TAP2TAG

Tap2Tag solves the problem of gaining rapid access to a person’s medical records in an emergency through technology; and provides an update to the traditional medical bracelet. Founded by a former PWC accountant, Tap2Tag is already stocked by Amazon, Lloyds Pharmacy and a number of independents and is in the process of securing international expansion.

The Idea

Imagine you are on a family day out and your child suddenly collapses. You have to call for a paramedic. You know they have a medical condition but your ability to recall key information about them and relay this accurately to the emergency services is likely to be impaired.

Tap2Tag Medical Alert provides the solution. Simply by tapping a mobile phone against a Tap2Tag device, the medical information needed is relayed to that mobile phone.

When we demonstrate tap2tag, we've found that people get it straight away.

In the UK alone, there are over 5 million people who are recommended to carry their medical information with them at all times.

Tap2Tag has already developed strategic alliances with Epilepsy Action and JDRF in the UK and Epilepsy Ireland, enabling the brand to create credibility and traction in these key sectors. As a result, we have been able to sign up Amazon, Lloyds Pharmacy, and MedPac together with smaller independent resellers.

You may have seen founder, Chris Ford, of Tap2Tag on the BBC2 programme Dragons' Den in December. As a result, we believe awareness of the product reached in excess of 2.4 million people in the UK. Feedback following the airing of the pitch was overwhelmingly positive from social media and email traffic, especially from the emergency services and healthcare professionals.

More recently, a 25 year old man contacted us to say that his wristband had saved his life "on a number of occasions" over the last year.

In February 2016 we will start a trial with East Kent NHS Trust in Q1 2016 in conjunction with the 'My Healthcare Passport' program. We are also in the process of completing a distribution agreement for North America and the Caribbean which is forecast to be worth £165,500 in revenue for 2016.

Chris Ford has invested £93,000 to date and there is a small bank loan of £15,000.

Your investment will enable us to grow the business more rapidly. We have identified that we need to employ a sales team to develop awareness in the market and sell directly to high volume distribution channels. By Q1 2017 we have budgeted to invest in further enhancements to the software to allow for the secure integration with other systems such as the summary patient records for the NHS. This could be a natural development following the NHS trials that are commencing in Q1 2016.

The Market

In the UK there are over 4.6m people suffering from conditions such as diabetes, epilepsy and dementia. Anyone with a medical condition is advised to carry with them details of their condition so that this can be relayed to first responders in an emergency. Up until now, reliance has been based on paper based medical alert products or a subscription based telephone system (where paramedics call a dedicated number for assistance).

We believe that Tap2Tag is the first to market with a medical alert solution outside of the USA that utilises the benefits of mobile phone technologies as well as the flexibility of storing large amounts of information through a secure, web-based portal. As a result the system allows a more efficient service at an inexpensive price.

With an ageing population, those suffering from dementia are likely to rise from 856,000 in 2015 to 1,142,000 by 2025 in the UK. Diabetes is also likely to increase from 3.5m in 2015 to 5m people in 2025.

As awareness of the tap2tag system increases we aim to add further enhancements to allow for integration with NHS and other medical systems (such as GP surgery software, hospitals and care providers). This means that data will include interactions between the patient and "clean" medical data stored by healthcare professionals.

Our main competitor is Medic Alert, a charity. The organisation has been around for over 40 years and has a worldwide brand. It sells jewellery to customers and provides them with a membership number, based on a subscription service. In an emergency a paramedic would call a telephone number, state the membership number of the patient and then an operator would read out any relevant information over the telephone. There are some new players in the market including Universal Medical ID, You ID Me and Health ID^[8] in the USA. We have found that almost all offer some form of medical alert system based on printed documentation or a subscription.

We see our key differentiator as the way we utilise NFC (“Near Field Communication”) built into smart phones, the same technology used by contactless payments in shops, restaurant and bars. As far as we know, we are also the only UK business that offers a subscription free service to our customers.

Tap2Tag devices – Key benefits

• Inexpensive (RRP £19.99)
• Durable – Completely waterproof (taken a band diving to 30m and they still work).
• Inconspicuous design – They do not broadcast the condition of the wearer.
• Medical cards and wristbands can be white labelled to third parties such as insurance companies and event organisers to include their branding
• Software is adaptable for multi language and different market needs.

Tap2Tag has gained momentum and traction since its launch in 2014. We believe it offers a novel solution to an antiquated system by using new technologies, and will be attractive to many tech savvy individuals. Our system also has the scope for expansion and integration into other healthcare systems.

In summary, Tap2Tag meets the needs of medical practitioners, emergency services personnel, first responders and organisers of activities that range from school trips to extreme sports.

The People

Tap2Tag started with Chris Ford’s mother. At the age of 87 she fell in the home, which prompted a call to the emergency services. The first question asked was “What is her current medication?” With seven different drugs to recall, it seemed a good idea to store that information securely in the cloud and the idea for tap2tag was born.

Founder, Chris Ford's background was with Price Waterhouse and he now runs a boutique accountancy practice.

Our team comprises:

Chris Ford - Founder and Managing Director. Chris is a chartered accountant who had the original inspiration for tap2tag. He runs a boutique accountancy practice in Bristol for micro and small businesses. He has also acted as finance director of a number of multi-million pound turnover businesses in the UK during his professional career.

Keith Beckles - Our Canadian Distributor. We are confident that Keith's work in cloud base medical data and ehealth will be of great benefit to Tap2Tag.

Chris Gee - Web guru and owner of Social Response Digital Marketing Limited. Chris is our social media advertising expert but is also a specialist in Magento web development. He runs a team of nine developers and social media personnel.

Velia Gao - Manufacturing advisor with GetSmart Technology. As liaison between our Chinese manufacturer and tap2tag, Velia has been an incredible asset in helping with the technical aspects of developing the tap2tag wristbands and other devices.