Founded in 2018 by Chris Stanton, NeedleDock was created with a clear mission: to bring innovation and sustainability to healthcare waste management.
“As a group of breakthrough innovators, we thrive on using new technology to disrupt traditional markets,” says Chris. “We’ve been doing this across multiple sectors for many years.”
The idea behind NeedleDock came during the Covid-19 pandemic. Chris was volunteering at a local hospital as part of the NHS vaccination programme and observed the sheer amount of single-use plastic clinical waste being generated every day. It was here that Chris and Co-Director Paul Brown started to see a real opportunity to create a more sustainable solution.
The new solution uses natural, sustainable materials and outperforms traditional moulded plastic sharps bins, delivering both strength and liquid containment – a critical requirement for the safe handling of blood-borne pathogens.
Navigating the Financial Challenges of Innovation
Developing new and innovative products can come with significant financial pressures. Like many R&D-led businesses, NeedleDock faced high upfront costs long before generating commercial revenue.
As a start-up, Chris began searching for an accountant who understood innovation-focused companies and discovered Gascoynes. Chris says, “It was the logical choice due to their location and what really stood out was their expertise and understanding of businesses like ours.”
From the very start, Gascoynes provided strategic support to help NeedleDock navigate the uncertainty of early-stage product development. A key area of support has been helping maximise valuable R&D tax relief opportunities.
