Allergic emergencies particularly anaphylaxis can escalate in minutes, often in places where no one is equipped to act. Despite rising allergy prevalence in the UK, many institutions are unprepared that adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs) are forgotten, expired, or never carried by those at risk. Studies suggest nearly half of allergy sufferers leave their AAIs behind, leaving institutions without backup during emergencies.
Founded in 2020 by Zak Marks, who has lived with a life-threatening nut allergy since childhood, Kitt Medical introduced the Anaphylaxis Kitt—a wall-mounted emergency kit equipped with adrenaline pens, training materials, and real-time supply monitoring. Its bold mission is to become every defibrillator’s next-door neighbour.
The Founder’s Journey: How Personal Risk Became Purpose
At age five, Zak Marks unknowingly ate toast contaminated with peanut butter. He suffered severe allergic reaction symptoms, his throat swelled, hives broke out, and he nearly could not breathe. The diagnosis, it is a serious allergy to tree nuts and legumes, and handed two adrenaline pens to carry forever.
Through adolescence and university, Zak grappled with anxiety, the size and inconvenience of carrying AAIs, and constant fear of accidental exposure. And yet, like many, he sometimes forgot them. He saw avoidable tragedies in headlines and asked, why isn’t there public access to emergency allergy care?
While studying product design, he sketched an early concept something that could store, monitor, and dispense adrenaline, much like how defibrillators are positioned in schools and public places. His university project evolved into a startup vision – a subscription-based, all-in-one Anaphylaxis Kitt.
“At Kitt Medical, our mission is simple: to make allergy emergency care as ubiquitous as defibrillators—so no one has to face an anaphylactic crisis without the tools to act.”
From University Sketch to Business Launch
Zak began prototyping the concept during the COVID lockdown while freelancing. His friend Jonny introduced him to James Cohen, then furloughed from his job—who became the co-founder and operational lead. They built out initial prototypes in 2021 and piloted them in a handful of schools.
That same year they raised around £100,000 from friends, family, and grants to fund materials, software development, pharmaceutical licensing, and marketing materials. They hired regulatory support to secure permission to distribute AAIs—since adrenaline auto-injectors are prescription-only medicines in the UK.
In early 2023, Kitt Medical launched officially—offering wall-mounted Kitts with backup AAIs, a CPD-accredited online training program, incident-reporting software, and automated pen replacement. Schools and qualifying businesses across the UK became their early adopters.
Product Overview: What the Anaphylaxis Kitt Includes
The Anaphylaxis Kitt is a subscription-based service with four core components:
- Secure, visible wall-mounted kit—like a defibrillator cabinet, with breakable emergency key access, intended for quick retrieval in emergencies.
- Medication supply—contains 2×300 µg and 2×150 µg adrenaline auto-injectors in coded slots; automatically replaced annually or when used, via secure reporting software.
- CPD-accredited online training—a 30-minute video-quiz course created with Anaphylaxis UK, including guidance from allergy experts like Professor Adam Fox and Dr Helen Evans-Howells. Completed by thousands of staff already.
- Kitt Portal software—enables incident tracking, expiration management, renewal scheduling, and compliance reporting for institutions.
Early Adoption & Social Proof: Schools Leading the Charge
By February 2023, Kitt Medical had rolled out over 300 Kitts across UK schools. Over 150,000 students gained access to emergency pen coverage, and more than 4,000 school staff members completed the CPD training.
One pilot case involved a 14-year-old student in Essex, who suffered an allergic reaction at school; staff used the Anaphylaxis Kitt to administer the pen and save her life. Another teacher in West Sussex was also treated successfully using the kit.
Several multi-academy trusts, including Palladian Academy Trust, partnered with Kitt Medical to roll out kits across all their schools. Testimonials praised the ease of use and peace of mind the system offered administrators and parents alike.
Award Recognition & Dragons’ Den Appearance
Kitt Medical won multiple awards such as London’s Mayor’s Entrepreneur Award, Santander X, and The Conduit Young Innovator before media attention surged.
Their breakthrough moment came on BBC’s Dragons’ Den (Series 22, Episode 8) when Zak and James pitched their business to investors. They asked for £75,000 for 7% equity and landed investment from Steven Bartlett and Deborah Meaden in February 2025—valuing the business at just over £1.07M.
Following their TV debut, media outlets like The Independent, Jewish News, and London World covered their story, validating both mission and growth potential.
Traction & Financials: Turning Impact into Revenue
Business Insider’s July 2025 feature revealed Kitt Medical reached nearly $1 million in ARR—specifically around $998,000—with 1,500 Kitts now installed across the UK. These installations have collectively enabled 17 uses of adrenaline pens in life-threatening situations.
Estimated business valuation in early 2025 exceeded £1.5 million, supported by consistent subscription revenue, enterprise partnerships (e.g. Royal Albert Hall, Alton Towers, theme parks, and businesses with occupational health schemes), and CPD training uptake.
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Strategic Partnerships & Expansion
- St John Ambulance, a premier first-aid charity, partnered to deliver the Anaphylaxis Kitt service throughout the UK—emphasizing community safety and improved readiness for allergy emergencies.
- Royal Albert Hall became the first concert venue in the UK to install Kitt kits, training nearly 100 staff across the site and setting a precedent for entertainment venues to adopt similar standards. Each kit costs around £800 per year, including training and pen replacements.
Kitt Medical is expanding into qualified businesses, entertainment venues, and hospitality, leveraging UK legislation that allows occupational-health-registered organizations to stock spare AAIs—a pathway they began exploring in 2024.
