Tag: Bright Red Triangle

Edinburgh Napier University appoints Lynne Cadenhead as Entrepreneur in Residence

The Women’s Enterprise Scotland chair brings a wealth of experience to the role

Edinburgh Napier University (ENU) has announced serial entrepreneur, experienced tech sector leader, and chair of Women’s Enterprise Scotland (WES) Lynne Cadenhead as its newest Entrepreneur in Residence.

The move, which is part of an effort to foster innovation and entrepreneurial excellence, will see Lynne provide support and expert advice at the University.

An alumna of ENU with a background in life sciences, Professor Lynne Cadenhead brings a remarkable track record to the role. She started and grew three successful businesses, and has more than 25 years of entrepreneurial, equity investment, and policy experience.

Lynne has also drawn recognition for her work to support women into entrepreneurship, through her post as chair of WES and as Women’s Advocate and Investor Relations Director for Tricapital Angels Limited.

In her new role as Entrepreneur in Residence, Lynne Cadenhead will join The Royal Society’s Entrepreneur in Residence scheme, a part of the Science, Industry, and Translation programme. This initiative aims to enhance knowledge and awareness in UK universities of cutting-edge industrial science, research, and innovation.

As Entrepreneur in Residence, Lynne will be actively involved in fostering a more entrepreneurial environment for women across Edinburgh Napier University.

This reflects the University’s commitment to encouraging and supporting women in entrepreneurship, aligning with its dedication to driving positive change and advancing gender equality.

Lynne Cadenhead said: “I am honoured to be taking up the role of Entrepreneur in Residence at Edinburgh Napier University.

“If we want to unlock Scotland’s economic potential, we need to champion the entrepreneurial spirit across academia and contribute to a culture of innovation.

“Drawing from my own journey, I am particularly excited about supporting and inspiring women in enterprise, as they face numerous additional barriers when it comes to starting and growing a business.

“This new role will allow me to actively contribute to the university’s commitment to fostering an inclusive entrepreneurial mindset for all.”

Nick Fannin, Head of Enterprise at Bright Red Triangle, ENU’s enterprise hub, said: “We are thrilled to have Lynne Cadenhead join us as our latest Entrepreneur in Residence.

“Lynne’s incredible personal experience in building companies and her commitment to supporting the next generation of entrepreneurial women aligns perfectly with Edinburgh Napier’s mission to nurture and support the women in our university community, enabling them to have real impact in their academic careers, and to commercialise their research.

“We believe Lynne’s expertise will have a profound impact on our students, staff, and alumni as they embark on their entrepreneurial journeys.

“Lynne’s presence will be a tremendous asset to our community, and we are committed to bringing about positive change.”

Bright Red Triangle names first ever Entrepreneur in Residence

Bright Red Triangle (BRT), the enterprise hub at Edinburgh Napier University, has appointed Nigel Chadwick as its inaugural Entrepreneur in Residence.

Nigel will bring extensive expertise to the newly created role, which will offer invaluable guidance to the BRT community. His responsibilities will include mentoring, advising, and supporting emerging entrepreneurs as they embark on their entrepreneurial journeys.

Students, staff, alumni and the wider community will be able to draw on Nigel’s experience of founding Stream Technologies and scaling it through to exit. The firm specialised in connecting devices to the Internet of Things (IoT) – a rapidly-growing market allowing physical objects to connect and interact.

Nigel is known for his skill in strategic leadership, brand value, culture, and management excellence, while his passion for technology entrepreneurship matches BRT’s mission to nurture innovative ideas and transform them into successful ventures.

The appointment underscores Edinburgh Napier’s commitment to fostering a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, providing students and the wider community with unparalleled access to industry expertise and mentorship.

Commenting on his new role as Entrepreneur in Residence at BRT, Nigel Chadwick said: “I’m very much looking forward to working with the team at Bright Red Triangle.

“To be Entrepreneur in Residence at ENU presents a fantastic opportunity to assist students, staff, and alumni on their entrepreneurial journey and to add value and drive scale through sharing my experience and skills with these formative as well as scaling teams.”

Nick Fannin, the Head of Enterprise at Bright Red Triangle said: “We are thrilled to have Nigel Chadwick join us as our Entrepreneur in Residence.

“Nigel’s extensive experience in building companies and his commitment to strategic leadership align perfectly with BRT’s mission to nurture and support emerging entrepreneurs. We believe his expertise will have a profound impact on our students, staff, and alumni as they embark on their entrepreneurial journeys.

“Nigel’s presence will be a tremendous asset to our community, and we eagerly anticipate the positive change he will bring.”

Kael set to spice up the Scottish street food scene after award win

Inaugural winner of Appin Entrepreneurship Award announced

Appin Entrepreneurship Awards 2022 at the new Bright Red Triangle space in Bainfiled. accomodation complex

An Edinburgh Napier student that aims to spice up the Scottish street food scene has been announced as the inaugural winner of the University’s Appin Entrepreneurship Award.

Student Kael Begbie – known as The Hoagie Man – scooped the top prize of £2,000 after coming out top in the competition held at Edinburgh Napier’s Bright Red Triangle last month.

Kael – who will this week graduate with a degree in Business Management from Edinburgh Napier – pitched his way to success, pipping three other Edinburgh Napier student finalists to the top prize as he impressed judges with his plans to launch his new food business later this month (22 July) at the popular Pitt Market in Leith.

Kael’s food outlet specialises in wraps, with his signature dish – the hoagie – putting a Scottish spin on the classic burrito by substituting the regular meat ingredient of chicken or beef with haggis.

Alongside the prize money that he will use to help support the launch of his business, Kael will also now receive 1:1 business advice and support from Bright Red Triangle – a free resource for Edinburgh Napier students, staff and alumni to develop enterprise skills and entrepreneurship opportunities.

Appin Entrepreneurship Awards 2022 at the new Bright Red Triangle space in Bainfiled. accomodation complex

Kael Begbie said: “It was a special day; I really appreciate it and I am truly grateful for the support and encouragement offered to me by Damien and Bing as well as my Edinburgh Napier colleagues and fellow contestants.

“I’m very proud to be the first winner of this competition and it’s given me a fantastic opportunity to grow my business with a generous investment. I hope to return for future competitions and see a new wave of young entrepreneurs boldly exploring new ideas and developing their businesses.

“Until then I’m excited to keep working on The Hoagieman and to see where this journey takes me next!”

In its inaugural year, the Appin Entrepreneurship Award has been led by the University’s Bright Red Triangle alongside support from its Development and Alumni Relations team. It has been established to encourage and support the development of entrepreneurial ideas and concepts within the University’s student and graduate community.

The award has been made possible thanks to the generous support of two trailblazing entrepreneurs, Damien O’Looney and Bing Li, who met whilst studying Marketing and Entrepreneurship at Edinburgh Napier.

The pair have donated the award and prize money to celebrate and recognise outstanding student and graduate entrepreneurs each year at the University.

As young entrepreneurs Damien and Bing Co-founded UK-China Trading Ltd (UKCT), a product sourcing business in 2010, but didn’t stop there.

Damien and Bing’s entrepreneurial journey has seen the pair launch a number of successful businesses, including an English school in China, a property letting agency, a holiday letting agency, a Sportswear supplier – Appin Sports – for mass sports events and custom football apparel and a business which responded to the Covid-19 pandemic to source and supply PPE to the NHS and to various outlets internationally.

On Kael’s award win, Damien O’Looney said: “We are both very much looking forward to hearing about all the new business ideas coming out of Edinburgh Napier. The Centre for Entrepreneurship was instrumental in bringing Bing and I together and gave us the knowledge and confidence we needed to try and run a business ourselves.

“It also gave us practical tools (finance, budgeting, marketing and promotion, business planning and pitching) which are needed in every business. We hope our Appin alumni award can help fledgling businesses with the cash they need to start their business.”

“I hope Kael is successful – he seems to have all the right ingredients (pun intended) to make it a success!” 

Pete McLean, Business Growth Advisor at Edinburgh Napier’s Bright Red Triangle, said: “We are delighted that the Appin Award has been launched and would like to congratulate Kael on his well-deserved win.

“We are grateful to Damien and Bing for their generous support – their contribution will allow us to help more budding entrepreneurs turn their business ideas into reality, and provides a brilliant platform for showcasing the student innovation and entrepreneurial spirit present at Edinburgh Napier.

“We had a such a great calibre of entries for the inaugural year and the BRT team look forward to continue supporting Kael and his fellow pitchers on their entrepreneurial journey.”

Dr Maggie Anderson, Lecturer in Entrepreneurship at Edinburgh Napier, said: “I’m delighted as the entrepreneurship lecturer to connect Damien and Bing – two Edinburgh Napier alumni entrepreneurs – with Kael, a current student, to fund and enable him to progress his business idea.

“The competition focussed this year on students who had studied the Starting a New Business module and it was great to have so many keen to take their ideas further- that’s what entrepreneurship is all about.

“We look forward to further completions thanks to the generous funding now in place, to enable many more students to become alumni entrepreneurs of the future.”

More details on the Appin Entrepreneurship Award and Bright Red Triangle can be found here.

Bright Red Triangle’s new Start up Studio will bring ideas to life

New space for Napier University’s entrepreneurs to grow their businesses

Bright Red Triangle – the enterprise hub at Edinburgh Napier – has launched a new Start up Studio in the city centre.

By the Union Canal and close to the University’s Bainfield student accommodation, the studio will provide a space where entrepreneurial students, staff and alumni can come together to connect and develop their enterprise skills.

As well as offering a base for exciting new collaborations to flourish, it will give them a place where they can build valuable relationships with the capital’s wider entrepreneurial community.

Bright Red Triangle has already supported a community of more than 600 innovators in developing enterprise skills, exploring ideas and capturing opportunities. The hub supports ideas from launch to long-term growth and sustainability, supplying the tools needed to successfully start and run a business through one to ones, bootcamps, workshops and networking opportunities.

The Start up Studio, which will operate on a hot-desk basis, initially Mon-Fri 9-5, will take its activities to a new level by giving members a dedicated, larger, more open and central space to meet, work, engage and grow their ventures.

They can simply turn up, plug in and enjoy access to all the necessary resources and support to kickstart a business, including PC access, fast, reliable and secure wi-fi, printing services, communal desks, meeting space and a tea and coffee station.

Fledgling entrepreneurs will also get access to a community of like-minded people, business advice, mentoring support and the University’s resources and networks.

Although the space is primarily to help students, staff and alumni establish businesses and boost their potential for success, BRT staff are also keen to meet people, nationally and internationally, who want to develop ties with the incubator and the University in general.  

The Start up Studio was officially launched on Thursday 31 March 31 with a networking event and lunch.

The launch also saw the first in a series of new Bright Red Sparks monthly Pitch Competitions, which give University students, staff and alumni the chance to pitch an idea and win a cash prize of £500.

Participants are given two minutes to outline their idea for a startup, after which they get feedback and insights from a panel of fellow entrepreneurs, expert judges and business advisers.

Bright Red Triangle staff believe the studio will be an invaluable asset as they continue working to support the entrepreneurial ambitions of staff, students and alumni.

Peter McLean, Bright Red Triangle Business Adviser, said: “In person interaction is key in business and sadly that has been missing for the last couple of years.

“We are delighted we can bring the BRT community back together in an amazing space.” 

Fellow Bright Red Triangle Business Adviser Victoria Bradley added: “The whole BRT team can’t wait to get into the Start up Studio.

“The space will be an incredible hub where our community can work, collaborate and grow their entrepreneurial ambitions.” 

Nick Fannin, Head of Bright Red Triangle, said: “Edinburgh Napier University has a great track record in supporting our student and graduate entrepreneurs over the years, and we are committed to working with our partners across the entrepreneurial ecosystem to build the next generation of entrepreneurial talent. 

“This new investment will enable us to make a significant contribution towards new graduate outcomes for our students and to post-Covid economic recovery In Edinburgh and beyond.”

Edinburgh Napier’s Bright Red Sparks 2021 winners announced

Ozone is Business of the Year at annual celebration of innovation and enterprise

A clothing venture which has sustainability embedded into its entire business process was the big winner at the annual Bright Red Sparks awards.

An underwear designer, a social enterprise and a business driving energy efficiency in rented housing were also among those honoured at the event, which showcases innovative products and services developed by start-ups, spinouts and entrepreneurs.

An initiative of Edinburgh Napier’s Bright Red Triangle enterprise hub, the awards saw students, staff and alumni within five years of graduation compete across five categories for business coaching and more than £20,000 in cash prizes. 

Ozone, founded by Edinburgh Napier Business School student James Bruce (above), won first prize in the Business of the Year category.

Its colourful apparel is developed with sustainability in mind, from initial resources to final products. This includes the sustainable sourcing of materials, carbon offsetting, fully compostable and recyclable packaging, and an ethically accredited supply chain.

Shortlisted enterprises across all five categories were assessed for everything from the viability of their ideas and clarity of planning to potential for growth. Business of the Year this year replaced the Going for Growth category, with 11 successful applicants participating in an intensive accelerator programme of three three-day sprints over a seven-week period.

Each participant in the category received £1000, with judges Lindsey McArthur, Relationship Manager at Santander Universities UK, and Dr Rosemary Allford, Lecturer in Entrepreneurship at Edinburgh Napier, deciding how to split a further prize pool of £7000 following an online pitching session.

Bright Red Sparks Awards 2021 winners

Business of the Year (£11,000 plus £7000 prize pool)

The big award for businesses or rigorously tested business ideas with global growth potential went to James Bruce’s Ozone, which scooped £3000 from the prize pool, as well as the £1000 which went to all 11 ventures which successfully applied to participate in the category.

The judges made further prize pool awards to second prize winner Matthew Porter’s skate equipment enterprise Ogle Skate (£2000) (above) and joint third prize winners Kat Kuritcina and Jason Shields’ Top Trend Blend Coffee and Dr Abdelfateh Kerrouche’s Autonomous Robot for collecting data from underwater surveys. (£1000 each from the prize pool)

Bright Ideas (£1000)

Product design graduate Kat Pohorecka came top in this category for exciting early-stage business ideas within one year of trading. She created Mude – a brand of underwear for insulin pump users. The collection of six nude-coloured bodysuits allow women affected by type 1 diabetes to wear an insulin pump with any type of clothing.

Business for Good (£1000)

School of Computing graduate Viana Maya won the category for businesses that have an environmental or social purpose at their core. Viana is the founder of pRESPECT – a social enterprise empowering minority ethic and other marginalised people through tailored personal and professional development, so they may gain sustainable and progressive employment.

Freelancer of the Year (£1000)

School of Engineering graduate Adam Al-khateb came top in the category for individuals who are self-employed, consistently develop themselves, and have ambitious plans for their freelance career.

His AAL Property Solutions was founded in September 2020, and its mission is to drive energy efficiency in the private rented housing sector and support customers throughout the lettings process. It offers fast, sustainable, and cost-effective solutions to an energyinefficient sector with increasing regulation and responsibility.

Enterprising Educators (£1000)

Maggie Anderson, who has worked at the University for more than 20 years, won the category forEdinburgh Napier staff who get students involved in enterprise activities. 

She has been a driving force in developing the University Short course programme, an innovative suite of modules designed to introduce entrepreneurship and innovation to the leaders of the Ministry of Defence from across the UK, using a variety of learning and teaching approaches. The prize money goes towards the winning programme. 

Nick Fannin, Head of Enterprise at Edinburgh Napier, said: “Bright Red Sparks shines a light on all of the enterprising students, staff, and alumni from Edinburgh Napier University and recognises their hard work, determination, and outstanding achievements.  

“This year we wanted to provide more guided support for as many entrepreneurs as possible, and so we put them through three deep-dive bootcamps to find our Business of the Year.  

“The remaining four categories saw impressive early-stage business ideas, ambitious freelancers, social entrepreneurs, and our very own Edinburgh Napier educators who support our students to develop their enterprise skills.  

“We couldn’t have done it without the amazing support from Santander Universities. From all of us at Edinburgh Napier and our entrepreneurs, thank you.”

Lindsey McArthur, Relationship Manager, Santander Universities UK, said: “Through the Universities programme, Santander is committed to supporting entrepreneurs and student start-ups.

“We have supported the Bright Red Triangle at Edinburgh Napier for a number of years and I am always impressed by the standard of the businesses taking part as well as the commitment, passion and hard work demonstrated by the students involved.

“A huge well done to the winners this year, a fantastic achievement.  I look forward to hearing updates as your businesses grow and wish you all the very best for the future.”

Entrepreneurs in Residence to share their expertise with staff and students

Double appointment under Royal Society scheme will reinforce Napier University’s enterprise culture

Edinburgh Napier University has announced two Entrepreneur in Residence appointments through The Royal Society-funded programme aimed at helping UK academic institutions turn world-leading research and ideas into commercial impact and success.

The newly appointed Entrepreneurs in Residence will spend 20 per cent of their time over a 12-month period with the university, sharing their experiences and helping to mentor, inspire and support students and academics with entrepreneurial goals and ideas.

The entrepreneurs appointed at Edinburgh Napier are Dr Jamie Graves and Robert Goodfellow. The University of Dundee, with one place, is the only other institution in Scotland represented on the newly published list of 16 entrepreneurs awarded a place on the scheme for 2021.

Dr Jamie Graves, who started his career as a research fellow in Edinburgh Napier’s School of Computing and went on to found and develop multi-award winning cyber security start-up ZoneFox, will bring his experiences of developing intellectual property to commercial impact to the School of Computing.

Jamie said: “The purpose of this EIR project is to aid Edinburgh Napier in its ambitions to replicate existing spin-out and commercialisation success in its Centre of Cyber Systems & Cryptography. The work will promote and emulate this success across the School of Computing.

“The project will aim to build a sustainable pipeline of entrepreneurs across all academic cohorts via a series of awareness and training events in order to increase commercial activity. 

“Edinburgh Napier was the launch pad for me and my future successes so to be coming back as an Entrepreneur in Residence is really exciting and a great honour. I’m looking forward to being able to bring back some of the lessons I learned during my journey but also learning more during this new experience.”

Robert Goodfellow, previously Head of Enterprise & Business Development at Heriot-Watt University, will be working closely with the School of Applied Sciences to pass on his knowledge and help with entrepreneurial development.

Robert said: “The Edinburgh Napier Applied Sciences Commercialisation and Entrepreneurism Training project (NASCENT) will identify and commercialise health and wellbeing intellectual property rights, develop new staff and student entrepreneurs and build a lasting ‘commercial culture’ across the three campuses.”

Commenting on the appointments, Fiona Mason, Head of Business Engagement and IP Commercialisation, said: “We are thrilled by the Royal Society’s support for the appointment of these two Entrepreneur in Residence posts.

“They will bring invaluable insight and experience to the university to the benefit of our staff and students.

 “We are honoured to work alongside two such stellar and seasoned entrepreneurs and look forward to develop with them a successful programme for the future.”

Nick Fannin, Head of Enterprise at Edinburgh Napier’s Bright Red Triangle, who have helped support over 400 student start-ups, added: “We are really excited to be working with Jamie and Robert as Entrepreneurs in Residence this year.

“Their knowledge and experience will not only energise and inspire entrepreneurial activity across the university but also help our spin-outs and start-ups to take their businesses to the next level.”

Edinburgh Napier start-ups flourishing in post Covid-19 life

Bright Red Triangle supporting more businesses than ever before

Bright Red Triangle – Edinburgh Napier University’s hub for innovation and enterprise – is supporting more businesses than ever before after an increase in the uptake of its services during lockdown.

The hub – which provides a range of support that allows students and alumni to explore, test and develop business ideas – has reported a 30% increase in business sign-ups.

Bright Red Triangle has had 71 start-ups register with it during 2019/20 – with a number of these new sign-ups coming during lockdown as students and alumni prepare for life in a post Covid-19 economy. A total of 554 students and graduates are now part of the wider Bright Red Triangle community.

Nick Fannin, head of Bright Red Triangle, is delighted with the increase and believes that more and more people will be looking to start their own business as a result of an increasingly difficult economic climate.

He said: “With the economy contracting and competition for graduate jobs increasing, it is becoming more important to enable our graduates to make opportunities for themselves and to be prepared to build their own portfolio careers from a mix of employed, freelance and self-employed work.

“Employability skills, particularly enterprise skills, are going to be incredibly important as we look forward and Bright Red Triangle has a big role to play at Edinburgh Napier in helping our students and alumni to prepare for life living in the post Covid-19 economy.

“Starting a business or a side hustle can be a game changer for people struggling with employment in the current economic climate. Our students and graduates are already starting to recognise this and we are thrilled to have seen a spike in the numbers of new businesses registered with our incubators. We look forward to supporting these start-ups further in the months and years ahead.”

Despite the University’s campuses being forced to close to both students and staff as a result of the pandemic in March, the Bright Red Triangle team has continued to virtually support its members with a number of online initiatives throughout the last four months.

Most recently – thanks to generous support from Santander Universities – 22 entrepreneurs representing 16 businesses took part in Bright Red Triangle’s Summer Accelerator programme.

Over the course of four weeks, its team of experienced business advisers delivered practical online workshops to support these ambitious entrepreneurs to accelerate their ideas and reach their business goals.

The programme also included a suite of helpful business start-up resources, one-to-one coaching, peer-to-peer knowledge sharing, networking opportunities, and advice from experienced professionals and entrepreneurs within the entrepreneurial eco-system in Edinburgh and beyond.

The programme culminated in a pitching competition, where participants had the chance to win a share of £6,000 provided by Santander Universities. Lindsey McArthur of Santander Universities and Bruce Walker, CEO of FutureX, were part of the judging panel.

Taking home the top prize of £3,000 was Fine Piece, a Scottish design company that specialises in producing furniture and homewares made from reclaimed and recycled materials.

Also winning was Aaron Reid who was awarded £2,000 towards his fitness training business, Lifestyle, and career coaching start-up, pRESPECT, who was awarded £500.

Fine Piece, which was founded by Edinburgh Napier product design graduate, Kirsty McKain and her business partner, Rebecca Subido, was delighted to take home the top prize.

Kirsty and Becka said: “Covid-19 was the catalyst for us to apply for the summer accelerator programme at Bright Red Triangle. Having fallen through every gap in the government support schemes, we thought we might have to close up shop. 

“We saw an opportunity with a plan we had in the pipeline – the turning school. With the money given to us through the programme we can not only survive but we can turn this pipeline dream into a reality.

“We are really excited for the future and grateful to the Bright Red Triangle team and Santander for this opportunity.”

More information on Bright Red Triangle can be found here, with more on its Summer Accelerator Programme here.

Clothing brand takes the honours at enterprise awards

A FORMER student who launched a clothing brand with products made from recycled tents was the big winner at the third Bright Red Sparks awards.

Media companies and initiatives set up to tackle child poverty and drive student enterprise were also among the winners at the event, which showcases innovative products and services developed by start-ups, spinouts, fledging companies and entrepreneurs.

The popular awards, an initiative of Edinburgh Napier’s Bright Red Triangle enterprise hub, were this year held online as a Facebook live event on Tuesday evening.

Students, staff and alumni from across the University community competed for more than £10,000 in prizes, and alumnus James Marshall’s 10T clothing brand emerged as a double category winner.

James, whose venture sees tents abandoned at music festivals turned into hats, bumbags and jackets, won a surprise extra award too; the Moonshot Award, chosen from all finalists by law firm Shepherd and Wedderburn to benefit from £3,700 of legal support and advice.

To cap a great night, James was also announced as Edinburgh Napier’s entrant into the Santander Universities Entrepreneurship Awards.

The awards saw 19 shortlisted enterprises across six categories assessed for everything from the viability of their ideas and clarity of planning to thoroughness of research and potential for growth.  

The Bright Red Sparks Awards 2020 winners are: 

 Bright Ideas (£2000 prize + in-kind support)

10T clothing brand (James Marshall).

Products are made from recycled or upcycled materials. The first collection is a jacket, bum bag, bucket hat and duffle bag made from recycled tents collected from music festivals.

James said: “’I am over the moon to win the Bright Ideas, Business for Good and Moonshot Awards, and to be Edinburgh Napier’s entrant into the Santander Universities Entrepreneurship Awards. I am still in shock but absolutely buzzing to see where it can take me.”

Business for Good (£2000 prize)

10T clothing brand (James Marshall)

Going for Growth (£2000 prize + in-kind support)

High Tide film and video production (Alex Porter-Smith, Eathan Currie). Edinburgh Napier alumni who specialise in creating high end online film and video content for a range of clients.

Alex said: “The cash award will enable us to support our activities over the next few months while continuing to grow our business, but we’re particularly excited about the in-kind support from Shepherd and Wedderburn and Morton Ward – their advice will be invaluable when planning the next stages.”

Active Citizens (£1000 prize)

pRESPECT reducing child poverty (Viana Maya, Karsten Huttenhain). Current students aiming to empower under-represented and diverse individuals to access meaningful and sustainable employment using drama techniques, technology and research.

They said: “We are grinning from ear to ear. This has added a wee skip to our stride as we strive to give our amazing, talented prospects just that tiny boost into meaningful work.”

Enterprising Educators (£2000 prize)

Design for Professional Practice career development (Ruth Cochrane) Fourth year Product and Interior Design module used as a platform to develop the University’s enterprise strategy by embedding undergraduate development opportunities.

Ruth said: “I’m delighted to win this Bright Red Sparks Enterprising Educator award in recognition of the support we offer our amazing students to become entrepreneurs.  We hope to use the prize fund to expand our work in creating inclusive pathways, encouraging and enabling our graduates to start businesses and create employment in an uncertain future.” 

Freelancer of the Year (£1000 prize + in-kind support)

Bright Edge Media video storytelling (John Matheson) Current television student using his skills to create content which supports charities in telling their stories.

John said: “This is a huge encouragement. The experience of Graphic Designer Pro in utilising video communication will be really helpful to me as I take Bright Edge Media forward.”

Nick Fannin, Head of Enterprise at Edinburgh Napier, said: “These are strange and uncertain times and so it was important for us to celebrate the Bright Red Sparks Awards and all the enterprising students, staff and alumni at the University.

“These awards and the cash and in-kind support that goes with them is going to be so important to our winners in the current challenging environment.

“It’s also great to be able to recognise the hard work of all the applicants and to remind everyone that life goes on and that businesses can adapt and still grow.

“Of course we couldn’t have done it without the amazing support from our generous supporters and sponsors, Shepherd and Wedderburn, Morton Ward, Graphic Designer Pro, Santander Universities and the Moffat Charitable Trust.”

John Morrison, Senior Associate at Shepherd and Wedderburn, said: “The quality of entries in the Bridge Red Sparks competition was, again, extremely impressive and all of the finalists deserve to be commended on the fantastic businesses they are each creating.  

“We wish all of the finalists every success and look forward to supporting the Going for Growth and Moonshot Award winners, High Tide Media and 10T, to scale their respective businesses.”

Ewan Morton, Managing Director, Morton Ward, said: “Congratulations to James from 10T and to all of this year’s finalists in what is one of the premier entrepreneurship competitions in Scotland’s Higher Education sector.

“It’s fantastic to see young entrepreneurs rising to the challenges of the modern world with businesses that embrace environmental sustainability and the circular economy. Morton Ward are delighted to be associated with the competition and we are looking forward to working with James as part of his prize.”

Dominic Bargeton, Director, Graphic Designer Pro, said: “We were delighted to be asked to support the Bright Red Triangle, Bright Red Sparks competition.

“It’s such a good opportunity for driven and creative students to showcase their talents. We are looking forward to working more with Bright Red Triangle and their pool of talented entrepreneurs in the future.”