Idea

Dora, the founder, struggled to give medicine to her children when they were little, especially her youngest, who refused the medicine altogether. Although he didn’t have any medical issues, he used to get high temperatures that difficult to control. It was important to give him Calpol quickly but he would become distressed, clamp his mouth, pull away, cry uncontrollably and the medicine would normally end up all over him or the floor.

Dora found various products: medicine dummies, soft syringes, medicine bottles and many more, but some were too messy or difficult to use, some directed the medicine straight down the throat, some were not suitable for babies that don’t like dummies, some simply ineffective.

Giving medicine to her baby was a struggle and a constant worry. Every time Dora looked at her distressed baby she couldn’t stop thinking “There has to be a better way!” She set on a mission to make giving medicine to babies easier and Medapti concept was born.

Opportunity

With over 600,000 UK births a year, more than five tonnes of Calpol (baby paracetamol) sold every day (more than 12 million units each year) and children’s OTC remedies and healthcare market worth £159 million, there is a huge market opportunity.

The Future

With over 100,000 babies cared for in neonatal units in the UK (and nearly 30 million babies worldwide), because they have either been born prematurely or full term but sick, the vision is for Medapti to become a tool in healthcare market helping premature and sick babies (as well as disabled and elderly in the future). In consumer market, we envisage Medapti becoming a go-to brand for products assisting with looking after unwell babies.

The Team

Dora Rivers – Founder

Dora is an ambitious entrepreneur who loves problem solving. Medapti is one of many ideas that came from a life necessity but the one she believes will help many parents and carers. She is not only incredibly passionate about her product but she also knows that her skills and strengths will enable her to turn it into a success. Dora holds Masters Degree in Economics with a Marketing specialty. She worked as a database manager most of her career and she currently runs a website design business.

Kevin Hanson – lawyer

Kevin has 10 years’ experience of working in the legal profession specialising in patent & trade mark registration, enforcement and monetization, and general intellectual property and commercial law. Prior to entering the legal profession, Kevin spent 14 years working in industry as an engineer. He works with a range of clients from individual entrepreneurs to multinational corporations.

Paul Harman – intellectual property attorney

Paul has been a vital part of the team, taking care of the company’s patent applications. Paul has experience across the mechanical and electrical engineering fields software-implemented inventions and business method fields, with significant experience of protecting ‘difficult to patent’ inventions. Paul also advises on trademarks and registered designs.

Andrew Webb – Accountant

Andrew has been looking after Medapti’s accounts since the day of company’s registration and provided essential financial advice over the years. Andrew qualified as a Chartered Certified accountant with BDO Stoy Hayward. Currently he is a director and head of their Business Services department at Ward Williams Chartered Accounts based in Weybridge, Surrey. Andrew has over 30 year experience in assisting and advising SME business from start up to more complicated multi million groups.

Laura Powell-Corbett – social media support

Laura has been a successful blogger and social media consultant, building audiences and engagement across the main social media channels both for her own blog and that of her clients. She has been working on maintaining a Medapti social media presence, predominantly on Instagram.