Why OOMPH and Why Now

Whilst many of us are focused on setting new goals and aspirations for the year ahead, the start of 2023 is a poignant time of year for Oomph Founder, Morag Hutcheon. It’s been five years since Morag received the devasting news of stage 4 Breast Cancer, a number made more poignant when you consider only 30% of patients with a Stage 4 breast cancer diagnosis reach this anniversary.

As I lay there, flat out in the hospital bed, staring at the ceiling, time ticking by incredibly slowly all I could see and focus on was my reflection. The reflection of a tired and sickly-looking face. My bald head was a constant stabbing reminder of the illness I was battling and yet all I could do was think about solutions to the appalling customer experience I was having to endure. What could I do with my experience and creativity to improve the customer experience for cancer patients, because yes, we are still the customer!

You see, being diagnosed with stage four cancer may have slowed me down physically and stripped away the energy to do much, it never switched off the brain. If you're an innovative, creative problem-solving kind of person, those cogs never stop. The desire to do more, do better is forever burning inside’.

Morag’s story begins way back in the early 80s when asked by the career advisor at school, ‘what do you want to be?’.

Her answer was ‘an engineer’.

Rather frustratingly, the feedback was typical of the day. ‘Why...engineering’s not for girls, that’s for the boys. You need to go and learn how to sew, type, cook, or clean. The problem was though, she loved to take things apart and understand how and why they worked. Although never diagnosed as dyslexic, creative thinking, inability to focus on too many actions, and struggles with the written world are classic traits.

You can listen to the episode in full HERE and learn more about Morag and how OOMPH came to be

With thanks to @FayeHolland and @JamesParton for giving their time to chat

Cambridge Tech Podcast covers all things tech from the heart of the UK’s tech capital, Europe’s biggest tech startup cluster, and one of the most respected tech and innovation hubs in the world. 

Hosted every Sunday by James Parton and Faye Holland, the duo talks tech with a full house of experts and personalities exploring this exciting ecosystem, sharing insights and opinions, and bringing you the latest on the innovators, the innovations, and the game changers and the fundraises.