
James and I collected about 100,000 together. pounds from friends and family in 2021 I gave up the work of Freelancer, he quit and we took the risk.
We have invested in marketing, conferences, creating prototypes, production resources and others. We have created a website to monitor the status of sets and support pharmaceutical partners.
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Product design from scratch and valuable advice in business
The set itself is not a medical product, so we were not related to legal regulations related to it. But we knew that we wanted to provide a comprehensive service, so we had to get a special license for drug distribution to sell sets with adrenaline inside.
We had to hire a license consultant and we were entered on the waiting list.
We have worked with consultants and doctors in this field who liked what we do and want to help us. One of the best advice I've ever received was hiring people smarter than myself to do things that I can't.
We tested a set in schools. In November 2022, we obtained more capital, mainly thanks to subsidies and competitions, because we wanted to maintain a majority participation in the company.
In 2023, we returned to these schools and exchanged their old sets for our new ones. At that time, we already had operating software and a license to sell medicines. Every year, we send new penny with adrenaline to replace expired.
Before obtaining the license, we did not charge any drug fees; Schools have gained their drugs separately. There was a lot of waiting, creating waiting lists and attempts to maintain momentum through continuous marketing.
Transition from schools to companies
In 2024, we learned how to sell to companies, already having experience in supplying schools for years.
The regulations can be limited because adrenaline is a prescription medicine only. However, if you are a company in Great Britain with a healthcare plan for employees, you can buy spare penny with adrenaline. This has opened a lot of doors for sales to qualifying companies.
Our revenues are good and grow organically thanks to orders, and our scaling path at this moment is to implement sets in different sectors. But our greatest success is life that we potentially saved.
Our Kitt sets were used to treat 17 life -threatening allergic reactions.
I never wanted to become an entrepreneur. I didn't think I had it in myself. Sometimes experts are too close to the problem. When you are an outsider, you have enough of it that you want to fix it, it gives you a fresh perspective. It is crucial to know your weaknesses and ask for help when you need it.
I do not perceive myself as a person running a medical start-up-simply as someone who is trying to solve the problem that constantly concerns me.
The above text is a translation with American Business Insider edition
