Converge celebrates Global Entrepreneurship Week

It’s Global Entrepreneurship Week and to celebrate we’re spotlighting the achievements of some of our former participants whose businesses are not only surviving but thriving.

The annual celebration of entrepreneurship coincides with the second week of COP26 in Glasgow, so there are even more reasons to celebrate the boldness and bravery of those who stick their necks out, quit their jobs and devote all their energies to developing an idea that one day, might just change the world for the better (and make their fortune).

Jonathan Ortmans, president of the Global Entrepreneurship Network, behind the week of celebrations, said: “We need more entrepreneurs in the world – people with the aptitude, courage and resilience to help us innovate through challenges.  This week is all about them.”

It’s a sentiment echoed and applauded by Dr Claudia Cavalluzzo, director of Converge.  She said:  “Entrepreneurs are special people and we should really celebrate their willingness to put it all on the line for an idea, an innovation or a product that could one day have massive impact.   While programmes like Converge can take some of the risk out of the process by offering training, mentorship and idea validation, ultimately it is the entrepreneur who takes the gamble.

“We see time and time again the benefits of that risk-taking, though.  In the last week we’ve seen news of Converge alumni securing huge investments – for example Lupovis, a cyber security spinout from the University of Strathclyde have just secured £615,000 of pre-seed funding, an amazing achievement for a company that was a Converge semi-finalist just last year.

“Then we have the news from In4Derm, a spin out from the University of Dundee and winner of the Converge Challenge in 2019,  that they have secured £1.6m pre-Series A funding.

“Both these companies are driven by highly motivated individuals and we at Converge continue to watch them, and all our other alumni companies, with great interest and a huge amount of pride.

“We know we can’t take all the credit but we like to think we’ve helped them along the way.”

Converge is Scotland’s largest company creation programme for academic entrepreneurship.  Staff, students and recent graduates of all 18 Scottish Universities are eligible to apply for a place on the programme, which opens for applications again in January 2022.