Silvia Lin

Silvia Lin always wanted to start a business that addresses a need in society. When her uncle’s life changed dramatically after having a stroke, inspiration struck.

His rehabilitation process was long and slow, and Silvia noticed that the lack of a decent support system greatly affected his motivation. After conducting interviews and focus groups, she realised that the need for long-term cognitive rehabilitation support for stroke patients is a widespread problem.

This led her to create Tycho MedLink, a mobile app to support cognitive rehabilitation of stroke patients. Using immersive augmented reality (AR) experiences, the app helps patients relearn everyday tasks remotely and perform rehabilitation tasks without additional equipment.

The early-stage prototype is able to personalise the experience through an algorithm. It creates a unique set of tasks from a library, based on individual goals.

“As a foreign woman starting a business in the UK, I was judged by others based on a lot of things: being a woman, doing the business alone, not knowing the industry very well. The Young Innovators programme is a diverse and inclusive community, where innovation and young age is valued and encouraged,” Silvia says.