GenScan AI wins social innovation award for MRI tech

GenScan AI has won the Entrepreneurs' Award in Social Innovation 2026, securing a £10,000 grant for founder Mary-Brenda Akoda.

Akoda received the prize after a live presentation final organised by the Worshipful Company of Entrepreneurs in London. The award also includes a year-long support package of mentoring, strategic guidance, and access to a network of entrepreneurs, investors, and business leaders.

GenScan AI is developing software called GenMRI to cut MRI scan times by up to 90% without requiring new hardware, potentially reducing a scan from 20 minutes to two.

Akoda founded the business after seeing the impact of delayed diagnosis on patients and families dealing with conditions such as stroke and cancer. The company focuses on medical imaging and diagnostic workflows, with MRI as its starting point.

The award programme attracted 83 applications from early-stage entrepreneurs across the UK. Entrants were tackling social and environmental challenges, and five finalists were selected for the EASI26 cohort.

Alongside GenScan AI, the finalists were Joyvié Health, founded by Zoe Robson; Reporti, founded by Gracie Broom; Tera Mira, co-founded by Jeanne Bégon-Lours and Lucy Dain-Williams; and Avanc, founded by Dr Eleanor Jaskowska and Lizzie Melhuish.

The technology

Magnetic resonance imaging is widely used in hospitals, but scans can be time-consuming, limiting throughput and delaying diagnosis and treatment. Shorter scan times could help health services see more patients with existing equipment, although GenScan AI has not disclosed details of any clinical deployment.

Akoda's background spans academic research and software engineering. She trained at Imperial College London, worked as an AI research scientist, and previously held roles at Microsoft.

She has also taken part in the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur programme on its patient track. Her profile includes recognition as a Google DeepMind Scholar and previous experience as a startup founder.

Award focus

The Entrepreneurs' Award in Social Innovation was established to back founders building businesses that combine commercial ambition with social impact. It is run by the Worshipful Company of Entrepreneurs and its trust.

Judy Hadden, Past Master Entrepreneur and EASI founder, said: "GenScan AI is exactly the kind of innovation EASI was created to support - commercially ambitious, technologically advanced and capable of delivering meaningful societal impact. Mary-Brenda combines exceptional technical expertise with a clear mission to solve a genuine healthcare challenge. We are excited to support her as GenScan AI moves into its next stage of growth."

For GenScan AI, the award provides both funding and access to experienced business figures at an early stage of development. Such schemes have become an important source of support for founders seeking to move research-led ideas towards commercial use, especially in healthcare, where technical validation and adoption can take time.

Akoda said: "GenScan was founded on a simple belief that no one should suffer or die because of a delayed diagnosis. Winning the Entrepreneurs' Award in Social Innovation is a validation of the mission we are building towards: making medical imaging and diagnostic workflows faster, safer, and more accessible, starting with MRI. The support and network that come with EASI will be incredibly valuable as we keep moving from validated research towards clinical adoption and real-world patient impact."