Venture 2022 Final - Friday 25 February

Finalists were competing over seven categories for a share of the £41,000 prize fund.  This year continued the slightly different format to the usually in-person event. Over 130 attendees tuned in online to watch the event from all over the globe to support their friends, family and colleagues. The 2 days prior to the live event, the finalists delivered 3-minute pitches to an external judging panel with a 5-minute Q&A. 

Professor Iain Gillespie, the Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University, opened the event by welcoming finalists and the virtual audience. Iain then handed over to Brian McNicoll, Head of Centre for Entrepreneurship, who was the host for the pitches to follow. 

Through seven categories we saw staff, students and recent graduates from all schools across the university deliver their one minute pitch. After each half of the pitches, there was an audience vote to decide which team delivered the best pitch. Four iPads were generously donated by Converge and Johnston Carmichael were awarded to the business that the audience decided gave the best pitches. 

The Venture 2022 winners are as follows:

School of Business Student/Recent Graduate Award - £2,500

Sponsored by University of Dundee’s School of Business

You Have JZ - £2,500

Jevin Zac, a recent graduate from the School of Business, was awarded the full £2,500 as he impressed the judges with his personality and dedication to his idea. You Have JZ is an online platform seeking to give aspiring international students from India an alternative to the predatory approach of international agencies pushing students towards universities that pay the highest commission. Instead, Jevin prioritises the person's profile, preference, and the suitability and rankings of British universities.

School of Art and Design Student/Recent Graduate Award - £2,500

Sponsored by University of Dundee’s School of Art and Design

Credo Academy- £2,500

Daisy McConville from the School of Art and Design was the winner of the School of Art and Design Award with her business Credo Academy. As a co-founder of the business, Daisy is looking to provide a digital resource to support students in every aspect of their academic university life, not just the subject they're studying. With a focus on mental wellbeing and essential skills that students feel are missing from the curriculum, Credo Academy is already off and running in producing content.

ALGA - Runner Up winning £1000

Co-winner of last semester's Enterprise Challenge, Carolyne Nurse took away £1000 for her business that transforms seaweed into 'Wearable Sculptures'. Using graphite, recycled copper and silver in an innovative way, Carolyne creates high-quality, handmade and original sculptures.

Inclusive Innovations - Runner Up winning £2000

Nicholas Fitzpatrick from the School of Art and Design was also awarded £2000 from the discretionary fund for his inclusively designed kettle. Nick wants Inclusive Innovations to challenge the status quo and showcase how thinking differently can go a long way in making sure people feel included and accepted.

School of Life Sciences Student Award - £3,000

Sponsored by University of Dundee’s School of Life Sciences

Glucometre - £3,000

Shravya Murali and Shreya Kashyap were the winners of the School of Life Sciences Award which netted their business £3000 from the School of Life Sciences. Glucometre is a multifunctional application that aims to make medical help for those suffering with diabetes just a tap away.

GlycemiApp - Runner Up awarded a place on the Elevator Accelerator Programme

Dr. Dinesh Shah was given the chance to progress onto Elevator's Accelerator Programme and receive tailored business support to benefit his business and himself as an entrepreneur. GlycemiApp will be a platform that will act as a hub for those wanting to improve their glucose control and hence health prospects.

Wildcard (All other Students/Non-research Staff) Award - £2,500

Sponsored by James Keiller Investments and the Centre for Entrepreneurship

CoBAlt - £4000

Dr. Robin Pflughaupt was the winner of the Wildcard Award, receiving the prize funding of £2,500 and £1,500 from the discretionary fund in the process. Their business CoBAlt (Copolymer Base Alternatives) researches and will develop novel performance materials for snowsports. Its primary purpose is to generate cutting-edge performance ski bases, particularly for challenging snow conditions. 

Narrative Matters - Runners up winning £3000

‌Overall, the judges were delighted by the high potential of all 3 finalists in the Wildcard category and so both runners up were given substantial funding from the discretionary fund. Firstly, Dr. Amrita Ahluwalia-McMeddes and her team collected won £3000 for their business Narrative Matters. Through their business, they help researchers tell the stories behind their work, in a way that makes sense to a non-expert audience, through podcasts and other means.

InGear Publishing - Runners Up winning £3000

The other runners up was Dr. Helen Gorrill and her team at InGear Publishing. Their company aim to create change by providing academia with digital/print publishing services for authors who seek quality and quick-to-print service which is affordable for end-users. The company will employ bright and ambitious BAME/working class graduates in what is traditionally a white/middle class industry.

School of Science and Engineering Student Award - £5,000

Sponsored by University of Dundee's School of Science and Engineering and Engineers in Business Fellowship

AllSteady - £5000

Recent graduate, Ryan Anderson was the winner of this award for his software AllSteady. Video editing software which uses camera motion data to stabilise videos, Allsteady is mainly geared towards racing-style drone video, but is also suitable for any video recorded on a camera which also records the motion data.

m‌edBox - Runner up winning a place on Elevator's Accelerator Programme

Samuel Dapaah was awarded a place on Elevator's Accelerator programme. medBox is aimed at digital curriculum development for healthcare and medical training institutions in developing countries in Africa. 

School of Medicine Award - £2,500

Sponsored by University of Dundee’s School of Medicine

Music Universe - £2,500

Divyesh Joshi from the School of Medicine was the winner of the School of Medicine Award. Divyesh's musical idea is to create a platform where music teachers (professional and non-professional) can provide lessons to students and set their own price.

Research Staff Award - £11,500

Sponsored by University of Dundee’s Research and Innovation Services (RIS), Talent and Development, School of Science and Engineering, School of Medicine, and the Centre for Entrepreneurship (including £1,000 awarded from the discretionary fund)

NeogeniCo - £12,500

Our final award saw Dr. James Cantley and NeogeniCo win the entirety of the £11,500 from the Research Staff Award and an extra £1000 from the discretionary fund. NeogeniCo seeks to use an innovative cell-based assay to develop first-in-class drug candidates to promote beta cell regeneration directly in the pancreas of the patient, by activating an innate developmental pathway known as neogenesis. 

The Discretionary Fund of £11,500

Sponsored by Elevator, ion8, James Keiller Investments and DC Thomson was allocated by the external judges 

Thank you again to all of our sponsors, the event wouldn't be possible without them. This year was overwhelming with the highest prize fund we have had to date of £41,000.