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Insider UK
Business
Peter A Walker

Tech dominates Scottish academic founder competition shortlist

Scotland’s largest company creation programme for the university sector has unveiled the 28 finalists who will compete for over £300,000 of equity-free funding and start-up support at a ceremony in Edinburgh in early November.

The fledgling businesses have been whittled down from more than 200 initial entries for the Converge 2022 competition.

Finalists come from universities across Scotland, with projects spanning a range of sectors from tech, robotics and sensors, to the chemical industry, healthcare and engineering.

The finalists are competing for individual cash awards of up to £50,000 and in-kind business support from Converge’s network of investors, lawyers and business experts.

In the early-stage, KickStart Challenge category, is Roma Gibb, a nursing student from the University of the Highlands and Islands. Her project, Person Centred Solutions, aims to help people who are bed bound and struggle with everyday tasks to sit comfortably and with greater freedom.

Projects from the Converge Challenge, a category focused on novel solutions and high commercial potential, include Danu Robotics, headed up by Xiaoyan Ma from the University of Edinburgh which uses artificial intelligence to tackle contamination in recycling – which results in millions of tonnes of waste being sent to landfill every year.

Also making the shortlist is Lightwater Sensors from the University of St Andrews. Founder Dr Ross Gillanders has invented a hand-held monitoring system that meets the need for real-time water pollution detection.

The six finalists in the Converge Challenge category will also be invited to pitch their ideas live at an exclusive investors-only event at Scotland House in London next month. Organised in collaboration with Scottish Development International and featuring an address from Trade Minister Ivan McKee, the event will let UK-wide investors see the entrepreneurship emerging from Scotland’s universities.

Claudia Cavalluzzo, executive director at Converge, said: “Scotland’s world-class universities continue to be brilliant hotbeds of innovation and creativity, as exemplified by this year’s Converge finalist cohort.

“The judges who reviewed this year’s cohort’s business plans believe that these emerging entrepreneurs are leading projects with real market potential and the power to strengthen our economy while creating a fairer future for all.”

Three special awards will also be made on the night, including the Future Tech award, sponsored by Cisco; the Rose Award which recognises ambitious female entrepreneurs, sponsored by the Royal Bank of Scotland; and the IBioIC Award. This new award is sponsored by the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre and offers a package of support to one biotech project, including a free centre membership, a dedicated account manager and £20,000 in project funding for the university where the project originated.

The full list of finalists:

Converge Challenge

Project

Name

University

Danu Robotics

Xiaoyan Ma

Edinburgh

Eye to the Future

Emanuele Trucco

Dundee

Lightwater Sensors

Ross Gillanders

St Andrews

PlusPEP

Robert Goodfellow

Edinburgh Napier

Theo Health

Jodie Sinclair

Dundee

X-Genix

Rebecca Goss

St Andrews

Create Change Challenge

Project

Name

University

Everybodycounts

Andrew Ridgway

Robert Gordon

Boom Publications

Helen Gorrill

Dundee

LU Innovations

Erin Reid

Edinburgh Napier

Metacarpal

Fergal Mackie

Strathclyde

Set Ready Safety

Lisa Kelly

Glasgow

Two Raccoons

Lasse Rasmussen

Aberdeen

Net Zero Challenge

Project

Name

University

Agrecalc

Kaia Waxenberg

Scotland's Rural College

Bennu.ai

Jonathan Feldstein

Edinburgh

Robocean

Niall McGrath

Edinburgh

Zephyrus Aerolabs

Christopher Solomon

Aberdeen

KickStart Challenge

Project

Name

University

Airspection

Matthew McLean

Strathclyde

Altra ERC

Jack Walker

Edinburgh

Atomic Architects

Aidan Campbell

Heriot-Watt

Aura

Benjamin Noar

Glasgow School of Art

CoBAlt

Robin Pflughaupt

Dundee

Concinnity Genetics

Jessica Birt

Edinburgh

Inclu

Nick Fitzpatrick

Dundee

Mude Underwear

Kat Pohorecka

Edinburgh Napier

Person Centred Solutions

Roma Gibb

Highlands & Islands

SAMASTAR

Asma Abdullah

Edinburgh

SensiBile

Sofia Ferreira-Gonzalez

Edinburgh

Vertical Forest CIC

Kimia Witte

Glasgow School of Art

Converge is Scotland’s largest company creation programme for staff, students and recent graduates of Scottish universities and research institutes.

Funded by the Scottish Funding Council, Creative Scotland, all 18 of Scotland’s universities, and a network of 10 professional partners, the programme is designed to springboard new businesses through training, networking, cash prizes and expert advice.

Since launching in 2011, Converge has trained more than 500 academic entrepreneurs and supported the creation of over 300 companies that enjoy an unusually high survival rate of around 80%.

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