Winner! Mayors Entrepreneur 2019
We love talking about Eczema, and making sure the voice of people suffering with skin disease is heard. So we thought that the Mayors Entrepreneur competition was a great chance to pitch our business in front of industry professionals to get the attention it deserved. After months of waiting in anticipation, we were selected to pitch in the finals at City Hall, London. Where (amazingly), we won!
Out of 500 businesses we were whittled down to 15. Three categories of 5 with creative, technical and sustainable businesses. We presented our ideas and products to a panel of impressive and successful entrepreneurs and faced tough questioning to determine the winning idea!
The Judges
We pitched our concept in front of a panel of amazing judges and dazzled them with our shiny new prototype. Having a strict two minutes to pitch we made sure the problem was highlighted and spoke about Rhys' journey with Eczema (the big inspiration behind staring Cosi Care) The judges included;
- Cassandra Stavrou, Founder ProperCorn
- Richard Reed, Co-founder Innocent
- David Walker, Citi Bank Head of Public sector banking, EMEA
- Natalie Campbell, Co-founder A Very Good Company and LEAP Board Member
- Philip Slater, Founder The Entrepreneurs Network
- Roni Savage, MD Jomas
(I know, NO PRESSURE!)
The Pitch!
"Imagine not being able to comfort your child when they're in pain? That was the case for my parents."
"My name is Lauren and we are Cosi Care, the first business to create technology to treat Eczema. So what is Eczema? It's an incurable skin disease that's red, dry, painful.. but most of all.. It's really itchy!
My brother Rhys was diagnosed with severe Eczema at the age of 3. I have witnessed him sit in agony scratch himself until he bled. Years of this led to permanent scars, he can no longer bend his fingers, and multiple life-threatening infections. Rhys is not alone...
1 in 5 children and 15 million people currently suffer with eczema in the UK and this has tripled in the last three decades. Allergies are on the rise due to atmospheric pollution, diet and allergen exposure. As a polluted and pioneering city London needs to lead the way in combatting this growing problem. What if there was a product that could stop children scratching with a creative rather than clinical solution?
We’ve created the first hand-held, non-invasive device that offers instant relief to a child in pain. Patented technology combining regulated cold and satisfying texture. Every year the NHS spends £169 million pounds on Eczema prescriptions, parents spend £900 and make up to 5 GP visits with their children needing multiple courses of antibiotics. Our multi award-winning and affordable solution will lighten this financial burden and tackle antibiotic resistance.
Eczema is the tip of the iceberg and our core technology can treat a multitude of skin diseases.
Antibiotic resistance is on the horizon, the time for this product is now! Eczema has shown no signs of slowing down and Cosi Care are the business to pump the breaks on this problem. There is a community of people itching to get their hands on my product. "
Thank you for Listening.
The Winners
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Creative Category: Lauren Bell from Cosi Care
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Technical Category: George Winfield from Spyras
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Sustainability Category: Hassan Ahmad, Mizi Fan & Kariem Ali from NanoShift
After a difficult deliberation the winners were announced and three business scooped a £20,000 prize to help develop their businesses. All 15 finalists also won a stunning office space for a year in London Bridge.
A great win for Cosi Care, and the money will used to kick off our user-trials, exhibit at the Allergy and Free From Show 2019 and perfect our product so it's ready for production. Very Exciting!