A year on from SoleSense’s Best Elevator Pitch award at our flagship Tech-Xpo showcase, we had a chat with Founder and CEO, Caz Icke, to hear her story.

SoleSense at a glance:

• Market sector: Healthtech
• Location: Bristol
• Number of employees: 3
• Company growth status: Pre-seed

Let’s start with SoleSense’s elevator pitch

SoleSense is a wearable digital system for stroke patients and other rehabilitation needs that helps improve standing and walking after devastating life events. Our product uses sensors in the shoe insole to detect and track weight shift in motion, giving you real-time visual and auditory feedback to help improve performance and coach balance in your walking ability. It can be used all day, every day, to monitor progress over a long period of time, or in the interim times when you don’t see your therapist, to improve quality of life.

From working in the industry, I realised that the NHS is really good at saving lives, but we’re not so good at providing enough resource to make them really worth living, and giving great quality of life thereafter. Our mission is to move rehabilitation into a democracy so that everybody has access to the best possible outcomes that they need.

How did your startup journey begin?

I’m a physiotherapist by background and have been a clinician in the neurology space for 17 years. I started the business to improve access to rehabilitation in hospital and at home. It originated when I was with a patient, and I realised that I would need to be there 24 hours a day for them to properly recover. I knew there could be ways to help them with technology, that you could never do with a workforce. That’s where the idea of sensory substitution using sound and vision to close those feedback loops that have been damaged by brain injuries came about. And also to provide a way for the intensity of therapy that is needed to be delivered. It’s time to change the way that we do things and empower people to self-manage their own rehabilitation.

How has SETsquared Bristol’s business support helped?

“Its incubation support has been personal and tailored, enabling me to see my strengths and talents…”

I joined SETsquared Bristol through the Enterprising Women programme, which was really helpful for building networks and community, and giving the basic foundation of running a company.

SETsquared has been amazing, I wouldn’t have embarked on the journey without their support! Its incubation support has been personal and tailored, enabling me to see my strengths and talents, and to identify and work on the gaps. The mentorship from my Entrepreneur in Residence has been absolutely fantastic. She’s really engaged, available and hands on, which has made such a difference to me. The whole team have also been super flexible with my neuro-divergence, which does need a very specific personal approach for me.

I’ve also been given lots of opportunities to pitch, such as at Tech-Xpo, which was a brilliant opportunity. The pitch training made it easy to get up and do my best, and I was over the moon to win Best Elevator Pitch! It has helped build my confidence, as well as visibility and credibility for the business.

What are your startup top tips for other founders?

“…surround yourself with good mentors and advisers, and don’t be afraid to ask for support from the earliest stages possible.”

For me as a clinician, it’s been quite a journey to skill up in how to run a business and develop a product. So, I would say the best thing to do is surround yourself with good mentors and advisers, and don’t be afraid to ask for support from the earliest stages possible. The right support will enable you to move forward and build skills as a CEO, as well as an individual.

For me, the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme, for example, was important for specific help in the health sector. And SETsquared Bristol has been fantastic in providing general mentorship, support and empowerment. I’ve also worked with some brilliant advisers, including a company called Pointer Consultancy Group who have provided helpful support with the business strategy.

What’s next for SoleSense?

Our year has been spent completing prototyping with a lot of work and iterations going through the development cycle. We’ve also been exploring partnerships and building visibility, as well as team building. We’re looking at pre-seed investment and grant funding opportunities – we’ve had some good interest from large companies who are looking to help startups.

So, it’s now a case of pulling all of these elements together. I think everyone can see that it’s a good product with real demand. It’s been a brilliant journey so far and one that we’re really passionate about.

Find out about SETsquared Bristol’s incubation programmes.