Alumni in the Spotlight

Tom Livesey, Class of 2007 and Eliot Brooks, Class of 2009

Tom Livesey (Class of 2007) and Eliot Brooks (Class of 2009), co-founded Thriva in 2015, a health tech company which supplies at-home finger prick blood tests to help people measure things like cholesterol and hormone levels. They chat to us about what inspired them to set up the business and what challenges they’ve faced along the way.

What has been your biggest challenge since starting the business?

Tom: There have been so many big challenges over the years! I think the biggest ongoing challenge is the fact that we’re trying to drive a big shift in the way people think about their health and how they act. This means we’ve had to do a lot of work to help people and businesses understand how we see the future and how it will be different to today.

Eliot: In June 2020 we began working with the Department of Health to explore how a remote mass testing service could be stood up for Covid-19 antibodies to sit alongside the home PCR testing service the government deployed. We successfully secured a contract to deliver this end-to-end testing service and had to build the operations, integrations and technical service in just four weeks to deliver 10,000 tests a day. It was a huge team effort full of logistics, regulatory and technical challenges, working in close collaboration with the government. Somehow, we managed to get it done through relentless, collaborative work and went on to deliver the service successfully.

Tom in Lower School

What three key skills/ attributes would you say you need to be an entrepreneur?

Tom: I believe there are three main character traits you need to be a successful entrepreneur.

1. Resilience - there’s no two ways about it, building a business is hard. It can be a bit of a rollercoaster with at times seemingly insurmountable challenges. The resilience to manage these peaks and troughs and keep pushing forward regardless is important.

2. Passion - related to resilience, unless you’re passionate and truly care about the mission, your team, and your customers, it’s going to be really hard to stay motivated.

3. Humility - the media has created the idea that successful leaders are big personalities who are always right. This just isn’t the case. Often the best leaders are those who surround themselves with the best people, actively listen to others, and are acutely aware of their own strengths and weaknesses.

Eliot in the Sixth Form

You are the co-founders of Thriva, what inspired you to start this business?

Tom: The genesis of the idea for Thriva actually started from a personal need for Eliot. At 15, he was diagnosed with familial hypercholesterolemia (genetically raised cholesterol), which meant he was having to do regular testing to manage the condition. Quite apart from the inconvenience of having to take time off work and get a big needle in his arm, after years of not really having access to his own data, he convinced a nurse to read historical results over the phone and was surprised by the upward trend. He felt that had he had the information, he would have acted differently. We set up the business in late 2015 with the aim of making it easier to get blood tests done at home and results received online. Quickly after we started, we saw the potential of Thriva to deliver a preventative approach to healthcare that would increase the number of years people spend in good health through regular, proactive testing and healthcare advice.

Healthy body, healthy mind – what is your advice to achieving this goal?

Tom: This is something I’m first to admit I’m not always great at. While it sounds simple and is easier said than done, I think the key is making sure you prioritise both physical and mental health. I’ve always told myself “when this thing happens or stops, there’ll be more time to focus on health”, and something else always fills that space, there’s always a reason not to. I’m personally a creature of habit so need to build it into my routine. I always do my best work after a run.

Eliot: Progress isn’t linear, so if you trip up or have a bad week, don’t dwell on it and just get back to the fundamentals of move, sleep, socialise and eat well. Plus, I love finishing my shower with a couple of minutes of cold water in the morning to start the day with a small win.

Tom and Eliot with co-founder Hamish Grierson

What one piece of advice would you give to your younger self?

Tom: Be more introspective and in tune with your feelings, and don’t lose focus on relationships with partners, friends, and family.

Eliot: Don’t get caught up in comparing with others, just trust that you’re putting in place the right systems that will lead to eventual success.

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