Jasmine Caddies - MSc in Enterprise and Entrepreneurship - Gluten Free Made Easy
Jasmine Caddies enhanced her Hull York medical school degree with a Masters in Enterprise and Entrepreneurship at the University of Leeds. Here, she won a Spark scholarship and learnt practical tools to develop her business idea: an app for people with coeliac disease that uses AI to provide personalised dietary advice.
Intercalating medicine and enterprise
Jasmine came to the University of Leeds as part of her MBcHB intercalated degree, which allows her to study a masters at a different university. “I’d heard the University of Leeds offered great enterprise opportunities,” she says. “I actually found out about the MSc Enterprise and Entrepreneurship through case studies, just like my own.
“It was clear from the case stories that many medics had – successfully – completed a masters from the Centre for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Studies as part of their medical degree. I decided to apply, and began my masters in September 2023.”
Creating a business inspired by personal health issues
Enterprise studies particularly appealed to Jasmine as she already had an idea for a business. “In my first year of medical school, I was diagnosed with severe coeliac disease,” she explains. “I ended up in hospital needing blood transfusions to survive. Suddenly, I needed to adopt a gluten-free diet, and – as a medic – I did plenty of research to understand what this meant for me".
“I learnt coeliacs were vulnerable to a lot of nutritional deficiencies. Yet there wasn’t a lot of support available to manage them. I knew it was important to raise awareness of the potential problems, so had the idea to create an app using AI for personalised dietary advice (Gluten Free Made Easy). Here, medicine and enterprise truly complemented each other, and I wanted to learn more about running a business to develop my idea.”
Using practical tools gained through a Spark scholarship
Jasmine successfully applied for an enterprise scholarship with Spark at the beginning of her masters year. She’s had access to the expertise of business advisors, including enterprise ambassadors. “Enterprise and entrepreneurship is a whole new world for a medic, but the Spark network has been incredibly supportive,” Jasmine adds.
She also found the small business growth module particularly useful. “I was introduced to so many strategies and tools, such as SWOT analysis,” Jasmine explains. “Yet my favourite part was the consultancy project. In groups, we met with a real business client to understand their needs, following up with growth targets and reports. This iterative process was my favourite part of the masters, as I gained so much useful practical experience I can apply to my own business.”
Taking on challenges and expanding career opportunities
To put her knowledge into practice, Jasmine complete the Leeds University Business School Entrepreneur Award: a fast-track educational programme to learn enterprise skills in just a few short weeks. “The final stage was a pitching competition, which included a video presentation,” says Jasmine. “I was shortlisted for the finals based on my business idea and my analysis of the way I’d use the prize money. Then, I was selected to present my idea to a panel, which included the latest winner of the BBC’s The Apprentice. Their feedback – and the whole experience – was amazing, and a huge confidence boost.”
At the end of her masters, Jasmine returned to York to complete her final year of her medical degree. “I’d still like to become a doctor, but I’d also like to take my business idea beyond concept stage,” she concludes. “My MSc Enterprise and Entrepreneurship at the University of Leeds has shown me I can perhaps become a part-time GP and a run a business. I haven’t decided yet. But what I do now have is the knowledge, experience, and a range of options that weren’t open to me before my year in enterprise.”
