A big idea that helped a small community

Four years ago, Giorgia Bacco founded Dottore London, a business that provides gynaecological and paediatric services to the capital’s Italian community. This is the story of how she turned an unique idea into a business with a compelling cultural and social purpose.

After Giorgia had completed her MA International Marketing Communications at London Metropolitan University, she met a group of Italian dentists working in London whose patients were mostly Italian. This inspired her to provide a solution to a unique challenge facing women in the Italian community.

“I thought it would be great if there was an Italian gynaecologist in London because the Italian approach is completely different [to the British approach]. Italian women go to the gynaecologist at least once a year and when they’re pregnant they go once a month. In the UK, they tend to go only when they have a problem.”

After surveying a hundred Italian women living in London, she learned that 40% had travelled home to Italy to see a gynaecologist, only 10% of women had visited a specialist in London and 80% said that they would prefer to see an Italian gynaecologist in London. This was the driver to create Dottore London, the first gynaecological clinic for Italian women living in London. Providing a service where Italian patients can find doctors who speak their language, provide a medical standard they are used to, and private consultation at an affordable price.

Giorgia had enrolled at Accelerator, the business incubator at London Metropolitan University. This gave her the opportunity to pitch her business to experienced business professionals, and she received encouraging feedback. The big turning point was when she won first prize in the Accelerator’s annual Big Idea Challenge, which offered £2,000 in funding, a website, marketing consultancy, and a place on the Hatchery, London Met's business start-up programme.

“The prize and the spot on the programme gave me the boost I needed and has formed the critical foundation for my business and its future.”

Since its inception, the clinic has doubled in size and has added dermatologists, neurologists, psychologists and psychiatrists to its core specialities. Giorgia is continuing to expand the business and has opened it’s doors beyond the Italian community to give British patients access to esteemed Italian doctors.

This is one of many success stories that have emerged from the outstanding work that business incubators do to support student entrepreneurs. For more information on the other success stories from business schools, click here