Two UofG graduates an UofG student have made the top 10 shortlist of the Converge Challenge.

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.

Graduate Corien Staels has reached the Top 10 with Staels Design, the first battery powered airflow back-rest cushion for wheelchairs designed to be more supportive, increasing comfort while keeping the user cool.

Phil McFarlane, also a graduate, made the list with Scoop Analytics, algorithms that monitor social media to identify breaking news before it breaks on mainstream sources.

PhD student Muhammad Arslan Khalid has reached the Top 10 of the KickStart award category with MobiDx, a smartphone based medical point-of-care diagnostics using only a single droplet of blood.

UofG has a strong success record with Converge Challenge including Susanne Mitschke, who was joint winner of Converge Challenge with MindMate in 2016.

Dr Olga Kozlova, Director of Converge Challenge, said:“This year’s finalists are game changers showcasing innovations with amazing market potential. The candidate’s business plans displayed solid market engagement and commitment to developing a strong team and clear details on how they plan to grow the business – all key elements that contribute to the future success of a new business and ultimately Scotland’s economy.”

Finalists will now go through to the final stage of the competition with the opportunity to win cash prizes and in kind business support packages from the total prize fund valued at over £170,000.

The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on Thursday 28 September 2017 at the Glasgow Science Centre.

For more information visit: Converge Challenge 2017

First published: 24 August 2017

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