Entrepreneurship

Needs Assessment Solutions Development Plans References

Needs Assessment

Rapid Business Assessment

Our team began by conducting a simple needs assessment. This is shown in the rapid business assessment below, including our problem statement, target market, manufacturing considerations and risk assessment.

Health Equity

Our project is critical for advancing health equity in India, particularly for women, who are disproportionately affected by urinary tract infections (UTIs) and sepsis due to limited healthcare access. In India, the prevalence of UTIs among women ranges from 3.14% to 19.87%, with higher rates in rural areas where sanitation and healthcare infrastructure are poor [1]. Untreated UTIs can progress to sepsis, a condition that contributes to 11 million deaths globally each year, with a massive 85% happening in low- and middle-income countries [2, 3]. Indian women, especially in rural settings, often face challenges in accessing timely diagnostics and treatment. Our project aims to provide an affordable, easy-to-use diagnostic tool that addresses this gap, empowering women with early detection of UTIs to prevent the progression to life-threatening sepsis. This will help reduce health disparities and improve healthcare outcomes for women in underserved communities.

Solutions

This section goes through our solution and includes our business model and minimum viable product (MVP), and discusses aspects of our solution such as health equity and measuring impact.

1. Business Model

Business model is important to our strategy for our start-up and outlines our future development plans.

1.1 Nonprofit Structure

Our project is structured as a nonprofit, focusing on the development and distribution of a Point-of-Care (POC) diagnostic tool to detect and prevent UTI progression to sepsis, particularly in underserved communities. This model prioritizes public health outcomes, affordability, and accessibility over profits, ensuring that the tool reaches those who need it most. It attracts necessary funding, supports innovation, and promotes sustainability, ensuring that our diagnostic tool makes a significant impact on public health while maintaining long-term sustainability and equity.

Why a Nonprofit Model?

  • Healthcare Accessibility: Accessibility for marginalized populations, such as low-income households and rural communities.
  • Affordability and Cost-Effectiveness: The tool will be affordable or subsidized, with partnerships from governments, NGOs, and global health organizations helping to further reduce costs.
  • Partnerships with Public Health Systems: Nonprofits can partner with public health systems in the UK and India to scale the tool effectively.
  • Grant Funding and Donations: The nonprofit structure opens access to funding from governments, health organizations, and philanthropists.
  • Mission-Driven Approach: Our mission is to reduce sepsis-related deaths through early, accessible diagnostics, with no profit pressure diverting focus.
  • Research and Innovation: Collaboration with universities and research institutions allows for continuous improvements in the diagnostic tool.
How the Nonprofit Structure Aligns with Market Needs

  • Public Health Crisis: The tool addresses global issues like sepsis in women with UTIs, especially in resource-limited settings.
  • Global Health Focus: The nonprofit model allows us to scale the solution affordably in low- and middle-income countries.
  • Collaborative Approach: Partnerships with NGOs, governments, and organizations help to distribute the tool effectively.
1.2 Theory of Change [4]
  • Inputs: Grants, partnerships with NGOs and public health systems, and community engagement.
  • Activities: Developing the low-cost POC tool, training healthcare workers, and distributing the tool in underserved areas.
  • Outputs: Affordable diagnostics, increased awareness through campaigns, and expanded access to rural areas.
  • Outcomes: Early detection, reduced health disparities, and improved health outcomes for vulnerable groups.
  • Impact: Reduced sepsis-related mortality and improved health equity across socio-economic groups.
1.3 PESTLE Analysis [5]
  • Political: Aligns with public health programs like NHS and Ayushman Bharat, benefiting from favourable policies and tax benefits.
  • Economic: Ensures affordability for low-income populations and secures long-term funding through grants and donations.
  • Social: Addresses healthcare inequities and builds public trust in mission-driven solutions.
  • Technological: Supports collaboration with research institutions to develop low-cost, accessible tools.
  • Legal: Facilitates easier regulatory approvals through alignment with health agencies.
  • Environmental: Focuses on sustainability and eco-friendly distribution in rural areas.
1.4 Measuring Impact

To track and measure the social, economic, and health outcomes of our Point-of-Care (POC) diagnostic tool for UTI progression to sepsis, we will implement a robust monitoring and evaluation framework. This framework will focus on key metrics that assess the tool's impact on health equity, accessibility, and public health outcomes, particularly in underserved communities.

infographic

2. Minimum Viable Product

Below we have created an Minimum Viable Product (MVP) mockup, displaying how our product will be delivered to the users and what information will be accessible to them.

MVP picture 1 MVP picture 2

Additionally our team created a handbook that would come with the product, incorporating what we learned from our Human Practices and Education activities. This manual contains information explaining the science behind the product, general guidance, storage and use information.

Development Plans

Go To Market Strategy

The Go-To-Market Strategy below is a simple plan outlining how we plan to bring SepScan to the market.

go-to-market-strategy

Scalability

The infographic below shows the plans for the potential scale-up of our product, focusing on production, distribution, sustainability, global market needs and partnerships for growth.

infographic

Pitch Deck

The presentation slides below were used as the pitch deck by the entrepreneurship sub team during fundraising meetings with potential sponsors. It states the problem, our value proposition, our aims, and what we offer our sponsors.

Project Form

The entrepreneurship team also used a variant of our project description as a project form when speaking with potential sponsors. This provided sponsors with a bit more context detail on the different aspects of our project.

Lastly our team discussed our strategy in regards to patenting and how our project might progress post-iGEM from a legal point of view. The final decisions our team made regarding patenting, trademark, and product registration are outlined in the document below.

References

  1. Aarushi Mavi, Rathi I, Mohd Shannawaz, Saeed S, Hasan S. Correlates of Urinary Tract Infections Among Women of Reproductive Age in India: A Systematic Review. Curēus [Internet]. 2024 Apr 21; Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11107389/
  2. THE UK SEPSIS TRUST (2024). References & Sources - The UK Sepsis Trust. [online] The UK Sepsis Trust. Available at: https://sepsistrust.org/about-sepsis/references-sources/
  3. IHME (2020). Sepsis associated with 1 in 5 deaths globally, double previous estimate | Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. [online] www.healthdata.org. Available at: https://www.healthdata.org/news-events/newsroom/news-releases/sepsis-associated-1-5-deaths-globally-double-previous-estimate
  4. Fielding A. Finding your flow: why your business needs a theory of change [Internet]. Cohere Partners. 2020. Available from: https://coherepartners.com/finding-your-flow-why-your-business-needs-a-theory-of-change/
  5. Useful management tools – PESTLE analysis [Internet]. ABDO. Available from: https://www.abdo.org.uk/dashboard/business-hub/leadership/useful-management-tools-pestle-analysis/
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