New pioneering product - Solesee

A Stratford woman's pioneering product, which helps people with high-risk foot conditions to check the soles of their feet, has attracted interest from all over the world.

The product, called Solesee, is a portable mirror system that allows people with diabetes and other medical conditions to easily check their feet for cuts or wounds. If not treated properly they could become infected, and this could eventually lead to amputation.

Lisa Preston, who jointly owns ShoeMed in Stratford, launched Solesee at the annual College of Podiatry Conference and Exhibition in Bournemouth.

Solesee received a £10,000 match funded grant from Business Innovation, which is run by Coventry University Enterprises, after receiving guidance from the Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub. The grant was used to finalise the design of the product, packaging and marketing materials ahead of the Bournemouth exhibition and to put towards working capital of the newly-formed company.

The Growth Hub is a one-stop-shop for support and advice for businesses across the area, which was formed by the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership as part of its City Deal bid to government.

Lisa has teamed up with Stratford-based marketing and product development expert David Smyth to develop, market and sell Solesee. To date there has already been a resoundingly positive response from podiatrists and other foot health practitioners.

David said: “There is no other product like this on the market, which is so discrete, easy to use and portable due to its size and shatterproof mirror. This fact was reinforced when, at the College of Podiatry Conference and Exhibition, there was interest from the UK's two leading podiatry wholesalers.

“One of these wholesalers, Canonbury Products, is working with us to distribute 250 demonstration products to high-risk foot clinics in the NHS. Education is the key, with podiatrists now in a position to show Solesee to patients who have high-risk feet conditions.  Checking their feet is an essential daily task, so having a suitable product available should make this much easier to carry out."

And interest has not just been restricted to the UK. “We had a number of podiatrists, who work overseas, come to talk to us at our stand and visit our website. Since the conference we have had significant interest from Croatia, the Netherlands, Korea, America and Australia with orders already received from three of these countries," David added.

Lisa said she had not been aware funding was available for SMEs until meeting Phil Peak from the Growth Hub.

“The Business Innovation grant has helped to finalise the development of the Solesee product and really kick-start the business towards its marketing objectives," said Lisa, whose shop was supported by Stratford District Council during its Small Business Saturday campaign.

“Phil offered assistance with applying for the grant which really helped with the design of the product plus the associated packaging and marketing literature used to promote the product.

“When you are running a business like ShoeMed, which has branches in Stratford and Cheltenham, you don't have time to research potential funding opportunities. So the help of the Growth Hub has been extremely helpful since I didn't realise grants such as this were available to SMEs like ours."

Craig Humphrey, managing director of the Growth Hub, said Solesee was one of the first businesses to benefit from a Business Innovation grant.

He said: “The Growth Hub is here to help businesses of all sizes in all sectors and there is no doubt Solesee is an innovative product which could help people with high-risk feet to stay healthy and keep active.

“The Business Innovation scheme provides grants between £2,500 and £10,000 to SMEs in Coventry and Warwickshire to support technology focused companies that are carrying out innovative work to support, among other things, new product development and testing."

For more information please visit www.solesee.com

The funding was secured from the Government's Regional Growth Fund through Lancaster University, who are leading the creation of 15 new growth hubs across the UK.

Lancaster University plays two distinct and innovative roles in the Wave 2 Growth Hub programme – as programme managers and as expert support to programme development. A first for universities in the UK, this programme demonstrates the dynamic role that universities, and especially their business schools, can play in the UK's Growth Agenda.

Lancaster University, which was named as a top-ten university for SME engagement in the recent Witty Review and has received a Gold Small Business Charter Award, successfully bid to run this Regional Growth Fund programme. This is due to its Management School's long-standing reputation for innovative support to business, and also because of the university's experience and expertise in successfully managing European Funding programmes across the UK.

http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/lums/business/business-growth/programmes/wave2/