Do you have a novel, early-stage business idea?
The KickStart Challenge is for aspiring entrepreneurs with innovative business ideas they’d like to test, validate and prepare to launch.
What’s in it for you?
The KickStart Challenge is a first step towards commercialisation, designed to test and validate your idea and to equip you for the realities of entrepreneurship.
Network
Connect, learn, growBy joining our cohort of like-minded innovators, you'll benefit from expert guidance, invaluable connections and peer-to-peer support.
Training
Bespoke business trainingAll successful applicants benefit from bespoke business training delivered by experts with real-world experience of starting and growing global businesses.
£40k
Prize fundWinner: £10k in equity-free cash plus fast-track entry to the semi-finals of an advanced challenge category.
Runner-up: £7.5k in equity-free cash x 2
Entrepreneurial Spirit Award: £5k in equity-free cash
Creative Award: £5k in equity-free cash
Social Impact Award: £5k in equity-free cash
Plus
Alumni network and supportOnce you've completed our programme, you'll join a thriving and diverse community of Converge alumni spearheading breakthrough businesses.
Who can apply?
The Kickstart Challenge is open to academic innovators taking the first steps of their commercialisation journey. Designed to help you establish the viability of your idea and prepare for the challenges of entrepreneurship, we welcome applications from across industry sectors and enterprise types, for both product and service-based ideas.
Read our full terms and conditionsMembers of staff from all Scottish universities are welcome to apply including early-career researchers, academic and professional staff.
We welcome applications from postgraduate and undergraduate students from all Scottish universities.
Recent graduates (up to 36 months after graduation from the initial application date) from all Scottish universities are eligible to apply.
Team and joint applications are welcome provided one member of the team is a staff member, student or recent graduate from a Scottish university.
Applicants must plan to have their business headquartered in Scotland.
Active participation in all training sessions and events is mandatory for the lead applicant. For key dates, see the 'What's involved' section on this web page.
You must either own or have the right to use and commercially exploit all Intellectual Property Rights related to your business idea.
This challenge is aimed at early-stage projects that have the potential to become high-growth businesses. Applicants need to demonstrate feasibility and early market research.
If you do have an existing company, it must be dormant, non-trading or trading for no longer than 24 months with a secured income not higher than £150,000 (including but not limited to grants, investment, loans, revenue, prizes).
Technology readiness levels (TRLs) are a scale used to measure the maturity of a technology during its development. To apply for this challenge, we recommend TRL2-4.
Judging criteria
Kickstart Challenge applications are judged on the novelty and innovation of the idea combined with clarity of planning. We’re looking for individuals and teams who understand what it takes to get market ready and launch a business. Successful applicants will be able to demonstrate product/service feasibility, a strong USP and market demand.
Innovation
Demonstration of market need
Understanding of your market and customers
Clarity of product/service development plan
Viability of proposed business model
What’s involved?
Our challenges are split into four stages over a period of six months. Applications open in January and are evaluated by a panel of university representatives.
If you're successful, we'll give you access to our online, on-demand training modules from 9 May. You'll then be invited to attend a one day, in-person regional training session w/c 26 May followed by intensive business training, masterclasses and pitching from 9-10 June in Edinburgh*.
By committing to attending our training programme in full, you'll have the tools you need to put forward a business case and 1-minute video pitch - all of which will be assessed by a panel of university representatives.
If you make it onto our shortlist, you'll be asked to pitch your idea live to a panel of business experts on 23 September. Winners will be announced at our annual Awards ceremony on 2 October.
*Travel expenses for in-person training and events are available. We can also arrange overnight accommodation
- Application deadline
2 April 2025 - In-person regional training
w/c 26 May - In-person training
9-10 June - Business case submission
31 July - Final pitches
23 September - Awards
2 October
Judging panel
We select our expert judging panel from a wide range of industries for their unique experience and insight gained from launching, growing and nurturing businesses in Scotland. Here's last year's panel to give you a flavour of who will be assessing your business idea.
Monica Langa
Executive Director Fletcher JonesMonica Langa has been a non-executive director a number of private-equity-backed companies and of an Angel Investment Syndicate. She is a former Fund Manager/Investment Director who also worked at the Institute of Directors.
She has over 20 year’s Non-executive Board experience in the charity/voluntary and the venture capital sectors. She is an executive director of Fletcher Jones - an executive search practice, where she specialises in non-executive Board appointments and independent board evaluations, for the listed investment company and financial mutual sectors so she spends the majority of her time both advocating for and experiencing best practice in corporate governance, in some of the most highly regulated boards in the UK.
Monica holds the Institute of Director’s Certificate in Company Direction, and a MSc in Investment Analysis as well as bring a qualified banker (Chartered Institute of Bankers in Scotland), a qualified HR professional (CIPD) and psychometric test assessor. Monica co-edited the book A Director's Guide to Governance in the Boardroom, in 2022.
Anne Muir
Director of Portfolio Management EosAnne Muir has over 20 years’ experience in the early-stage commercialisation sector working in positions in Scottish Universities as well as independently via her own consultancy company supporting technology start-ups. Before joining Eos - a seed stage impact investor - as Director of Portfolio Management in 2023, she was Deputy Director at the University of Dundee, heading up the commercial functions of the technology transfer office including IP management, Venture Creation, Licensing, Industrial Partnerships and Contracts. During her time at Dundee, the University was ranked in the top 5 in the UK for spin out success based on equity volume.
Elizabeth Pirrie
CEO AccelerateHERAs CEO of AccelerateHER and COO of Investing Women Scotland, Elizabeth moves the dial to create more opportunities for female founders. AccelerateHER includes a program of events, the AccelerateHER awards, and the support and encouragement of female founders to scale their business, accelerating growth for female founders to scale companies, access investment & be visible to inspire others. Elizabeth is working to change the face of angel investment with Scotland’s first all-female angel investment group.
Angus MacFadyen
Investment director Smart Things Accelerator CentreAngus is a Business leader with twenty years’ experience in building, leading and transforming businesses in the B2B technology space with a particular specialism in products that combine hardware and software. He is currently Investment Director of Smart Things Accelerator Centre (STAC) and is a tech SME Board adviser.
Christopher Leburn
Programme Manager Critical Technologies Accelerator, University of GlasgowThe Critical Technologies Accelerator programme provides access to a team of engineers with embedded expertise in the world-renowned James Watt Nanofabrication Centre. The CTA works with industry partners to deliver innovative products into new markets. Following success in the 2012 Converge Challenge, Christopher co-founded Chromacity. He led Chromacity as CEO and later as Commercial Director, growing the business beyond its 10th birthday.
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