Our award-winning start to student innovation
ACT Medical founder Joseph Bentley graduated from Loughborough University in 2021 after completing the BSc Product Design and Technology programme.
His REACT prototype - built during Joseph’s studies - had already received global coverage when early prototypes of the life-saving device were recognised with the International Medical James Dyson Award.
The question for Joseph upon graduation was what we do next to move his vision towards reality - and where.
Joining a university startup incubator
In 2021 we joined LUinc. - Loughborough University’s business incubator.
The purpose of the incubator is to bring together academic and graduate entrepreneurs with emerging business founders from across Leicestershire and beyond.
Being part of LUinc. meant we were able to establish the business and put in place a framework for early-stage growth alongside some excellent other businesses and with the support of some expert mentors.
It also meant that we had access to the university’s R&D systems - not least when we gained the personal support of the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Nick Jennings, who is a global authority on AI, autonomous systems and cyber-security.
Entering the Innovation Awards
The LeicestershireLive Innovation Awards were established in 2018 as the region’s three universities and its Local Enterprise Partnership combined with local media.
The aim was to create a platform for the best and most exciting founders and innovators in the county to explain and demonstrate their ideas. ACT Medical entered in 2021.
Previous winners had gone on to appear on - and win investment on - Dragons’ Den.
We were nominated in the University Student Category, being shortlisted alongside funded startups specialising in wellbeing and physical activity.
We then described during the judging process how ACT Medical was working from the incubator to accelerate the development of our device to reduce catastrophic blood loss from knife wounds.
Student Innovator of the Year
The awards event was staged at Leicester City FC’s King Power Stadium in February 2022.
ACT Medical won University Student Innovation of the Year.
On the night, start-ups and spin-outs linked to Loughborough University research and innovation won in seven of the ten categories - as well as the overall Innovator of the Year and a Special Recognition Award.
Professor Claudia Eberlein, Loughborough University’s Enterprise lead and Dean of Science, later commented: “This was an evening of celebrating outstanding success of research and innovation at the University.”
Each of the businesses offered new solutions to major challenges from bases on the Loughborough University Science and Enterprise Park (LUSEP) - the location we had chosen to establish ACT Medical before our move to Cambridge a few months after winning the Student Innovation Award.
ACT Medical’s award-winning medical device aims to save the lives of stabbing victims by stemming bleeding from knife wounds. Follow ACT Medical on LinkedIn for latest updates or email hello@actmedical.co.uk to speak to us directly.