Converge Challenge, KickStart and Social Enterprise Top 30 Announced

Please find below a complete list of all The Converge Challenge 2015 Top 30 finalists split by category – Converge Challenge and KickStart/Social Enterprise. We received a record number of submissions this year so the competition was strong. This is great news building upon the work to date ensuring that 2015 will be our largest and most successful year yet.

“This is the sixth year for the Converge Challenge programme and I am delighted to see a growing mix of projects coming forward from across Scotland as the competition acts as a beacon for entrepreneurship. This year Converge Challenge is bigger than ever with dedicated training provided to over 60 budding entrepreneurs and record total funding pot of £100,000+ in cash and business support.

Sifting the 186 entries into the top 30 in each category was quite a challenge for the judging panel with such strong competition this year. We’d like to congratulate all those who have progressed through to the next phase and commend all those who entered. We were inspired by the breadth of the ideas submitted this year!”

Veronica Ferguson, Enterprise Outreach Manager, Converge Challenge

So what have our finalists been up to and what is next for our finalists?

Phase 2 of the Converge series - The Entrepreneurial Training Programme took place on June 1-3 (Converge) and June 1-2 (KickStart/Social Enterprise) – both were held at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh. In the middle of the Converge Training was our popular Elevator Pitch event which was held at Symposium Hall, Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh on June 2nd which included keynote speeches from Chris van der Kuyl, Chairman of Entrepreneurial Scotland and Kerry Sharp, Head of Scottish Investment Bank, Scottish Enterprise. Then all participants (Converge, KickStart and Social Enterprise) must use the training to formulate their business plan - phase 3 of the series. The submission date is August 7th, 2015.

Converge Challenge 2015 Top 30*

Converge KickStart and Social Enterprise 2015 Top 30*