Tag: entrepreneur awards

Two new awards and 35 winners take centre stage at Scottish EDGE 

 Scottish entrepreneurs share £1.5 million prize fund as 23rd round of awards takes place

35 businesses with high-growth potential are celebrating after winning shares of a £1.5 million prize pot at Friday’s Scottish EDGE award ceremony.

For their 23rd round the awards returned to the Royal Bank of Scotland Conference Centre in Gogarburn, Edinburgh, with winners hailing from across the country, from Orkney to the Borders.

This year’s ceremony saw the introduction of two new awards which are set to open new avenues for aspiring entrepreneurs. The inaugural £80,000 Scale EDGE Award, which is supported by Royal Bank of Scotland and includes access to a high-growth account manager and placement on one of Scale-Up Scotland’s growth programmes, was awarded to Edinburgh based Talonmore Drinks, a family-run business producing ginger-based alcohol alternatives.

Meanwhile a new Creative EDGE Award, facilitated with support from Creative UK, which champions, connects and promotes the development of the creative industries across the United Kingdom, gave a boost of £100,000 to Una Watch, which produces sustainable, repairable-at-home, modular GPS sports watches. 

Veteran award categories returned for the 23rd round, with sustainability remaining a key focus. The Circular Economy Award, supported by Zero Waste Scotland, went to Evolve Metals, who secured £90,000 for their development of a copper refinery which refines metals from scrap, while Smart Gym CIC, which supports families through innovative and affordable wellbeing services, won £75,000 in the Social Enterprise category, supported by the Postcode Innovation Trust.

The Young EDGE and Wild Card categories returned this round, with the former supporting companies whose managing directors are under 30 and the latter providing a grant to pre-trading businesses which need support to bring their products to market.

Winners of the Scottish EDGE supported Young EDGE award included Lairg-based Candles from the Croft, which won £10,000 for its sustainable, vegan and cruelty-free luxury fragrances, while seven businesses were successful in the Wildcard Category, including West Linton-based Hulk Bio, which was awarded £15,000 towards its production of stem cell-based human milk for infants in cases where breastfeeding is not possible.

The STV supported award of £70,000 plus £75,000 worth of ad airtime, went to Alloa fudge makers Ochil Fudge Ltd, while the women-led business StrEAT Events emerged as winner of the Scottish Government backed Pathways category, winning a £75,000 award for their online catering marketplace.

Judith Cruickshank, MD Commercial Mid-Market at the Royal Bank of Scotland and One Bank Scotland Chair, said: “The Scottish EDGE awards offer a fantastic opportunity to showcase the talent and ingenuity within Scotland’s entrepreneurial community, and the addition of two new categories for this year illustrates how that depth of skill and creativity continues to grow.

“Royal Bank of Scotland once again was delighted to host the finals here at Gogarburn and we would like to congratulate all those businesses who were awarded funding at last night’s awards.

“We are proud to have supported the inaugural Scale EDGE award and extend our special congratulations to the category winner Talonmore Drinks and look forward to supporting the business as it takes its next steps.”

Sir Tom Hunter, entrepreneur and philanthropist said: “Scottish EDGE is a key driver of economic growth, a critical stepping stone for many scaling businesses and its refreshing that earlier this week our Government recognised that with additional funds to support more entrepreneurs intent on building successful businesses.

“Their success builds Scotland’s success – nothing more needs said.” 

Jane Martin, Managing Director of Innovation and Investment at Scottish Enterprise said:“We’re delighted to continue our support for the Young EDGE category, which never fails to deliver a wealth of talented entrepreneurs.

“It’s incredibly exciting to see these innovative young people turning their ideas into businesses that will develop and flourish, and I’d like to congratulate all this year’s Scottish EDGE award winners, who look set to do amazing things both for Scotland’s economy and society as a whole.”

Evelyn McDonald, CEO of Scottish EDGE, said: “It’s been an honour to help unlock the huge potential within the Scottish business landscape through the 23rd round of the Scottish EDGE.

“With the introduction of two new awards this year – the Scale Award and the Creative Award – we’ve been able to dedicate more resources than ever to giving promising Scottish entrepreneurs a helping hand on their journeys.

“We would like to express our gratitude to all our partner organisations and supporters for their contribution towards helping our businesses to thrive”. 

Supported by The Hunter Foundation, the Royal Bank of Scotland, the Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise, Scottish EDGE has a key role to play in facilitating the nation’s economic growth.

List of winners (alphabetical) 

Scottish EDGE

  • Clean Carbon UK – £85,000 – West Lothian – A circular economy through carbon capture and utilization that provides a reliable and green supply of CO2. 
  • Confidence Plus – £100,000 – East Kilbride – Confiplus has been created to contain leaks from stoma bags to allow the wearer time to get to a toilet without soiling their clothing/bedding.
  • Evolve Metals – £90,000 – Circular (Zero Waste Scotland) – Edinburgh – We are building a copper refinery. Our patented technology developed with the University of Strathclyde refines copper directly from scrap, creating a circular economy.
  • Looper Tech – £70,000 – Edinburgh – Looper is a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) software that helps manufacturers generate product climate certifications in one place.
  • Naked Kimchi & Co – £65,000 – Glasgow – We specialise in fermented food & beverages designed for a modern lifestyle, promoting gut health and cultural appreciation. We support local farmers, create zero-waste ferments, and empower refugees.
  • Noost Ltd – £70,000 – Lochinver – Noost Knit Co aims to make “Made in the Northern Highlands” mean something in the knitwear industry, selling our own products and manufacturing for others.
  • Ochil Fudge – £70,000 plus £75,000 worth of Ad Spend – Alloa – STV – Ochil Fudge embodies craftsmanship, hand-producing Scottish Fudge. With local talent, quality ingredients, and traditional methods, we deliver an authentic homemade taste to delight our customers.
  • Optimum Business Growth – £60,000 – Glasgow – Our Bid Journey model has helped clients win over £800m of contracts since 2020 by taking a more proactive, strategic approach to bidding for work.
  • Smart Gym CIC – £75,000 – Glasgow – Social Enterprise (Postcode Innovation Trust) – Smart Gym is a social enterprise that supports families through innovative and affordable wellbeing services. 
  • StrEAT Events t/a AndMunch – £75,000 – Glasgow – Pathways (ScotGov) – AndMunch is an online catering marketplace for discovering and booking food trucks & mobile bars for events.
  • Tailored Spirits – £100,000 – Edinburgh – An Edinburgh-based company who coordinates every aspect of a whisky cask’s journey from barrel to bottle for clients seeking bespoke small-batch bottlings.
  • Talonmore Drinks – £80,000 – Edinburgh – Scale Up (RBS) – Talonmore is a family-run business focused on enhancing healthier socialising through non-alcoholic drinks. Offering a versatile, ginger-based alcohol alternative, that replicates a dark spirit experience.
  • Tax Torch – £75,000 – Hamilton – Revolutionary Tax Planning Platform leveraging AI to offer personalised, real-time and future tax planning based on an individuals profile, goals, HMRC guidance, and legislation.
  • The Ink Balm Co – £50,000 – Alloa – The Ink Balm is a vegan, eco-packaged tattoo aftercare product, created and made in Scotland, celebrating the art of tattoo.
  • Una Watch – £100,000 – Edinburgh – Creative (Creative UK) – Built with sustainability in mind, Una is a modular, repairable GPS running watch. We also design smart watches for industry customers using our modular system.
  • Whitebox Dental – £100,000 – Glasgow – We are a dental laboratory that specialise in the manufacture of orthodontic appliances, manufacturing braces, retainers and aligners and whitening products for specialist orthodontic clinics.

Young EDGE

  • AMJ Tech Consultants – £15,000 – Edinburgh – AMJ provides an export tool and API builder application for no-code databases.
  • Candles from the Croft – £10,000 – By Lairg – Based in the North of the Scottish Highlands on a working croft, we offer sustainable, vegan-friendly and cruelty-free luxury hand-poured home fragrances. 
  • CYKELWORX DESIGN LTD – £10,000 – Westhill – Cykelworx Design focuses on innovation across the outdoor market, with the flagship design, ‘The Assistant’, a new bicycle roof carrier with built-in assistance.
  • GRPZ Ltd – £10,000 – Westhill – GRPZ Sports is a sportswear brand that specialises in premium, innovative anti-slip socks that eliminate slippage between an athlete’s foot and shoe. 
  • Harlyy – £10,000 – Glasgow – A B2B SaaS platform that provides restaurants across Scotland and Pakistan with an automated customer feedback and marketing analytics so that they can make better-informed decisions.
  • LifeRites – £10,000 – Glasgow – Life Rites provides digital resources for those with terminally ill loved ones, helping them to have a good death. 
  • Maria Elizabeth – £10,000 – Paisley – Maria Elizabeth is a Scottish based wedding and event design studio that offers hand-drawn fine art stationery, styling, calligraphy workshops, brand artistry and storytelling worldwide.
  • MedSnapp – £10,000 – Glasgow – MedSnapp is the world’s first gamified medical education platform for medical students, allowing them to learn medicine through diagnosing and treating patients inside a game.
  • Moonshine Candle Co – £15,000 – Kirkwall – Moonshine Candle Co. offer luxury hand poured fragrance products, inspired by the calm moments of the Orkney Islands.
  • Mude – £10,000 – Edinburgh – Mude is an adaptive brand of clothing for people whose health depends on wearing medical devices, currently focussed on solutions for insulin pump users.
  • New Found Hope – £10,000 – Dunfermline – a Scottish adaptive children’s brand providing therapeutic footwear solutions to address the issue of toe-walking in neurodivergent kids aged 0-5 years old.
  • NUYRO Ltd – £10,000 – Glasgow – Development and sale of advanced nutraceutical formulation for retail audience in the UK.

Wild Card EDGE

  • 55th Parallel Coffee – £10,000 – Edinburgh – We are a small batch coffee roastery, selling to cafes and restaurants alongside at-home buyers via our website.
  • AllArmed – £10,000 – Glasgow – Novel personal protection for anyone who may feel vulnerable when alone in public.
  • FourFourFive Ltd – £10,000 – Edinburgh – FourFourFive Ltd is a software solution which, while working with existing platforms, enables a more timely, accurate and value-giving solution for accountants to prepare monthly business financials.
  • Hulk Bio – £15,000 – West Linton – Hulk Bio is offering stem-cell based human milk, when breastfeeding isn’t possible.
  • ProCedure VR – £10,000 – Dunfermline – Creating virtual reality training software libraries to support the immersive learning of surgical procedures. 
  • TinyGyms – £10,000 – Newport on Tay – TinyGyms provides private exercise spaces for people who feel intimidated by traditional public gyms. Unlike other gyms, you get the whole place to yourself.
  • TiroBio – £10,000 – Dundee – TiroBio Ltd will discover novel natural products such as enzymes and medicines from DNA microbiomes.