UofG Converge Challengers revealed
Published: 8 May 2017
It's been revealed that the University of Glasgow has finalists in ALL THREE Converge Challenge 2017 categories. Find out who they are...
The University of Glasgow has finalists in all three Converge Challenge 2017 categories:
• Converge Challenge: Tomasz Sadowski, Opinew; Philip McParlane, Scoop Analytics Ltd; Corien Staels, Staels Design Ltd.
• KickStart: Leon Franzen, DYsLexiMeter; Muhammad Arslan Khalid, mobilDx; Robert Coultous, Parasites, Ponies and Plastic Chips
• Social Enterprise: Kirsty Deacon, Community Café
After winning the KickStart Digital Entrepreneur award in 2015 Susanne Mitschke, a graduate of University of Glasgow, was announced as joint winner of the main Converge Challenge prize in 2016 with MindMate, an assistance platform for people with dementia, their caregivers and family members. The prize included £30,000 in cash and £19,000 in-kind business support.
The University of Glasgow has an impressive track record having top 30 finalists in all three categories in 2016 and winning a total of five Converge Challenge prizes between 2012 - 2016.
Company creation
Converge Challenge is Scotland’s leading company creation competition and entrepreneurial development programme for staff, students, and recent graduates of Scottish Universities and Research Institutes.
This year there has been a big increase in the number of female finalists who now account for 43% of the Challengers.
The 2017 Converge Challenge is already the most successful yet with 212 entries from 19 institutions, which have been shortlisted down to 60 finalists. The joint winner of Converge Challenge 2016, MindMate, led by Susanne Mitschke of the University of Glasgow, has since had a great success with their assistance platform for people with dementia, their caregivers and family members.
Susanne said: “Our Converge prize has made a meaningful difference; not only from a cash-perspective, but from the in-kind business services we’ve received.”
The three Converge Challenge award categories are:
1. Converge Challenge - for those with an established idea
2. KickStart - for early stage ideas
3. Social Enterprise - for ideas that will have a positive impact on social and environmental issues
Business products or services, from any industry sector, at any stage are eligible. The Converge Challenge category is highly competitive this year with 9 industry sectors represented and business ideas including:
1. Brain cancer diagnostics
2. microalgal supplements for fishmeal, to supply the livestock feed industry
3. the world’s first automated, small-scale food waste digester to generate biogas
4. a new flotation aid for children learning to swim
5. garden design toolkits for adults with dementia
6. an online platform to help people self-manage diabetes
7. an alternative to popcorn
First published: 8 May 2017
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