Hobnobbing with Mittun Sharma from myAllergy

So, what does myAllergy do?

myAllergy aims to be the preferred online destination dedicated to the needs of food allergy sufferers, by connecting, informing and empowering them to better understand their allergies and freeing them from the stress and anxiety associated with trying to eat safely by enabling them to easily source food and meal ideas that are safe for them, whether at home or whilst eating out.

Was there a breakthrough moment?

Yes, my daughter has multiple food allergies and it was becoming more and more difficult to find food that was safe for her to eat. The shops had very little in terms of choice and a lot of the time the shelves were empty. We would have to check the ingredients of every single item we were buying and then hope that she would actually like the items we were buying. Going out was almost impossible and birthday parties were very difficult as I always had to keep an eye on her to make sure there was no cross-contamination. This was when I started asking myself, surely there must be an easier way?

How is the company doing?

Great, we were selected to join a global accelerator in Zurich out of almost 865 applicants worldwide. We have just got the head chef of Vinoteca’s flagship restaurant in kings cross to join our advisory board and also have grown our twitter following organically to 2084. We have also just gone past the 700 registered user mark and have only been online for about 3 weeks.

Do you have any regrets?

Yes, firstly always read the small print and also get good contracts in place that protect you as much as the suppliers you are looking to engage with. Get a trial period for everything and also you will never know how customers are going to use your product unless you launch so try to get your product out there as soon as possible but don’t rush.

What makes you stand out from your competitors?

We are building a platform that will all people with food allergies and intolerances and provide information that is custom to their needs. Also, we have a laser focus on making sure our customers have a very positive user experience when they are using the site. We want the content to find the consumer and not the other way around which is what most of the competition seems to be doing.

What is your definition of a positive customer experience?

Someone having an “aha” moment or “I didn’t know I could eat that”. Also, because they have had such a great experience they then start spreading the word and we start getting momentum organically.

You’re currently reaching out for investors, what do you plan to do when you have raised this funding?

We want to build a mobile application that will help people find restaurants that cater for people with food allergies and intolerances based on their location. Furthermore, for people to see feedback from other allergy sufferers to help them make more informed decisions as to what restaurants they can safely eat.

What advice would you give yourself now if you were starting a business?

One step at a time, everything doesn’t need to be built all at once keep trying to get feedback from customers at all times.

Finally, Mittun what is your favourite biscuit?!

Can’t beat oatmeal Hobnobs, they are so tasty with a nice cup of tea!

Kareema