{"id":5543,"date":"2026-04-22T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/?p=5543"},"modified":"2026-04-22T10:02:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T09:02:17","slug":"qub-dragons-den-awards-2026-the-winners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/2026\/04\/22\/qub-dragons-den-awards-2026-the-winners\/","title":{"rendered":"QUB Dragons\u2019 Den Awards 2026 \u2013 The Winners!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"QUB<\/span>
\n

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

On Thursday 16 April, 13 student businesses stepped into QUB Dragons\u2019 Den, each pitching for a share of the \u00a325,000 prize pot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The competition, delivered by SU Enterprise, gives participants the opportunity to secure everything they need to kick-start their business journey. This includes equity\u2011free funding, hot-desking space in \u2018SU CoWork\u2019 in the Students\u2019 Union, and tailored mentoring and support to help bring their ventures to life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After an exciting and competitive finale, the winners are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1st Place: SwingSight<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Image<\/span>
\n

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

\u00a312,500 was awarded to Oliver Woodward (Software Engineering student) for SwingSight, an AI golf coaching app that analyses swing videos from a smartphone and provides instant feedback and personalised drills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2nd Place: TriaTech<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Image<\/span>
\n

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

\u00a37,500 was awarded to Padraig MacHenry (Software Development Masters student) for TriaTech, an AI-powered call management system for GP practices that triages patient calls and prioritises urgent cases automatically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3rd Place: Fortiva Health<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Image<\/span>
\n

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

\u00a35,000 was awarded to Alyna Nanji (Dentistry student) for Fortiva Health, a social enterprise improving maternal and child health in East Africa by fortifying staple foods with folic acid and other essential micronutrients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spot Prizes:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Represented <\/strong>(Gabrielle Johnston) and LexisHear <\/strong>(Sophie McManus) also received spot prizes of \u00a31,500 for their pitches:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"Image<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"Image<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

All other teams received \u00a3500 in recognition of their hard work! Our 13 student businesses that took part in the QUB Dragons’ Den final were:<\/p>\n\n\n\n