StEP Ignite 2024: OUI programme supports students building start-ups
15th August 2024
The team behind MariTest, a non-invasive test for malaria, are the winners of this year’s Student Entrepreneurship Programme
Last month, nine teams made up of 30 total students joined our Start-up Incubator for a month-long intensive entrepreneurship training programme, benefiting from workshops on how to develop their ideas, identify their market, and pitch their businesses, as well as guest talks from seasoned entrepreneurs, industry specialists and investors.
The programme culminated in a pitch event on 25 July, where each team presented their business plans to an audience and expert panel. The winning team was MariTest, who are using AI to end malaria with a non-invasive diagnostic device.
Inspired by founder Hakim Kakooza’s own experience of the disease, and aiming to solve the problem of a lack of access to accurate, timely malaria diagnosis in sub-Saharan Africa, the team – completed by Tinashe Ngwenya and Matthew Buckley – have developed a hand-held, AI-powered bloodless device that can be used to diagnose malaria quickly and cheaply. Of the experience, the MariTest team said:
“StEP equipped us with the practical tools to assess MariTest’s market opportunity and business viability. The programme also enabled us to connect with specialist mentors from OUI, and we are grateful for their guidance to our team during the four weeks.”
The OUI Incubator team look forward to continuing to support MariTest to grow their business and bring hope to communities devastated by malaria. Cath Spence, Incubator manager, said:
“Malaria is a killer, claiming the lives of over 600,000 a year. It’s aided and abetted by poverty and the challenges of access to timely diagnosis rural areas. Maritest presented an affordable, reusable solution which can be deployed to the remotest stations. The judges were impressed by the team and the clear potential of the product to make a global impact. We’re delighted to have the opportunity to support them on the next stage of their journey.”
The two runner-up teams also impressed the judges – Oxpatch, with their solution to speeding up tissue repair in rotator cuff injuries, and BioFragment, with their approach to manufacturing biological fragments for more sustainable drug discovery.
There was a vibrant and collaborative atmosphere throughout the entire StEP programme, with a truly diverse and dynamic mix of ideas and skills and an openness to learn. Congratulations to all nine teams who delivered exceptional pitches showcasing a month of hard work, and are an excellent example of the entrepreneurial spirit of Oxford students.
To learn find out more about StEP Ignite, visit https://unistep.org/.
