Last night, founders and researchers from across Scotland’s universities came together at Barony Hall in Glasgow for the 2026 Converge Awards. The Ventures Lab was there to celebrate this year’s finalists and to present a special award, The Ventures Lab Award, to RecoverPX.
Converge described this year’s finalists as its most diverse group yet. From 123 participants, 34 reached the final, and for the first time 15 of the 18 participating universities had a finalist in the room. They competed for a total prize fund of £410,000 across six challenge categories, from Net Zero and Create Change to Space and Performing & Production Arts.
We were especially pleased to see how many finalists are building their ventures around a social or environmental challenge. WombWise, from Edinburgh Napier University, is developing a femtech platform to shorten the time it takes to diagnose endometriosis and PCOS. TissueMetrics, from Heriot-Watt University, has created an acoustic skin sensor to support the treatment of inflammatory skin diseases. Crop Intel, from the University of Stirling, combines visual diagnostics with weather and market data to help UK wheat farmers make better decisions. These were just a few of the finalists showing that impact can be part of a research-led business from day one.
We were particularly delighted to see a number of finalists and winners from March’s Converge Impact Challenge, run in partnership with TVL, receive prizes last night. Their success shows the ambition of Scotland’s impact entrepreneurs, and why support from organisations like Converge and TVL matters in Scotland’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
The Ventures Lab Award
Alongside the six challenge categories, Converge also presents a number of special prizes. The Ventures Lab Award being one of them. It goes to the entrant who best shows social or environmental impact, game-changing potential, innovation and scalability. This year the winner received £10,000, along with a dedicated Venture Support Manager and a tailored package of support from TVL.
Choosing a winner took several stages. Our team assessed more than 60 applications, read 12 full business plans and interviewed six finalists.
TVL AWARD WINNER: RECOVERPX
RecoverPX is a Heriot-Watt University spin-out founded by Professor Helen Bridle. Its technology improves the recovery of Cryptosporidium and other pathogens from large-volume water samples, making compliance testing for water companies more efficient and reliable. That matters because even small amounts of Cryptosporidium can pose a real health risk to people and animals.
The commercial model is built around a proprietary consumable filter, which keeps the barrier to adoption low for water companies. RecoverPX is already running a pilot with Scottish Water.
The panel was impressed by technology already in use across multiple sites, Helen’s deep knowledge of the water sector and her existing relationships with providers, and a credible, experienced team. The panel also valued how closely the venture’s commercial model connects to its impact on water safety.
For The Ventures Lab, evenings like this show how much impact-led talent is coming out of Scotland’s universities. Our partnership with Converge has introduced us to founders turning research into ventures that tackle real social and environmental challenges. In recent years, we’ve supported two of them, Health Cascade and SEASAT, through our Build pathway.
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Congratulations to Helen and the RecoverPX team, and to every finalist and winner on the night. Thank you to the Converge team for championing the innovation and ambition of university spin–outs, and for hosting such a fantastic evening.
