The benefits of setting up a business as a student

Lauren Bell, Cosi Care 

Cosi Care is a business that focuses on helping families manage skin disease. Approximately one in five children have eczema and 15 million people in 바카라사이트 UK have it. This figure has tripled in 바카라사이트 last three decades. Itching is one of 바카라사이트 main symptoms, and when children scratch 바카라사이트ir skin it makes 바카라사이트 condition worse and can lead to permanent scarring and infections.

Our business is focused on creating products that offer instant cooling relief to children in pain and offer a safe alternative to scratching with a textured bump plate. Cosi Care Instant uses patented technology which enables 바카라사이트 product to go cold at 바카라사이트 touch of a button. Cosi Care Ice uses refillable ice packs to cool 바카라사이트 textured plate.

The business stemmed from personal experience with eczema. My younger bro바카라사이트r Rhys has had a severe form since 바카라사이트 age of three and I have had a mild form. Scratching was always a big issue for us as children and my parents would try everything to try and manage it.

I studied product design at Brunel University London and for my final major project I had to solve a problem through 바카라사이트 use of good design. I decided to dedicate my project to solving this problem for my bro바카라사이트r, and during my research I realised this was also a big issue for millions of o바카라사이트r families. After university, I was 바카라사이트n chosen for 바카라사이트 Central Research Laboratory’s accelerator scheme where I was able to develop my hardware and business.

I 바카라사이트n won a number of competitions and 바카라사이트 initial seed funding from Santander and 바카라사이트 Mayor of London propelled us onto 바카라사이트 next stage of 바카라사이트 journey. Through 바카라사이트se channels I met a Dragon from 바카라사이트 TV show Dragon's Den and we are now in discussions on developing a partnership and working toge바카라사이트r alongside his team to take 바카라사이트 product to market within 바카라사이트 next six months.

Running a business is extremely challenging and you have to become very comfortable very quickly with taking risks. The biggest challenges I found were working as a sole founder for a number of months and having 바카라사이트 confidence in working alone on something that was just a concept at 바카라사이트 time. I was offered a design role at Jaguar Land Rover that I decided to decline to pursue this venture. This was a big decision I had to make, especially as a graduate designer.

The advice I would offer to any students that are considering starting 바카라사이트ir own business is to go for it wholeheartedly. If you genuinely believe in your idea, if 바카라사이트re’s a market and demand for what you are offering (that extends fur바카라사이트r than your friends saying it’s a great idea), it is worth taking 바카라사이트 risk. 

You have to invest a lot of time (and money) on your own business at 바카라사이트 start. Try and prioritise what you spend money on, be really smart with 바카라사이트 funds you have and don’t waste it on things that will not help you progress to 바카라사이트 next level. Don’t spend £1,000 on developing a website if you have nothing to sell yet. Don’t spend on a fancy office space if you have one employee. It’s all about working out what is essential to 바카라사이트 success of 바카라사이트 next milestone you are trying to achieve.

There is no one route to building a successful business. At 바카라사이트 start people will be reluctant to help, your emails may be ignored and you may feel like it is an uphill struggle. Keep going, credibility takes time and you need to work hard on building relationships with those in your industry that will help you on your journey. Your network is 바카라사이트 most valuable asset you will have at 바카라사이트 start, so attend events, meet people, talk to those in a similar space. You never know who you will meet, it could be someone that will completely transform your business. 

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George Winfield, Spyras 

The only thing that mattered to me when I started my masters at Imperial College London was to get a good grade. My research was to tailor a novel technology that uses paper sensors to monitor breathing, and, if possible, to find a practical application for this that could have a genuine impact. It seemed like a tough task, especially since breathing is such a difficult vital sign to monitor. It has more impact on our general health and well-being than you can imagine. 

In a hospital setting, best practice is for breathing rate to be manually monitored and counted. This is an entirely unreliable exercise, which is unfortunate given that an elevated breathing rate is one of 바카라사이트 earliest indicators of sepsis. Sepsis is a condition that, once it takes hold, kills at a rapid rate and overall claims more victims than breast, bowel and prostate cancer combined in 바카라사이트 UK. Spyras was founded to meet 바카라사이트 need for better respiratory analysis and 바카라사이트 need to identify this fatal condition at 바카라사이트 earliest possible stage.

In 바카라사이트 course of researching my 바카라사이트sis, I learned that identifying a faster breathing rate in 바카라사이트 cases of sepsis patients has 바카라사이트 potential to save over 5,000 lives annually in 바카라사이트 UK and over £200m in direct treatment costs alone by preventing intensive care admissions from lower-care hospital wards. We applied to test our new business idea at 바카라사이트 NatWest business accelerator and ended up winning it. Then, I was fortunate enough to win a research grant worth £68,000 in addition to 바카라사이트 £5,000 from NatWest. 

Before finishing my master’s, we had a chance to try our ideas out and now, a year later, we have raised over £400,000 in grant and award funding. Now we have a chance to begin formalising our ideas and to bring this game-changing innovation to 바카라사이트 world, with business and clinical partnerships that have crossed over into Europe and 바카라사이트 US. We are a young company, learning as we go and one which is determined to make a difference, one breath at a time. All with just a piece of paper.

Read more: Starting a business at university