Alex Landowski arrived from Poland 13 years ago with just his bicycle and £200. Today his technology company, Medical Logistics, is experiencing substantial financial success, generating significant profits and employing a workforce of 25 individuals.
Thirteen years ago, a Polish immigrant, Alex Landowski started his journey in Britain by working as an unpaid cycle courier in London. Today, he has successfully established a medical delivery enterprise that generates an annual turnover of £7 million. Alex set out on his venture with only his bicycle and £200 in hand.
At the age of 24, Alex lacked a solid plan and ended up sleeping on the floor of a friend’s small bedroom, which was already occupied by 10 other migrants. Now, Alex’s company, Medical Logistics, has become London’s exclusive 24/7 medical courier service, utilising advanced technology. The company recently introduced an innovative drone delivery scheme, making it a trailblazer in the industry. He has created employment opportunities for a team of 25 staff members and has also engaged more than 50 contractors.
At the age of 37, Alex relocated to the UK to earn sufficient funds to repay a debt incurred from a business failure in Poland.
Reflecting on his past, he shares with „The Mirror”, “I’d got some money from the government and I opened up a shop selling sneaker shoes. But I was young and inexperienced. I made a lot of money quickly and I wasn’t ready for anything like that mentally. I became sloppy and lost everything. I had to pay back the government about £20,000.”
Alex’s family stepped in to handle the debt while he looked for ways to repay it. With only £200 and limited English proficiency, he made his way to London, attracted by the city’s size and potential opportunities.
After an extensive job search, he eventually secured a position as a bicycle courier, but it was an unpaid role. “I was already low on my £200 and started to run out of money. I couldn’t keep cycling around London for no money, so I quit. But those three weeks gave me an understanding of London – I could now tell people I had experience.”
This allowed him to get another job as a bike courier, this time with a salary, which enabled him to save enough money to rent his own room. However, due to limited income, he soon found himself back in a precarious situation, illegally squatting in an unoccupied warehouse near Old Street in North London.
“There were loads of weird people, but there was water and electricity and you didn’t have to pay any bills.” – he recalls.
Two months later, bailiffs arrived at the property, attempting to evict the occupants. Alex recounts the experience, saying – “I was home by myself and some big guys were banging on the door, kicking the door. They wanted to kick us out. I decided I needed to move on.”
Eventually, he found another room for rent in a typical council estate in Bethnal Green. Motivated to improve his situation, he swiftly ascended the ranks within his employment, becoming one of the top riders in just a year. This achievement resulted in his income doubling from £30 to £60 per day.
However, after spending years in the bike courier industry, Alex reached a point where he felt he had fulfilled his responsibilities and was prepared to regain his autonomy as a business owner.
With the support of a £50,000 investment from a friend, Alex commenced his own delivery service, catering specifically to GPs and clinics.
He says: “My former employer was small but very good, they had a good service level. And I was thinking, there was nobody providing dedicated medical couriers in London with that kind of service level. That was my plan.”
The success has given him the chance to take things to another level – using drones to deliver urgent blood supplies, medicine and lab samples. The venture is part of an investment with UK aerial solutions partners Skyfarer and Altitude Angel.
Also Covid pandemic brang huge growth to the company due to demand for covid tests – “Our existing and exceptional reputation in the industry of providing time-critical services in addition to being able to afford a heavily discounted (due to the lockdown at the time!) office space in Mayfair, London to home the testing machines helped us to start offering urgent Covid testing to those who needed it. ”
“In 2022, we took part in a first-of-its-kind drone trial, flying medical supplies between NHS hospitals in the UK. In 2023, we opened Medical Laboratories – a comprehensive, end-to-end Healthcare facility with a team of expert trained medical professionals (…) which has been custom-built to be the final piece of the puzzle for our mobile phlebotomy and medical courier services.” – he says.
Alex, who studied political science and journalism at university admits: “Drones are a natural path forward – the tech can save lives, time and the environment. Delivering organs is not far off. (…) but I never expected it to take off like this.”
He currently lives in the serene surroundings of the Cotswolds with his wife and two children, and aspires to obtain UK citizenship. Alex takes great pride in his ability to create employment opportunities, considering it his way of expressing gratitude for the opportunities he has been given and he holds the UK in high regard, acknowledging the country’s favourable treatment towards him – “The UK has always treated me good. Every time I tell this story, it has some positive impact.”
Author: Patrycja Bodzek-Kurzyńska
Photo: Rowan Griffiths / Daily Mirror
