Our Accomplishments
… I remember the team meeting when I told Daniya and Adam that I was exhausted and dejected and I didn’t feel like I could do this. The most important thing about a startup is the team and they both rallied around me. They helped lift me up by telling me about all my positive qualities and how much progress we had already made and now was not the time to give up. We decided to redirect the ship, instead of hiring a Chief Technology Officer we decided we should hire a developer who could build the prototype and shared the same enthusiasm and passion we had for making a difference and saving lives. The technology direction would come from me. We hired Joan as our lead developer, and he has made a significant and positive contribution to the company and the product. We now have the first stages of a working prototype where we can use open source patient data which is processed and fed into the algorithm for diagnoses.
We also hired a neurodiverse services information designer, Ollie, who has contributed significantly not only to the branding and look and feel of our company but also to participating in the research and producing meaningful artefacts such as journey maps.
I decided to take another stab at grants and other forms of help and support. I reached out to the National Institute for Health and Research and via them I managed to form a relationship with a Consultant Surgeon from University Hospitals Birmingham. He became our clinical advisor and through him we formed a relationship with the University of Birmingham Engineering department who have decided to co-invest in our company. We will be working closely with them for the next 3 years and have a dedicated PhD student to conduct the research and build the prototype with the hope of undertaking clinical trials.
We went from a team of two, to a team of just me, to a team of three and now we are a growing, thriving, strong and diverse team of 7 with the PhD student (8th) due to start in January.
When I look back at where we were this time in 2021, we were a team of 3 people, who had a pitch deck with the concept for our product, market analysis, competitor research and desk research. We had not secured any funding or investment and I was ready to give up. In that one year, things really turned around and as the year comes to a close we have achieved so much more:
- We are a core team of 5 people
- In addition to this, we have a clinical advisor, an academic advisor and a PhD student starting in January (taking us up to a team of 8)
- We have secured a co-investment to move the project further with the University of Birmingham which involves a relationship with University Hospital Birmingham
- We have a working prototype that uses open source data to pre-process the images and diagnose lung cancer
- We rebranded and launched our website
- We’ve developed and expanded our pitch deck and other material further
I am so glad I didn’t give up and I am grateful for my team, for their dedication and everything they have done to get us this far in their free time and for encouraging me never to give up and to stay strong and for their belief in me when my own was waning.
I am proud that we are a company that is looking to make a difference in the world, that we are one that champions diversity and inclusivity and the level of compassion and care we show towards each other.
The idealistic do-gooder in me believes we can make a real difference. I am glad I didn’t give up last year and I am very excited to see what we can achieve in 2023!
Happy holidays and thanks for reading. If you’d like to invest in us please email invest@astronomicalai.com