UCL Students win ACW Best Medical Start Up of the Year Award

In a tough competition against some of the UK's most prospective medic-led start-ups, the two students shared their passion to impress the judges and ultimately clinch the award for their company, Medic Mind.

What is Medic Mind?

Both experienced tutors, Mohil and Kunal witnessed students struggling with the UKCAT - a test required to enter a medical/dentistry degree at many UK institutions. They identified a gap in the medical school education market for affordable e-learning. Medic Mind launched in March 2017, providing a student-friendly and e-learning driven approach which has since been embraced across the world by students applying to medicine.

How did they impress the judges?

In the short time since launching Medic Mind, the amount that Mohil and Kunal have achieved helped them to stand out amongst the competition. Their achievements include:

• Development of materials - 16 books and 300 tutorials for the UKCAT, BMAT and Medical Interviews
• High uptake - used by over 10,000 students worldwide 
• Successful school tours - across the UK and Singapore
• Improving access to education initiative - working alongside the NHS to provide free UKCAT and BMAT teaching to students from underprivileged backgrounds

Widening participation ethos

One of Medic Mind's main aims is to tackle the widening participation problem at UK Medical Schools. With a lack of students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds entering medicine degrees, Mohil and Kunal vowed to make their courses accessible for everyone. Via their bursary scheme, Medic Mind offers free education to those who can't afford it.

What next?

Mohil and Kunal have a great deal of ambition for Medic Mind and beyond! They are keen to expand in countries such as Singapore, China and Dubai, where many medical applicants come from. They also plan to launch a partner company, Education Mind, which will encompass online courses and iOS apps for a range of GCSE and A-level subjects.

Kunal's tips for enterprising students

1. Don't be scared of the big corporations. There will always be huge companies with offices, full time staff and established market share. You don't need to try to beat them. We set up something more student-friendly and affordable than the corporate material from established companies, and with very little investment it was possible to gain a huge market share.
2. Focus on marketing and design. Of course product development is key, but branding and marketing can shape your company. If a product looks good and is designed well, it will immediately win over your customers. 
3. Be personal and caring. A start-up has the key advantage of caring more for each customer. You need to be personal with your clients, showing them the value of more individual attention from a small start-up compared to generic customer service from an established monopolist.

Mohil's tips for enterprising students

1. Don't be afraid of being unoriginal. Lots of people think to have your own start-up it has to be a new idea or in a market which isn't saturated - instead of making a new product, you can make an existing product better.  If your product is good, you will get customers.
2. Take advice but be confident with your decisions. Most likely, you know your market well and so have the confidence that whatever you decide will be beneficial for your company. Don't be afraid to take risks as this is part and parcel of launching a start-up.
3. Don't give up. We were told that 98% of startups fail, and that there was no chance that we would succeed. With a lot of graft and commitment, we have become the go-to resource for medical applicants. There will be points where you feel it won't happen, but everything will fall in place with good time. 

Feeling inspired? UCL Innovation and Enterprise works with students and staff to bring your amazing ideas, technologies and discoveries to life.