University support sparks start-ups into life

But despite her busy schedule, she is still finding time to devote to her fledgling business venture, NASICE. Miss Matthews has developed a non-invasive medical device to stop nose bleeds, after coming up with the idea as a result of her work on the hospital wards.

She said: “I noticed in the hospital setting that nose bleeds are a real problem. They should be quite straightforward to stop, most of them, but they require 
a member of staff to apply pressure to the nose for at least 10 minutes and it’s often not possible and patients end up having interventions, hospital stays as a result, they can become quite unwell.

Miss Matthews has benefited from start-up support provided by Leeds University and recently was among those handed awards at its Business Plan Competition lunch.

Leeds University students or those who have graduated from the university in the last seven years, with a business idea or a business started in the last 24 months, are eligible to apply and must submit a business plan. Both winners received £2,000, with prizes of £1,250 and £750 going to second and third place winners in each category.

The competition forms part of the university’s business start-up programme, Spark, for students and ex-students with business ideas.

Within Spark, the university offers Enterprise Scholarships, which are solely for undergraduates, and are backed by alumni of the university. The scheme can help them with business, training and transport costs, introduce them to mentors, provide incubation space for their business and help them to develop their networks.

Miss Matthews was an Enterprise Scholar in 2010. “When I pitched for the Enterprise Scholarship in 2010 my product was completely different to how it is now and it is because of the input of people’s advice and how the research works to really develop things.

“It’s not just the prizes that are helpful, it’s all of the contacts in Spark as well. There’s been loads of invaluable advice all the way.”

The business was officially set up a couple of months ago following a period of research and development by Miss Matthews. A patent is pending on the product and the plan is to soon move on to prototyping, backed partly by Miss Matthews’ prize money in the Business Plan competition.

“Hopefully by the end of the year we’ll be looking to pitch to different companies with the device,” said Miss Matthews.

Miss Matthews said that aside from hospitals, the device also has uses in sports, among children and in preventing people who suffer from nose bleeds having to go to hospital in the first place. She graduates this year and will then be working as a junior doctor.

“It’s going to be busy. But I do hope that in future I can get the experience to perhaps bring innovation into the hospitals.”

Miss Matthews won first prize in the pre-start category of the Business Plan Competition. In the trading category, the top prize was handed to Ashleigh Rodda, who last year set up Bariatric Training Suits, which provides a training aid to give users first hand experience of mobility issues faced by an overweight person.

Miss Rodda, who studied fashion design at Leeds University, graduating in 2011, said she currently holds the design rights worldwide to her product and plans to launch a marketing drive using her prize money.

Kairen Skelley, head of business start-up at Leeds University, said the calibre of the entries this year was “very high”.

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