Phyx It: from idea to full-fledged business concept in 24 hours
Student Daragh Kelly is studying Physical Therapy with Saxion in Enschede. During his studies, he came up with the idea of offering physical therapy by way of an app. When he then read about Startup24 in the Saxion newsletter, he decided to sign up.
‘I initially thought that Startup24 would be a kind of lecture, but when I got there, I realised that it was a competition that had the participants develop their ideas into full-fledged business concepts, which we could then win as the grand prize! I put forward my idea, and Akhyar Sadad, Abdoulai Jaiteh, Duong Thuy Le and Nhi Yen Ngoc Ly joined me almost immediately. Together, we developed the concept further and became team Phyx It,’ Daragh relates.
Physical therapy by way of an app
The team came up with the app because increasing numbers of people have bad posture, with physical complaints as a result. ‘Research has shown that 85% of Americans have neck or back issues. They are particularly common with people who spend a lot of time working on computers, but even when you’re asleep, bad posture can still have a negative effect on your body,’ Daragh explains. ‘This is usually an unconscious thing; people are often not aware that things could be better. We want to change that and raise awareness with this app.’
Physical complaints? Phyx It!
The app will consist of various elements: a communication platform for patients and professionals, a physical therapy databank, and a sensor that will perform a personal 3D scan of your posture. ‘My original idea was just to distribute information regarding physical therapy via this app. But thanks to meeting my fellow team members, the idea grew into a full-fledged business concept during Startup24,’ Daragh explains excitedly.
‘The event inspired us, gave us some experience with pitching, and provided us with new connections. Our team turned out to be the perfect combination of students, all with the same ambitions but different backgrounds and skills,’ says team member Akhyar Sadad. ‘To grow an idea successfully, you have to combine the strengths of these different people. You cannot do something like this on your own,’ Daragh adds. ‘Without Startup24, we probably never would have met!’
To be continued
Throughout the next ten weeks, Phyx It will develop a prototype for their app. ‘We will be engaging a number of physical therapists as well as our networks within Saxion, the University of Twente, and Novel-T. Our aim is to launch the first version of the app in the next six to nine months. After that, we want to participate in the UT Challenge,’ Daragh shares. ‘If we win, we will invest the prize money into developing the Phyx It app further.’
Startup24
On November 10th and 11th, the first edition of Startup24 was held at START! by Saxion in Enschede. This is a national event by StartupDelta that challenges teams of students from all different regions of the country to transform their innovative ideas into proper business concepts in the space of 24 hours. They then pitch their concepts to a jury who decides on a single winner. During this edition of Startup24, the Phyx It team members won the 500-euro grand prize and tickets to Get in the Ring with their idea for a physical therapy app. The next edition of Startup 24 will take place at 16 and 17 November. Check out the event here.
