Aliya Ali Shaikha's start-up Meds for Less won $10,000 at the annual pitch competition hosted by entrepreneurial incubator The Hub (Photos by One Take Entertainment)
-- article by Alexa Battler, published February 15th, 2023
Aliya Ali Shaikha didn’t realize how expensive medications are until her father, who lives in United Arab Emirates (UAE), had to downgrade his health insurance.
When Shaikha discovered his medications were almost 70 per cent cheaper if he ordered and shipped them from India, she saw an opportunity.
“People are literally suffering because medicines are so expensive,” says Shaikha, a third-year neuroscience student at U of T Scarborough and the founder of the start-up Meds for Less. “If we can connect them to Indian pharmacies, it’s a game-changer.”
Meds For Less has an app with 140,000 Indian drugs that Shaikha says are at least 50 per cent cheaper than those in pharmacies in the UAE, where she was born and raised. Within 72 hours of uploading a prescription, a partner pharmacy in India fills the order and the drugs arrive at a customer’s doorstep.
“We are like an Amazon for medicines,” Shaikha says.
The company is currently operating in the UAE and is targeting any place in need of affordable medicine.
“I came to Canada because I heard about free health-care, but I learned that provincial health insurance doesn’t even cover prescription drugs,” says Shaikha. “We want to make sure that no one has to compromise on their health because of cost.”
Meds for Less won the $10,000 Jot Prize — donated by alum Elina Chow to support women founders and leaders — at the annual pitch competition hosted by The Hub, an entrepreneurial incubator at U of T Scarborough.
The pharmaceutical sector in Canada is highly regulated to ensure that medications coming into the country are safe, high quality and have met proper regulatory approval. Part of Shaikha’s residency at The Hub will involve researching all applicable regulations.
Three other start-ups that were awarded one of the five $5,000 Hub Prize spoke to U of T Scarborough News about what their businesses bring to the table.
“This year’s pitch competition really showcased innovative solutions to some of the world’s most common challenges,” says Donovan Dill, operations lead at The Hub. “We are very proud of this year’s cohort, who are now in residence at The Hub.”