A dyslexic entrepreneur has won the support of Sir Richard Branson by pitching his new education app to a Videobell installed in a hotel lift.
Hugh Johnston, 27, discovered last week that the Virgin founder had viewed his 60-second pitch and help promote TYPO, the app he made to help dyslectics learn from their mistakes.
The “Lift of Dreams” can be found in Virgin’s Shoreditch Hotel, where entrepreneurs are invited to share their ideas on the camera. Johnston, who recognized the status of Branson as one of the world’s most controversial dyslexic entrepreneurs, grabbed the opportunity to record his field.
More than 500 have been hopeful since it was launched by Branson and Simon Squibb, the founder of the company -oriented social media platform Helpbnk. Johnston had tried to find manners to contact Branson for some time; So when he saw the YouTube video of Squibb on the “Lift of Dreams”, he felt the fate by his side.
After years of struggling with spelling and writing, Johnston Typo thought to tackle dyslexia at his root. Unlike other programs, which according to him simply as a crutches, Typo follows common errors and teaches users how to improve, instead of just emphasizing errors. Johnston initially taught himself to cod himself with the help of Chatgpt and kept his frequent errors in a spreadsheet. He later worked with two software developers, Omid Javedan and Nael Aborrob, to speed up development.
When Johnston recorded his pitch in the elevator, he shared a personal anecdote about mixing “father” and “farter” in the order of service for the funeral of his grandfather. In his answer, Branson praised his honesty and revealed that he too had suffered countless dyslexic accidents.
Johnston asked Branson for two things: firstly, that he shares the waiting link of Typo, and secondly to introduce Johnston to Dyslexia, a charity that promotes dyslexic thinking with which Branson cooperates to develop university courses. After a month of refreshing social media, Johnston finally saw Branson posting Typypo this week, with registration numbers that more than double in the first hour.
Typo is now close to the launch. The company has also protected a place on a Barclays Eagle Labs program, designed to help start-ups at an early stage to refine their products. “It’s a great step in our journey,” says Johnston. “We are very grateful and everyone behind the elevator of dreams because they gave us such a one -off chance.”