Mission-led founders secure vital support at Impact Challenge Awards

Scotland’s brightest emerging mission-led founders stepped into the spotlight yesterday (Thursday 5 March) as the Impact Challenge Final and Awards took place in central Edinburgh.

Hosted by Converge in partnership with The Ventures Lab – the venture building arm of The Challenges Group – the event saw 14 members of the Impact Challenge cohort pitch their ideas live and face questions from a panel of judges.

At stake was a £10,000 prize pot of equity-free funding and in-kind business support, specifically designed to help early-stage university founders establish a sustainable footing for their mission-driven businesses.

The judges awarded four cash prizes of £1500 each, based on the projects’ business cases, their pitches and their responses to the questions in front of the live audience.

The winning projects were:

Kumfa Tech, pitched by Lukman Yusuf, University of Glasgow: a novel process for decontaminating wastewater of harmful pollutants

Neon Guard, pitched by Leighann Lindsay on behalf of Chelsea Jarvie, University of Strathclyde: an age-intelligence platform for safer digital experiences

Patient Flow Bottleneck Explorer, pitched by Muhammed Saaed, Abertay University: turning hospital data into clear insights to keep care moving

WombWise, pitched by Emily Youngs, Edinburgh Napier University: health monitoring to enable earlier detection of endometriosis and PCOS

Emily Youngs from WombWise also took the Audience Choice prize for Best Pitch, winning a £50 book token.

Before the prizes were awarded, the audience heard two inspiring talks from entrepreneurs already successfully running mission-led businesses. Dr Kavi Jagadamma, co-founder of Health Design Collective, and runner up in the Converge Social Enterprise Challenge in 2018, talked of his passion for working with end-users to co-design accessible and affordable health care products.

Mark Blair, CEO of Effective Now, talked of the delicate balancing act of running a mission-led business while remaining commercially viable. “For us, the sweet spot is to be purpose led plus performance driven. Impact gives purpose, while commercial strength gives longevity,” he said.

Opening the event, Converge deputy director Dr Lissa Herron, highlighted how the Impact Challenge had surpassed initial expectations. “What really stood out to me and the judges was the sheer range and diversity of the projects,” Herron said. “They included everything from deep-tech and community engagement through to the performing and production arts. We even saw projects in sectors that we don’t normally see. By opening doors to projects that might not fit the ‘typical’ mould, we are ensuring that no great idea is left behind.”

Dr. Herron also noted the programme’s success in fostering inclusivity with nearly half of all submissions coming from women—a significant milestone in an era where female entrepreneurship continues to face headwinds.

She added: “Beyond the numbers, the real impact lies in the long-term journey with many of the innovators here today already applying to our core programmes. This was exactly what the Impact Challenge was designed to do and it’s fantastic to see this dynamic innovation pipeline taking shape before our very eyes. Together we’ve uncovered a very real and urgent demand for innovation support from impact-focused founders at the most critical stages.”