KickStart Challenge 2019 - Finalists Announced

Part of the Converge Programme, and sponsored by the Royal Bank of Scotland, a £10,000 cash prize now awaits the winner with £5,000 awarded to the runner-up.

The ten entrepreneurs were selected from a shortlist of 33 semi-finalists with strong representation from the life sciences and creative industries.

Six of this year’s finalists are women including Elisabeth Feldstein from the University of Edinburgh with Augment Bionics, a student-led project looking to create highly functional and affordable, 3D printed prosthetic arms.

Charlotte McKechnie from The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland also made it to the shortlist with Opera Eos, a new theatrical company bringing new and forgotten operas and theatre pieces from female creators from around the world to audiences in the UK.

The ten finalists are drawn from a wide range of institutions including The Glasgow School of Art, the University of Strathclyde, the University of Edinburgh, SRUC, The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and Heriot-Watt University.

This year’s winner and runner-up will be announced at the KickStart Awards on Thursday 14 March 2019 at the Royal Bank of Scotland Open Experience in Edinburgh.  The event, attended by representatives from Higher Education, the investment community and Scotland’s entrepreneurial cosystem, will also feature a live pitching competition from our ten finalists with a prize awarded to the best pitch.

The finalists are: