QMU innovation talent shines with 11 Converge finalist places
Eleven extraordinary entrepreneurs from Queen Margaret University (QMU), Edinburgh have secured places in the 2026 cohorts of the highly competitive Converge Challenges, Scotland’s leading programme for university-led innovation.
Representing a mix of staff, students and graduates, the QMU finalists have successfully progressed across three of the programme’s five challenge categories, where they will be supported to transform their pioneering ideas into real-world solutions.
The QMU Converge class of 2026 reflects the breadth of innovation emerging across the University, with successful ventures spanning the performing arts, creative industries and social enterprise sectors.
Seven QMU applicants secured places in the Performing and Production Arts Challenge, which supports performers, producers and technicians in turning artistic talent into sustainable business opportunities. A further two applicants were selected for the KickStart Challenge, aimed at aspiring entrepreneurs developing and testing new business ideas, while two more have secured finalist spots in the Create Change Challenge, which supports creative, cultural and social impact ventures to build sustainable enterprises.
Among the selected QMU innovations are a data intelligence platform helping performing arts producers make smarter decisions on scheduling, marketing and pricing; play-based games designed to boost children’s confidence and core learning skills; and an inclusive media studio creating bold, authentic content that empowers individuals and businesses alike.
This year, judges faced tough competition in selecting the projects demonstrating the strongest innovation and commercial potential, with 123 start-ups and spinouts ultimately chosen to begin their Converge journey. The successful teams will now take part in intensive training designed to equip them with the entrepreneurial skills and foundations needed to succeed. Later in the programme, a £400,000 prize fund is at stake for the most promising projects.
Find out more about the Converge Challenges and how you can apply, regardless of your background and entrepreneurial readiness, on the Converge Challenge website.
Read about each of our entrepreneurs and their ideas below:
Mirren McIver, Performing & Production Arts Challenge
“Four Door Theatre is a Glasgow-based company creating a bold, feminist-led creative hub for theatre-making, learning, and collaboration, aiming to open doors. We deliver accessible workshops for adults and young people across acting, directing, writing, technical theatre, and design, alongside drop-in supported study sessions for drama students. Our space will challenge traditional theatre hierarchies by centring underrepresented voices and removing barriers to participation. With a focus on affordability, flexibility, and community, Four Door Theatre will become a vital local resource, part training ground, part creative lab, where people can develop skills, build confidence, and reimagine what theatre can be.”
Morven Summers, Create Change Challenge
“FussEat is an early‑intervention programme that helps families build healthier eating habits through the evidence-based F.E.D. Method. It offers structured, practical support for parents who fall between informal online advice and clinical services but still need guidance and support. The model combines playful, in‑person workshops, digital training and resources, group support and optional one‑to‑one consultancy. The focus is on developing confident parents, reducing mealtime stress and supporting long‑term behaviour change for better physical and mental health to help children thrive. FussEat provides an accessible middle ground between high‑cost specialist consultancy and clinical services with long waiting lists.
Marley Hunter, Performing & Production Arts Challenge
“Gather Round Theatre is a newly established theatre company dedicated to enriching the cultural landscape of Dundee, Angus, and the wider Tayside region. Our primary aim is to provide creative opportunities for mature artists, particularly those aged 35 and above, who are often overlooked in the performing arts sector. By producing and touring professional theatrical works, we seek to engage audiences in communities that are typically underserved by mainstream theatre, with a special focus on rural areas such as Angus.”
Johanna Denke, Create Change Challenge
“LAF is an inclusive media studio committed to creating films & content that make individuals & businesses feel authentic, confident & powerful. We want to be the trusted option for Scotland’s business & creative sector, creating access to media content for everyone, regardless of race, background or class. We are currently carving a niche for ourselves in the theatre & acting industry, supporting performers & actors with high-quality, affordable visual content. We are particular about working with people committed to the future.”
Lok Pui Lo, Performing & Production Arts Challenge
“ESEA Creatives is a Community Interest Company developing a creative platform supporting East and Southeast Asian artists to present work, collaborate and connect with audiences. Through curated events, interdisciplinary productions and partnerships with cultural organisations, we create opportunities for artists to build visibility and professional networks. ESEA Creatives responds to the limited infrastructure supporting ESEA creatives within the UK cultural sector. The project will test pop-up formats and collaborative programming while developing sustainable models for creative production that expand access to diverse cultural experiences.”
James English, KickStart Challenge
“At NoFussFun, we create face-to-face, play-centred games that reinforce core educational skills, helping children build confidence in learning. Designed by an interaction designer and a business student, in consultation with an educational psychologist, each game blends learning theory with intuitive design so that children of different abilities can learn using the same resource. Our first range, Head-Body-Tail games, reinforces number concepts using modular card components that allow multiple games at different challenge levels. We develop low-prep, screen-free tools that work efficiently alongside the curriculum to make learning feel accessible, motivating, and achievable.”
Katie Devereux, Performing & Production Arts Challenge
“Scottish Location Partnership (SLP) is envisioned as a location brokerage and venue development business initially based in South East Scotland. It would connect production companies with rural and independent venues that may have strong filming potential but are often overlooked, or are unsure how to engage with the screen sector. The business would source and present suitable locations, help venues feel more prepared for filming, and make the process clearer for both sides. It is designed as a relationship-led service with a strong regional focus, beginning in the Scottish Borders and East Lothian and building gradually across all of Scotland.”
Aisha Josiah, Performing & Production Arts Challenge
“Stage Analytics is a data intelligence platform built for the performing arts. At the Edinburgh Festival Fringe - the world's largest arts festival, with 2.6 million tickets across 3,900+ shows - performers make critical decisions on scheduling, marketing and pricing with almost no data. Stage Analytics changes this by transforming fragmented box office, review and audience data into real-time dashboards, benchmarking and predictive insights. Founded by a theatre maker with 12+ years of Fringe experience, and built on a proprietary performance dataset, Stage Analytics democratises data for independent artists and supports the sustainability of Scotland's creative economy.”
Rona Grieve, Performing & Production Arts Challenge
“Story Anvil Films is a production company creating high-quality video content for social enterprises, charities and community organisations. The business helps organisations communicate their impact more effectively, improving their ability to secure funding, engage audiences and grow sustainably. Combining professional filmmaking with a deep understanding of grassroots communities, the company delivers accessible, story-led content tailored to the third sector. In the longer term, it will also develop original film and television projects rooted in real community stories, while creating pathways for emerging performers and creatives to gain industry-relevant experience.”
Fergus Kane, Performing & Production Arts Challenge
“The Gateway Writing Festival is an Edinburgh-based festival that provides a pathway for new Scottish theatre writers and creatives to develop, devise and translate ideas for the stage. For three years, Gateway has refined a unique methodology focused on theatre‑maker-led development, bringing together new writers with directors, actors and a production team for a months-long development and rehearsal process that transforms first drafts into high-quality pieces ready for further production and sector exposure. The festival builds the infrastructure for entrepreneurial theatre makers to develop skills, forge professional connections and take the next step in their careers.”
Carolyn Kent, KickStart Challenge
“Women’s Football Hub CIC empowers women and girls through having fun in football. We also create research backed resources, including global expert podcasts, and community-building initiatives. We encourage our community to participate in playing, coaching, and refereeing. Growth is supported through our environmentally conscious merchandise store and partnerships with organisations including Walking Football Scotland. Our health and wellbeing focus, led by experienced coaches and health care professionals, aims to increase female involvement in football ahead of the 2035 UK hosted Women’s World Cup.”
For further media information contact: Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, E: pressoffice@qmu.ac.uk.
