We all have the same hours in the day – and many of us are constantly looking for new ways of wringing as much productivity as possible from them.
Dr Alex Young is someone who seems to have made the most of his time on this Earth to date.
“As well as being Virti CEO, I also host my own podcast, record vlogs, write for Forbes and Entrepreneur, do CrossFit, read over 100 books a year and maintain a busy social schedule,” he tells TechBlast.
“It’s essential that I’m working at maximum productivity at all times: that’s why I’ve developed a keen interest in experimenting with new methods and technologies to supercharge my own focus and motivation.
“The human brain is an incredible machine; now I want to help other people learn how to properly unlock their potential too.”
Dr Young taught himself to code aged 14, motivated by his childhood love of videogames – although he may not have time to play them these days.
As a medical student at the University of Bristol, he founded and scaled an in-person events, conference and education company named Medvents as a side hustle; then while practising as a surgeon in the NHS and New York, he spun out Meddicle, an online education company designed to help fellow health professionals prepare for exams.
Passion for entrepreneurship
“[Medvents] was a huge learning curve for me – I had to rapidly teach myself all the necessary skills that an entrepreneur needs, from negotiation to collaboration and accounting. But it also got me hooked on the highs and lows of business, and sparked a passion for entrepreneurship that still motivates me today,” he reflects.
“[Meddicle] was the perfect combination of my interests in education and learning with my medical background. Over a few years I scaled it to seven figures in revenue, generating passive income as I worked. I sold this business not long before I founded Virti.
“It was a huge decision to step away from clinical practice and put all my energy into building Virti, but I knew that I had to do it in order to achieve my goals of securing investment, improving the product, winning customers and recruiting top talent.”
Virti builds augmented and virtual reality simulations to help people train and learn more effectively. It applies sophisticated artificial intelligence models to analyse a learner’s performance and provide granular data on their skill development journey.
Virti CEO: Rise of the metaverse will bring immersive tech to masses
“Our ‘Virtual Humans’ interact with learners just like ‘real’ humans would – whilst also gathering data and providing feedback to help improve the learner’s soft skills and communication,” explains Dr Young.
Virti started out in healthcare, but has since expanded to several other verticals. With content hosted in the cloud, users can access this remotely via mobile, desktop or mixed reality headsets.
Virti’s clients
Today, world-famous universities, multinational companies and healthcare organisations use the Virti platform to onboard and upskill their remote or hybrid teams.
Over the past year, it has seen revenues grow by nearly 1,000% while its team has expanded to more than 50 people.
“If you really want to make your project a success, you need to invest in yourself and in the people on your team,” says Dr Young.
“This means putting your people at the centre of your business plan, and thinking creatively about how you’re going to upskill them, motivate them, retain them and develop them in such a way that increases their value to the company.
“Make time to care for your own wellbeing and personal development too; leading by example is the best kind of leadership.”