Founders of life-saving medical start-up wow the judges on Dragons’ Den
Deborah Meaden and Steven Bartlett were particularly impressed by the duo’s accessible anaphylaxis kits
North London entrepreneurs Zak Marks and James Cohen secured a £75,000 investment from entrepreneurs Deborah Meaden and Steven Bartlett for a stake in their company Kitt Medical, when they appeared on Dragons’ Den on Thursday evening.
Like a defibrillator but for allergies, their award-winning Kitt Medical provides schools and businesses with a consistent supply of adrenaline pens stored in a secure wall-mounted kit which includes instructions on how to administer the medicine in response to a life-threatening allergic reaction.
Zak, 27, and James, 28, particularly impressed ‘Dragons’ Deborah Meaden and Steven Bartlett, who each committed £37,500 for a 3.5 percent stake in the business.
Zak told Jewish News: “The whole thing felt like an out-of-body experience. It was as incredibly nerve-wracking as it was exciting.
“Deborah and Steven were the two (investors) we really wanted. I’ve been a long-time follower of Steven so was really keen to get him involved, as well as Deborah Meaden for her experience in the hospitality world and her passion for environmentally-friendly and passion-led projects.”
Zak and James had initially asked for £75,000 for a five percent share in the business but when Meaden offered all of the money for five per cent and Steven Bartlett the same but for 7.5 percent of the business, the entrepreneurs asked if they would be willing to share at £37,500 for a 3 percent stake each. Meaden and Bartlett agreed to sharing at 3.5 percent and the duo accepted.
They had also received an offer from Touker Suleyman for 8 percent.
Zak, who was diagnosed with a severe nut allergy as a child and carries his own adrenaline pens, said: “Throughout my life, my allergies have often been misunderstood, stigmatised, and even joked about, but anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction, can cause serious harm or even death. Our mission is to make anaphylaxis treatment accessible to anyone who needs it. It’s highly important to have generic adrenaline medication readily available for emergencies, as anaphylaxis can strike anyone, even those without known allergies.”
He was inspired to start the company after seeing too many ‘avoidable’ deaths on the news caused by allergic reactions.
Since launching in 2023, Kitt Medical has partnered with over 600 sites across the UK, including schools, academy trusts, private businesses and hospitality venues such as Alton Towers. The service also includes online training, which has been completed more than 15,000 times.
Last year, Wolfson Hillel Primary School in north London became the first Jewish school to adopt the sets on site.
Zak, who has a background in product design, lives in Hampstead while James, who studied Chinese and International Relations, lives in Queens Park but grew up in Stanmore. The duo met through mutual friends and started working the business during Covid.
The entrepreneurs have since received multiple awards for their work, including the health category of the Mayor’s Entrepreneur Award, as well as the Santander X and Conduit Young Innovators award.
Meaden said: “I love it,” adding that the duo “categorise what a really good business is.
“You know where your market is and you two are as smart as anything,” she added, while Bartlett commended the founders for the positive and life-saving impact their business has already had.
Zak and James have been in regular contact with Meaden and Bartlett since the show. “We have had a lot of contact with them. They’ve been incredible and have bought into the business, the mission and us as founders.”
To date, Kitt Medical sets have been used in ten cases, helping to prevent fatal situations where people had unknown allergies and didn’t have their own adrenaline pen.
The Dragons’ offer brings the total raised by Zak and James to £750,000 so far. The investment will be used for hiring and to scale the business. They also recently moved to bigger offices in Kings Cross.
“I’m super excited about the profile this will give allergy awareness in the UK,” said Zak. “It isn’t something that is often seen on Dragons’ Den, so to be able to talk about it with such high-profile people and raise awareness is amazing.
“We are very keen to be portraying a positive solution to a problem that many only see through negative news.”
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