David Hatton, a young entrepreneur from East Belfast, has spent the summer working with a dedicated mentor and a number of business experts from Catalyst Inc in order to develop his idea for a startup that improves the lives of people with Alzheimer’s and dementia. That time has served him well, as Catalyst Inc has confirmed that David has won the £5,000 Connect Young Founders prize to help turn his innovative idea into a commercial success.
The young startup founder’s MedTech solution, called Hindsight, is a web-based platform available to the primary carers and family of Alzheimer’s and dementia patients, and employs a psychotherapy technique known as reminiscence therapy in order to stimulate a patient’s memory and assist them with the performance of everyday tasks as well as personal interactions.
After discovering he had won the top prize following a final pitch event hosted by Deloitte Digital, David said, “The Connect Young Founders programme has provided me with an entrepreneurial experience I will never forget. Over the last eight weeks, working at Catalyst Inc with my mentor Iain James has really opened my eyes to the world of business. I can’t wait to put the £5,000 to use and turn my idea into a reality – a product that will change the lives of millions of Alzheimer and Dementia sufferers and their dedicated carers.”
Five of Northern Ireland’s most ambitious entrepreneurial young people were accepted onto Catalyst Inc’s Connect Young Founders programme this summer, which we covered in a previous article back in July.
The CYF programme culminated in a final series of pitches in front of a judging panel that included Sinead O’Sullivan, CEO of Fusion Space Technologies. A former student at South Regional College in Armagh but now based in the US, Sinead said, “I was thrilled to be back in Northern Ireland this week to judge such innovative ideas and see first-hand the exceptional young entrepreneurial talent that exists here. I believe that young people in Northern Ireland have what it takes to change the world.”
