Two entrepreneurs have set up a business designing training technology to help clinicians improve the outcome of patients suffering from critical breathing problems caused by conditions such as Covid-19, swine flu and cardiac arrest.
Leicestershire-based Sagar Haval and his partner Babita Haval have created the simulator technology so that medical professionals can practice life-saving treatments such as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation – or ECMO – where the blood is oxygenated outside the body in severely ill patients.
Mr Haval launched The Simulator Company after working as a clinical practitioner and trainer for several years and identifying what he called a need for a decent, lightweight prototype to help clinicians improve the treatment they offer.
The business has just received a start-up loan of £25,000 from First Enterprise – Enterprise Loans, to help with its growth plans.
The cash will help them invest in the tools and technology needed to efficiently produce the simulators, which they said are more accurate than some of the models currently available.
Mr Haval said: “I am very pleased with the support I received from First Enterprise.
“The initial preparation required for the Start Up Loan application helped me evaluate my business and its needs from a new perspective and has provided me with the reassurance to move forward.
“I have been in the medical line for a long time, so the advice and support I received from the Start Up Loans business expert has helped me learn and understand how to run a business effectively alongside the medical knowledge I already have.
“The mentorship has also helped me streamline my decisions and goals for the business.
“The Start Up Loan I received from First Enterprise was vital in the initial challenges I faced when trying to procure engineering companies, as it gave me the capital needed in order to produce a working prototype.
“I anticipate that the company will soon be going international and has a strong pipeline of customers which I did not expect to get in year one.”
Richard Bearman, managing director of Start Up Loans, said: “It is always great to see the government-backed Start Up Loans scheme being used to fund innovative and impactful businesses, demonstrating the vital impact UK small enterprises have on our society and economy.
“For these complicated businesses, the mentoring, support and guidance the scheme offers is more important than ever, and I’m pleased to see the value it has provided to The Simulator Company’s development.”
