{"id":5443,"date":"2026-03-23T10:08:22","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T10:08:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/?p=5443"},"modified":"2026-03-26T09:33:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T09:33:49","slug":"dragons-den-2026-meet-the-finalists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/2026\/03\/23\/dragons-den-2026-meet-the-finalists\/","title":{"rendered":"Dragons\u2019 Den 2026: Meet the Finalists"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The QUB Dragons\u2019 Den panel has been amazed once again by the creativity and ambition of this year\u2019s entrepreneurs!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a fiercely competitive round of entries, these innovators have secured their place in the final, bringing them one step closer to: a share of the \u00a325,000 prize fund; hot\u2011desking space in the SU CoWork; and expert mentoring to help transform their ideas into thriving ventures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From AI-driven solutions and immersive VR experiences to values-driven social enterprises and new approaches to education, this year\u2019s finalists represent an exciting mix of industries pushing boundaries and tackling real-world challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meet the finalists who are shaping the future\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>
\n

Virtual Medic<\/strong>
Abhay Shivamurthy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

AI-powered training platform where medical students practise patient consultations with realistic virtual patients and receive instant feedback.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>
\n

Fortiva Health<\/strong>
Alyna Nanji<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Social enterprise improving maternal and child health in East Africa by fortifying staple foods with folic acid and other essential micronutrients.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>
\n

Spark<\/strong>
Cathal McEvoy, Rory Brolly, Michael McKey<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

An AI platform that matches people to mentors, peers, jobs, and communities using data on personality, goals, and values to create meaningful connections at scale.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>
\n


Velocity Practice<\/strong>
Colm Daly, Alex Dunne, Fiyinfoluwa Owolabi, Noah Paynter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Data-driven drumming practice platform that uses performance analytics to help musicians measure progress and improve technique.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>
\n

AugmentaFire<\/strong>
Eben Rainey<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

VR-based fire safety training that recreates real workplaces, enabling employees to safely and realistically practice emergency scenarios.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>
\n

Represented<\/strong>
Gabrielle Johnston<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A student talent platform connecting brands with flexible promotional staff and event teams. It streamlines hiring, reduces agency fees, and enables flexible work.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>
\n

Speed Notes<\/strong>
Lucy Tyrrell<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Accessible education platform delivering concise GCSE and A-Level Maths and Physics lessons through free digital content and resources.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>
\n

SwingSight<\/strong>
Oliver Woodward<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

AI golf coaching app that analyses swing videos from a smartphone and provides instant feedback and personalised drills.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>
\n

TriaTech<\/strong>
Padraig MacHenry<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

AI-powered call management system for GP practices that triages patient calls and prioritises urgent cases automatically.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>
\n

Cognisync<\/strong>
Saira Nagi<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

AI learning platform that personalises lessons for neurodivergent students by adapting content and assessment to individual needs.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>
\n

LexisHear<\/strong>
Sophie McManus<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Real-time AI transcription system that makes courtroom proceedings accessible for people with hearing loss.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>
\n

SnoozeCapz<\/strong>
Valerie Chen<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Non-insert, reusable ear caps that wrap around the ear to reduce noise, improve sleep comfort, and protect ear health for noise-sensitive users.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>
\n

Balvedhaa<\/strong>
Vidhya Gummadavelli
<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A research-led organic skincare brand combining global traditional formulations with modern scientific validation.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

With such groundbreaking ideas and passionate entrepreneurs, the competition this year is tighter than ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A big thanks to our competition sponsors: Tughans Solicitors<\/a>, Hill Vellacott<\/a>, Engineers and Scientists in Business Fellowship<\/a>, MCS Recruitment<\/a>, and QUBIS<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the best of luck to our finalists as they deliver their final pitches on Thursday 16 April \u2013 stay tuned to find out who will win over the Dragons and secure their share of the funding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The QUB Dragons\u2019 Den panel has been amazed once again by the creativity and ambition of this year\u2019s entrepreneurs! After a fiercely competitive round of entries, these innovators have secured their place in the final, bringing them one step closer to: a share of the \u00a325,000 prize fund; hot\u2011desking space in the SU CoWork; and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5464,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[234,74,299,52,112,66],"tags":[217,57,341,151,339,179,343,281,342,96,130],"class_list":{"0":"post-5443","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-competitions","8":"category-dragons-den","9":"category-student-businesses","10":"category-student-life","11":"category-students","12":"category-upskilling-opportunities","13":"tag-dragons-den","14":"tag-enterprise","15":"tag-qsu","16":"tag-qub","17":"tag-qub-dragons-den","18":"tag-queens-university","19":"tag-queens-students","20":"tag-queens-students-union","21":"tag-student-businesses","22":"tag-studentlife","23":"tag-things-to-do","24":"czr-hentry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/03\/PIC-scaled.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6B2ST-1pN","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5443","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5443"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5443\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5482,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5443\/revisions\/5482"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5464"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5443"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5443"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5443"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}