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Evanton UHI nursing and midwifery student's bright business idea in running for Converge KickStart Challenge as bed band brainwave takes a step closer the market


By Hector MacKenzie

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Roma Gibb: 'This will significantly help the Bed Band be one step closer to the market.'
Roma Gibb: 'This will significantly help the Bed Band be one step closer to the market.'

AN Easter Ross student's bright idea to support people with mobility issues has taken another big step towards hitting the market.

Roma Gibb from Evanton has been accepted to this year's Converge KickStart Challenge for her plans to develop a novel device, the Bed Band.

The UHI department of nursing and midwifery student has won support from Converge, Scotland's largest company creation and enterprise programme for the university sector.

It supports aspiring entrepreneurs with innovative business ideas.

Roma's shortlisting is just the latest in a series of personal successes.

In 2020, she developed the Bed Band and founded Person Centred Solutions Ltd, which won the Best Student Business award in UHI's annual CREATE business competition.

More recently, she was awarded £30,000 through the UHI Health and Life Sciences Innovation fund, supported by the Inverness and Highland City-Region Deal, to co-develop her technology alongside UHI experts.

She also participated in this year's Pathfinder Accelerator, a Highlands and Islands Enterprise initiative which helps entrepreneurs.

Many people with mobility limitations struggle to correct their position in bed, meaning if they slide over or down the bed, they remain uncomfortable until help – potentially many hours later. The Bed Band allows people to remain in a comfortable position for the time they are in bed.

Roma said: "Being in the semi-finals of the Converge KickStart competition has been a very rewarding experience. I am thoroughly enjoying the business masterclasses and am looking forward to the next stage. I am very excited about my engagement with UHI and my collaboration with the UHI experts. This will significantly help the Bed Band be one step closer to the market."

The Converge shortlisting allows Roma the chance to attend further entrepreneurial training and business masterclasses before submitting her business case and video pitch by August 1 for judging.

Twelve finalists from the KickStart category will progress to the final of this year's competition, with the chance to win a top prize of £10,000 in equity-free cash to progress their business idea. Converge will announce all winners who will benefit from an overall prize fund of over £300,000 at an awards ceremony on November 3.


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