CodiKoat Is Celebrating Our Third Birthday
All it took was a chance meeting and a fateful cup of coffee amidst the backdrop of a global health crisis. 3 years later, CodiKoat are celebrating our third birthday. What a three years it’s been.
In 2020, our Co-Founders Matin Mohseni and Reza Saberi Moghaddam embarked on an exciting journey together. With an in-depth knowledge of antimicrobial coatings and belief that they could develop a technology that would be superior to existing solutions, they moved forward - and CodiKoat was born.
By June 2020, Raj Sharma and Payam Nahavandi joined as Co-Founders, offering further investment, experience and leadership to the startup. Since then, the four Co-Founders have overseen the growth of the business together over the last three years.
Here, our leadership team reflect on the journey they have been on together.
Matin is hugely proud of how far the company has come: “It's been an incredible journey filled with growth, achievements, and memorable moments. It’s not been easy by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s so exciting knowing what we are working towards.
All young companies need an element of fortune to be able to thrive and we have had that, but we’re also built on the hard work of incredibly talented people, without whom we wouldn’t have reached this special landmark.
A massive thank you to my fellow Co-Founders Reza, Payam and Raj, our exceptionally dedicated scientific team and our experienced commercial leaders - Blake Gudgel, Doug Wallace and Philip Green. All of whom are the driving force behind CodiKoat’s success.
Sincere gratitude of course also goes to our investors, who believed in our vision from the beginning and provided the support and resources we needed to turn our dream into reality.”
Reza also reflected fondly on the journey and the fortune of that first meeting with Matin: “3 years ago I met Matin in a program called Entrepreneur First, while we were at the start of the pandemic. Together we brainstormed to come up with an idea which can help society get back to normal. It was there that CodiKoat was born.
We were thrilled to have Payam Nahavandi and Raj Sharma, our fellow Co-Founders, join the exciting journey and have been blessed to work with exceptional people along the way, including experienced professionals like Philip Green, whose guidance was crucial.
Today the company has expanded to more than 20 world class scientists and engineers. They are dedicated, passionate about problem solving and constantly work towards making a positive impact on the world. They are our greatest asset.
Now, supported by more growth and with excellent new leadership in the company in the form of Blake Gudgel and Doug Wallace coming on board, we can maximise our growth and potential.
3 years on from that fortunate meeting with Matin, society may be nearly back to normal but we’re still working towards making it a safer, healthier place to be.”
When Raj Sharma came on board, he offered investment, sound business acumen and experience to the raw potential of the Co-Founders: “I’m so proud of how far this team has come in such a short space of time. I will be forever grateful to both Matin and Reza for having met and set up CodiKoat 3 years ago.
None of this would have been possible without the risk they were willing to take to start the business and the dedication they have shown over the years. Like all startups, in the tough times we have faced challenges, even working for none or very little money to make this all possible. True commitment towards a special goal.
We have built an amazing team, who are not only the world’s leading scientists but are also amazing people. Without them, what we have achieved would not have been possible. Onwards and upwards - to the next 3 years.”
Payam Nahavandi joined CodiKoat and instantly believed the creators were onto something special: “It’s hard to believe that it’s been 3 years since I met Matin, Reza and Raj and we set about building CodiKoat. Just like them, I was desperate to make positive changes to help fight the threat of the pandemic and knew that together we could build something special.
It’s been a privilege to work alongside all of our team members and collectively work to help this business grow. Now we’re on the brink of making a real impact and sharing our dream, and CodiKoat’s products, with the world. A special thanks to everyone who has contributed to the journey so far, in particular our fantastic scientific team, as well as our investors.”
New CodiKoat CEO Blake Gudgel is relishing the opportunity to help build on the foundations laid out by the Co-Founders. Blake said: “I’ve had the privilege to have worked with many great scientists and teams and I can honestly say that what has been created at CodiKoat is something very special - that the whole world will benefit from.
We have much left to accomplish but have established a strong foundation to build from. We have the tech, the team and a culture that’s been instilled from the beginning by our Co-Founders - who themselves have grown into fantastic leaders.
I’m honoured to be on the journey and look forward to seeing the company continue to grow. A special thanks goes out to all of our investors for the belief they have shown in CodiKoat, particularly to Starship Ventures who trusted me and gave me the opportunity to join the leadership team.”