{"id":486,"date":"2017-05-08T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-05-08T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sprengthomson.com\/2017-converge-challengers-revealed\/"},"modified":"2017-05-08T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2017-05-08T00:00:00","slug":"2017-converge-challengers-revealed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sprengthomson.com\/2017-converge-challengers-revealed\/","title":{"rendered":"2017 Converge Challengers revealed"},"content":{"rendered":"

Innovative diabetes management, food waste digester & swimming aid products are amongst the companies vying for top entrepreneurial award. Converge Challenge<\/a> 2017, Scotland\u2019s leading company creation competition and entrepreneurial development programme for staff, students, and recent graduates of Scottish Universities and Research Institutes have revealed this year\u2019s top 60 \u2018Converge Challengers<\/a><\/strong>\u2019. And there has been a leap in the number of female finalists which now account for 43% of the Challengers.<\/p>\n

The three Converge Challenge award categories are:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Converge Challenge – for those with an established idea<\/li>\n
  2. KickStart – for early stage ideas<\/li>\n
  3. Social Enterprise – for ideas that will have a positive impact on social and environmental issues<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Business products or services, from any industry sector, at any stage are eligible. The Converge Challenge category is highly competitive this year with nine industry sectors represented and business ideas including:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Brain cancer diagnostics<\/li>\n
    2. microalgal supplements for fishmeal, to supply the livestock feed industry<\/li>\n
    3. the world\u2019s first automated, small-scale food waste digester to generate biogas<\/li>\n
    4. a new flotation aid for children learning to swim<\/li>\n
    5. garden design toolkits for adults with dementia<\/li>\n
    6. an online platform to help people self-manage diabetes<\/li>\n
    7. an alternative to popcorn<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      New for 2017 is a partnership that will benefit the top 30 Converge Challenge Life Science and MedTech participants. A number of the participants will have the chance to take part in a MediCity bespoke 3-day programme of sector specific support between the end of June and the business plan submission deadline in August.<\/p>\n

      Commenting on the finalists, Dr Olga Kozlova, Director of Converge Challenge, said:<\/p>\n

      \u201cEvery year the Converge Challenge competition gets stronger and this year looks like being the most competitive yet. Participants have put a lot of effort into describing their markets and customer interactions rather than focus on technology development. There is a strong ethical focus in many applications aiming to improve quality of life through innovations targeting 9 sectors of the Scottish Economy.<\/em><\/p>\n

      \u201cThe returning participants from 2016, emphasise the nurturing nature of the programme and our belief in supporting people as they develop their products and ideas. We look forward to seeing the Converge Challengers at our elevator pitch in June and wish them the best of luck as their entrepreneurial training and development begins.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

      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 University of Glasgow, has since had a great success with their assistance platform for people with dementia, their caregivers and family members.<\/p>\n

      Susanne said:<\/p>\n

      \u201cOur Converge prize has made a meaningful difference; not only from a cash-perspective, but from the in-kind business services we\u2019ve received.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

      The Converge Challenge team were particularly gratified to see 5 applicants who were in the KickStart category in 2016 moving through to the Top 30 in 2017 in the main Converge Challenge category. This shows that they have taken the learnings from the process back to their Higher Education Institutes and have built on them, developing their business propositions to a very high standard.<\/p>\n

      As early stage shortlisted projects the KickStarters will receive two days of invaluable business support training and are encouraged, like last years Converge winner MindMate, to take on the full Converge Challenge next year. This reflects the intensive support ethos which is at the heart of Converge Challenge.<\/p>\n

      The KickStart projects are also from a wide range of sectors and, like the Converge Challengers, have raised the bar in the quality and depth of their entries. Examples of competing business ideas include:-<\/p>\n