Are you thinking about setting up your own business? Or maybe you’re already your own boss and want to learn more about how to grow and scale your company? Next week, Virgin StartUp is coming to Edinburgh to host a free Founder Meet Up event.
On Wednesday 20 March at 6pm, Virgin StartUp will be coming to the Virgin Money store on George Street to chat about all things entrepreneurial. The Meet Up event is a great way to meet other budding founders in the area, to share advice, make connections and inspire you to take the next steps.
Jill and Steve Henry, husband and wife team and co-founders of Edinburgh-based outdoor clothing brand Meander Apparel, will be joining the conversation and sharing their experience of starting and scaling a successful business.
Meander Apparel started life in 2018 using a Start Up Loan from Virgin StartUp and the sustainable clothing brand is now targeting revenues of £1.5 million in 2025.
Virgin StartUp is Virgin’s not-for-profit hub for entrepreneurs and its team of experts will be on hand to answer all your questions about start-up funding, investment and business growth.
Virgin StartUp is one of the largest National Support Partners for the British Business Bank’s Start Up Loans programme. Since 2013, it has distributed more than £75 million in funding to more than 5,500 business founders and is aiming to distribute a further £36 million in Start Up Loans before the end of 2025.
Guests attending the Meet Up will also have the chance to win some exciting rewards thanks to Virgin Red, Virgin’s Group-wide rewards club. Virgin Red is bringing its Points Board to the Virgin Money store during the day, and there will still be prizes up for grabs in the evening.
Andy Fishburn, Managing Director at Virgin StartUp, explains: “We know that Edinburgh is a hub for entrepreneurship as we’ve supported many talented early-stage business founders in the city over the years.
“I’m delighted that Jill from Meander Apparel can join us and I know she will have lots of fantastic insights and advice to share.
“Whether you’ve been running a business for a few years and are looking to scale, or you have an exciting idea for a new business and aren’t sure where to start, we’d love for you to join us.”
Hundreds of start-ups supported in first year of programme
Almost 400 of Scotland’s tech start-up businesses have been supported during the first year of the Techscaler programme.
A total of 387 fledgling firms received assistance from the £42 million Scottish Government project – the most comprehensive of its kind in Europe – which provides free mentoring and advice to early stage business owners.
The seventh Techscaler hub will open in Dumfries during this financial year, joining others already operating around the country and underlining the Scottish Government’s commitment to innovative businesses.
The 2023-24 Programme for Government includes an additional £15 million to support entrepreneurs from all walks of life.
First Minister Humza Yousaf visited the Techscaler hub in Stirling to meet start up business owners and learn more about the programme.
The First Minister said: “Growing businesses are fundamental to a thriving Scotland, and the Scottish Government I lead is committed to doing whatever we can to help businesses unleash the enormous economic potential of accelerating a fair, green and growing economy.
“That is why our Programme for Government is investing in the entrepreneurs of the future, building on the valuable work already taking place within Techscalers.
“Tech start-ups right across Scotland now have access to world-class education and mentoring and opportunities for peer learning and networking through the Techscalers – a hugely impressive programme which has made Scotland one of the most tech start-up friendly places in the world.
“We are taking action now, in partnership with business, to help stimulate sustainable and fair economic growth across Scotland.”
Community groups can bid for grants to develop entrepreneurial ideas
A fund to help inspire more entrepreneurs to start or scale up their businesses has been relaunched.
The Ecosystem Fund is being widened this year to include initiatives encouraging young people to consider entrepreneurship from an early age. Applications providing access to support services for under-represented groups including women or those from disadvantaged areas will also be considered.
Community groups, non-profit making organisations, industry bodies, colleges and universities are amongst organisations invited to bid for funding to help boost entrepreneurial activity across Scotland. Grants of up to £50,000 will be available.
Projects could include:
showcasing Scotland’s start-ups globally to attract talent, investment and strategic partners
networking events allowing founders, investors and partners to share expertise and foster connections
training, mentorship and identifying growth opportunities by providing funding for staff, equipment, meeting places or programmes for start ups
encouraging entrepreneurs who support fair work and environmental good practice to make a positive impact on communities
the promotion of learning and teaching in entrepreneurship
tackling barriers or discrimination preventing women and other social groups from accessing support
Wellbeing Economy Secretary Neil Gray said: “This expanded funding will build on Scotland’s international reputation as one of the best places in the UK to do business and help make an impact across the business community.
“Despite representing less than 1% of businesses, start-ups generate more than half the value of all small and medium-sized businesses. The fund will spark innovation while fulfilling our potential to nurture many more inventive new start-up companies and driving sustainable growth.
“We need to instil enthusiasm for business and entrepreneurship at all levels from an early age, which is why I encourage collaborative proposals from a wide range of sectors to enable connections and exchange of ideas. In so doing, we can help those who establish businesses to improve lives – such as advancing renewable energy technologies or creating apps that help tackle food waste.
“The Ecosystem Fund is an important step, but we must make further progress expanding entrepreneurial access and opportunity – ensuring that everyone, no matter their background, has the chance to fulfil their potential.
“Together we can remove barriers and open up access and opportunity to budding entrepreneurs across Scotland. By uniting the business community around this goal, we can create a wellbeing economy which is fair, green and growing.”
Chief Entrepreneur Mark Logan recommended measures to support new businesses in his August 2020 Scottish Technology Ecosystem Review.
Mr Logan said: “Just as it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem to raise a start-up.
“The Ecosystem Fund recognises and supports the vital enabling work of our ecosystem-building organisations. It will accelerate Scotland’s journey towards being an internationally recognised Start-up Nation.”
A total of 24 businesses with high-growth potential have benefited to the tune of £1.4 million after being named as winners in the Scottish EDGE Round 21 awards, which were attended on Friday by First Minister Humza Yousaf and businessman and philanthropist Sir Tom Hunter, as well as entrepreneur and world record holder, Jamie Douglas Hamilton.
Amongst the winners were Glasgow-based Infix Support which won £100,000 towards its Clinician-led, cloud-based scheduling platform that improves NHS theatre efficiency. Clearwell Technology Ltd, a business based in Aboyne which develops exothermic milling systems, also walked away with a prize worth £100,000.
Eight of the prizes went to winners from the Young EDGE Category, where all directors are under the age of 30, with the top Scottish Enterprise prize going to Euro Ticket Club Ltd, which provides flight and ticket offers to British fans of European football. The Institute of Export prize was awarded to LU Innovations Ltd, which creates menstrual products and accessories for adventurers in remote environments. Both winners were recognised for their entrepreneurship with prizes worth £15,000.
Sustainable business practices and a commitment to protecting the planet remain central to the awards. The twenty-first round saw the return of the Net Zero EDGE category, which rewards the efforts of organisations committed to contributing towards the Scottish government’s commitment to reaching Net Zero by 2045.
North Berwick-based Frontier Robotics, which revolutionises marine robots’ sensing and autonomous capabilities, won the Net Zero prize worth £100,000, thanks to additional support from the Royal Bank of Scotland.
Judith Cruickshank, MD of Commercial Mid-Market at Royal Bank of Scotland said: “The time to act on climate change is now and investing in businesses focused on developing solutions through initiatives such as the Net Zero EDGE award is key.
“At Royal Bank of Scotland, we are committed to championing SMEs and each and every one of this year’s winners demonstrates the passion, innovation and determination needed to help bolster and strengthen Scotland’s economy while also making positive strides towards our climate ambitions. Congratulations to all of this year’s winners but in particular, our Net Zero EDGE winner, Frontier.”
The Circular Economy EDGE award, which was introduced in collaboration with Zero Waste Scotland and recognises businesses implementing more circular business methods went to Fife-based Seilich, which harvests skincare product ingredients from the organisation’s own wildflower meadows.
Meanwhile the STV Growth EDGE award, which guarantees airtime went to a consumer-based business, Three Robins, a company creating family-friendly plant-based products, in addition to a financial award of £85,000.
Sharing the accolade of Social Enterprise EDGE winner, Stitch the Gap CIC, which uses sewing tutelage to improve community mental health and environmental impact, and Rhyze Mushrooms, a community mushroom farm and education project, received £50,000 and £20,000 respectively from the Postcode Innovation Trust supported award.
The ceremony marked the final round of the awards for Scottish EDGE Chief Operating Officer Steven Hamill, who has been involved with the awards since their inception in 2013 and has overseen the establishment of partnerships with the Royal Bank of Scotland, the Hunter Foundation, the Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise.
Steven Hamill said: ‘Over the course of the last decade, the EDGE awards have acknowledged the innovation, creativity, and future-centred mindset of over 500 Scottish businesses.
“With over £20 million having been awarded so far, Scottish EDGE plays a crucial role in giving businesses with high-growth potential the resources to scale and develop their work. It’s been an honour to collaborate with partner organisations to form long-lasting relationships and ensure that Scottish entrepreneurship continues to be rewarded’.
Jane Martin, MD of Innovation and Investment at Scottish Enterprise, said: “Once again it has been great to partner with Scottish EDGE, which plays an important role in nurturing innovative high growth potential start-ups as part of Scotland’s fantastic entrepreneurial ecosystem.
“I’d like to congratulate all of this round’s winners, who I am sure will go on to do amazing things both for the Scottish economy and for the benefit of societyas a whole.”
Sandy Young/scottishphotographer.com
Full list of this year’s winners (alphabetically)
Category: Scottish EDGE Award
Chorus Training – Aberdeen – £70,000 – In hazardous environments safety culture is key to business performance. It’s essential to perform, comply with regulations, deliver training and promote individual accountability for safety.
Clean Water Designs (ta Novus) –Edinburgh – £80,000 – Our high-speed low-energy distillation technology, enables homes and businesses anywhere in the world, to access consistent high-purity water, without expensive consumable parts or plastic bottles (above)..
Clearwell Technology Ltd – Aboyne – £100,000 – Clearwell Technology is developing unique exothermic milling systems which aim to transform offshore decommissioning by delivering substantial time, cost, and greenhouse gas emission reductions.
Fitabeo Therapeutics Ltd –Edinburgh – £100,000 – A specialty pharmaceutical company that develops and commercialises innovative medicines to address some of the society’s most pressing challenges.
Frontier Robotics – North Berwick – £100,000 – We revolutionise marine robots’ sensing and autonomous capabilities with minimum hardware and software modifications. We focus on the renewable offshore energy sector.
Incharvie Group Ltd – Leven – £60,000 – Feragaia is Scotland’s first distilled alcohol-free spirit. Based in Fife, Feragaia is distilled in Fife, bottled in Glasgow and ships to customers around the world.
Infix Support Ltd – Glasgow – £100,000 – Infix is a clinician-led, cloud-based scheduling platform that significantly improves NHS theatre efficiency. Integration to the NHS showed an increase of theatre efficiency by 26%
Nooku – Glasgow- £80,000 – Nooku is creating an engaging air quality monitor which empowers people to understand and improve their environment in pursuit of better comfort, health, and happiness.
Seilich – Pathhead – £75,000 – At Seilich we create wildflower meadows from which we harvest ingredients for our range of award-winning natural skincare products.
Silver Lion Innovations – Glasgow – £80,000 – SLI exists to provide healthcare solutions based on personal experience. EasyOver, is a ‘smart’ product that safely turns people with mobility issues over in bed.
Three Robins Ltd – Edinburgh – £85,000 – Our mission is to make healthy, great tasting oat milk products that children, their parents and the planet will love.
Tuggs – Glasgow – £75,000 – Tuggs is the country’s first freshly-prepared, insect-based dog food. We create customised meal plans that are delivered to consumers on a subscription each month.
WEETEQ LTD – Glasgow – £100,000 – Weeteq is a ‘tiny’ embedded technology company providing industrial solutions. Our mission is developing circuit-level artificial intelligence solutions to accelerate sustainable growth of smart technologies.
Yaldi Games – Edinburgh – £60,000 – Yaldi Games is a mission-led game developer making meaningful games that inspire real life activities.
Category: Social Enterprise EDGE
Rhyze Mushrooms – Edinburgh – £25,000 – Rhyze Mushrooms is a community mushroom farm and education project. We grow mushrooms from waste and teach others the skills to do so too.
Stitch the Gap CIC – Glasgow – £50,000 – We deliver a mental health and environmental impact at the grassroots of our communities by teaching the sewing skills to repair, reuse and repurpose textiles.
Category: Young EDGE
4SB Mobility Ltd – Peebles – £10,000 – We are engineering a swappable, ‘jerry-can’ electric vehicle (EV) battery. It attaches to the EVs main battery, giving users 90 miles range in 2 minutes.
Augmentum Influencer Solutions – Grangemouth – £10,000 – We’re an influencer marketing agency specialising in growing brands exclusively in the Health and Wellness space by leveraging the power of the creator economy.
Dastardly Line – Glasgow – £10,000 – Dastardly Line are a Glasgow based design studio that creates innovative products around problematic textile waste streams produced by UK industry.
Euro Ticket Club Ltd – Edinburgh – £15,000 – We provide flight and football ticket offers, via a weekly email newsletter, for British fans who want to watch European football.
LU Innovations LTD – Glasgow- £15,000 – LU’s on a mission to annihilate the hurdles stopping menstruators going on adventurers. Designing sustainable products, education and training to ensure good menstrual hygiene anywhere.
Nuclevolve Pvt. Ltd – Glasgow – £10,000 – Nuclevolve is a radiation protection technology company that relies on the development of materials engineering to achieve advancements in the space and medical industries.
Shasha Network – Edinburgh – £10,000 – Shasha Network (SCIO) is an online platform that equips secondary students across Africa with soft skills and career development to achieve their fullest potential.
Studio Lutalica Ltd – Edinburgh – £10,000 – Lutalica is a design studio focusing on Feminist & LGBTQ+ projects and supporting businesses to create safer workplaces for women and LGBTQ+ people.
Livestream discussion will take place on Thursday 30th June 2022 on Amazon UK’s Instagram channel, featuring founder of The Break, Patricia Bright; Foolish founder Olivia Attwood; and Montana Brown, founder of Swim Society – all spilling their secrets on what it takes to grow a business today.
These well-known faces will be joined by entrepreneurs from some of Amazon’s successful small business selling partners, including Human Food and Absolute Collagen.
The livestream panel discussion is all part of Amazon’s support of small businesses ahead of its upcoming Prime Day celebrations, with shoppers also in with a chance to Win Big by Supporting Small.
Amazon announces the launch of Small Business, Big Dreams: an interactive, virtual livestream aimed at helping up-and-coming entrepreneurs to grow their businesses.
The livestreamed discussion will explore the future of young entrepreneurship and how to successfully market a business in the ever-changing social media age of 2022.
To tune in for free, head to Amazon UK’s Instagram channel, at 7pm on Thursday 30th June 2022 to take part and submit questions for the panel.
Last year, Prime Day saw customers spend over $1.9bn globally on more than 70 million small business products during the promotional period, but with a constantly evolving economy, the next generation of entrepreneurs and business owners require the right tools and guidance to help them adapt and succeed online.
Amazon’s Small Business, Big Dreams livestream will give future entrepreneurs inspiration and advice on turning a brilliant start-up idea into a successful business, as well as exploring the impact an engaged online following can have on a brand.
Celebrity business owners, including Patricia Bright, Olivia Attwood, and Montana Brown, will offer their expertise on a range of useful topics for budding business owners, including the power of influence and the impact it can have on start-ups; going viral and its potential effect upon a business; and how to take a business to the next level once the sales start to come in.
Those who tune in will be able to send through questions in advance for the panel which will be moderated by host, Patricia Bright, to discuss and answer.
Alongside the celebrities, small business owners Ky Wright of Human Food, Class of 2022 Forbes 30 under 30’s Darcy Laceby of Absolute Collagen, and Olivia Ferdi of TRIP Drinks will join the livestream panel.
As experienced Amazon small business selling partners, they will share their personal advice on why combining social media with selling on a store like Amazon can be a great way to take a business to the next level, and how events such as Prime Day offer huge opportunities to their respective brands.
The full line-up is:
Patricia Bright, founder of The Break, as panel host
Olivia Attwood, founder of Foolish
Montana Brown, founder of Swim Society
Darcy Laceby, co-founder of Absolute Collagen
Ky Wright, founder of Human Food
Olivia Ferdi, co-founder director of TRIP Drinks
Emma Jones, founder of Enterprise Nation
John Boumphrey, Country Manager, Amazon UK said:“We’re so lucky to have such a talented pool of next generation UK entrepreneurs. We know it can sometimes be tricky to navigate the complexities of launching a business in this digital age, so it’s brilliant to see such a great line-up of innovators and experts coming together to give their insights.
“Over 50% of products sold on Amazon in the UK are from small and medium sized businesses, and key events such as our upcoming Prime Day can have a huge impact on start-ups. Our small business selling partners included in the line-up will be sure to impart their expert advice for those who have a dream of setting up their own successful business.”
Patricia Bright, founder of The Break, an empowering online platform for women, said: “I know from experience that starting your own business is never easy, but I’ve been lucky to grow my brand largely in part to social media and I owe everything to my loyal supporters – many who have been with me since day one.
“I’m excited to lead the panel on behalf of Amazon and to join an important conversation around supporting the future of young entrepreneurs in whatever way I can.”
Olivia Attwood, founder of contemporary luxury brand, Foolish, said: “I’ve put my heart and soul into growing the brand identity of Foolish on social media, as that’s where my audience lives.
“I can’t wait to join the panel to discuss how to navigate social media as a brand and hopefully help others thrive as a result!”
Montana Brown, founder of swimwear brand, Swim Society, said: “It’s really important that we support small businesses as much as possible, especially in today’s climate.
“I hope that people send in as many questions as they can during the livestream so we can help them on their business journey.”
This year Amazon has made it easier than ever to support small businesses on Prime Day:
Win Big by Supporting Small: From Tuesday 21st June until Monday 11th July, for every £1 spent on eligible small business products, customers will receive a chance to win great prizes. Hundreds of thousands of customers globally will have a chance to win Amazon gift cards. To learn more, visit amazon.co.uk/primedaysweepstakes.
Look for the Small Business Badge: Prime members can discover and shop products from small business brands in Amazon’s store with the new Small Business Badge. This new badge makes it easier for members to identify products from small business brands and artisans. To learn more and shop curated collections, visit amazon.co.uk/supportsmall.
Innovators to share in £150K prize fund and other business growth support measures
A host of University of Edinburgh students and alumni who have founded their own startup companies are celebrating after taking honours at this year’s Scottish EDGE Awards.
Xiaoyan Ma, founder of Danu Robotics, an innovative business focused on developing sustainable technological solutions for the benefit of the environment, was named among this year’s main award winners. The company secures £75K in grant funding to accompany its award.
Three other company founders, which have also been supported by Edinburgh Innovations (EI), the University’s commercialisation service, were named as Young EDGE winners. They include Alex Hodson of Podspectrix; Niall McGrath of Robocean; and Elena Höge of Yaldi Games.
Meanwhile Ioannis Stasinopoulos of Prozymi Biolabs, a further EI-supported startup, was named as a Wildcard EDGE award winner. Between them, the four companies will share a further £45K in grant funding along with their awards.
The annual Scottish EDGE Awards, aimed at identifying and supporting Scotland’s up-and-coming, innovative, high-growth entrepreneurial talent, recognises and supports entrepreneurs and startup businesses.
Funded by the Hunter Foundation, the Royal Bank of Scotland, the Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise and private donors, the competition is delivered twice annually and has to date supported 395 early-stage Scottish businesses with over £15m in award funding.
The winners from this year’s Scottish EDGE Awards will share in more than £150K ingrants and benefit from other forms of support and mentoring to help them maximise their growth aspirations.
John Lonsdale, Head of Enterprise Services from Edinburgh Innovations said:“We congratulate all the University of Edinburgh students and alumni in their success at this year’s Scottish EDGE Awards.
“We are delighted to have supported these emerging companies, all of which are focused on developing innovative solutions to some of the key challenges facing society.
“As an organisation committed to helping University of Edinburgh startups reach their full potential, Edinburgh Innovations is proud of its role in supporting entrepreneurs who are driving economic growth in Scotland and beyond.”
Edinburgh Business School helping support entrepreneurs
Applications are now being accepted for the Edinburgh Business School Incubator
The scheme is designed to provide early stage entrepreneurs with office facilities and expert advice to advance their ideas
Deadline for applicants is Monday 13 June 2022
It has helped entrepreneurs take the next step in their careers and now the Edinburgh Business School (EBS) Incubator at Heriot-Watt University is back for another year!
Applications are being accepted from early-stage entrepreneurs looking to access facilities and a suite of expert support and advice to advance their ideas.
The EBS Incubator, provides specialist, one-to-one mentorship, free desk space as well as dedicated training and workshops to encourage, support and develop entrepreneurship.
And against a backdrop of rising inflation, applicants will be pleased to learn that there are no costs involved. Their only financial obligation is to fund their own Public Liability insurance.
A space in the Incubator is for one year although there may be an option to extend.
Anyone can apply, providing they are not a full-time undergraduate or taught postgraduate.
Professor Laura Galloway is leading the Business Incubator at EBS. She says there has never been a more important time to encourage growth in the sector. “The cost of living crisis and rising inflation has created a perfect storm among small and medium sized enterprises,” she said.
“To access the support needed to help drive forward these ventures, which are vitally important to the UK economy, means there has never been a more important time for dedicated schemes, such as our EBS Incubator, to be made available.”
Since its launch in 2018, the EBS Incubator has assisted more than 50 companies and played a pivotal role in helping participants access grants and other finance and refine their offerings.
Professor Galloway, adds: “The Incubator’s aim is to create a diverse community of new-start firms and provide them with support that would help them take their business ideas and ambitions to the next stage.
“That’s why today I am calling on all fledgling entrepreneurs who would benefit from the dedicated, tailored support, to get in touch.”
Among the current Incubees include the digital communications platform, Tecive, whose Director, Mael Abgrall, spoke of the benefits of the scheme, saying: “The incubator helped us reach the next stage for our start-up, greatly improved our focus and helped us take the steps to grow our business.
“Additionally this was a great opportunity to meet, work and get feedback from like-minded people.”
The deadline for applications is noon on Monday 13 June 2022.
Applications will be considered by a committee who will decide which businesses are shortlisted to give a five-minute pitch explaining their business and how the incubator will benefit them.
New and future food and drink entrepreneurs are invited to pitch their business ideas for the chance to win a free place on a weekend interactive programme.
Applications are now open for the two sessions which are part of THRIVE – a collaborative initiative launched by Queen Margaret University, Abertay University and Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) to support sustainable growth in the country’s food and drink sector.
There are up to 60 places available on the online Saturday workshops in November which will bring together expertise from all three institutions, as well as external industry professionals.
They will help students and recent graduates gain an understanding of the skills and knowledge they need to start a business in the sector – whether that be offering new food and drink products or a service to the industry.
Dr Carol Langston, Reader in Rural Entrepreneurship at SRUC, said: “This programme is an ideal opportunity for a student or recent graduate to really explore their business idea and commence planning their start-up journey.
“It is also an invaluable occasion to build their personal network in the Food and Drink sector – which is vital to helping to build a successful business.”
Dr Jon Wilkin, of Abertay University, said: “These workshops will be hugely valuable for students and recent graduates looking to get into the food and drink sector.
“With COP26 coming to Glasgow this year, the eyes of the world will be on our approach to sustainability, and this project is a great example of an initiative that can help new businesses or entrepreneurs set up ventures with climate change in mind.”
Miriam Smith, Innovation and Enterprise Manager at Queen Margaret University, said: “Venturing into the world of entrepreneurship is an exciting but daunting prospect for anyone, especially when funding and knowledge is limited.
“So many business ideas don’t even get off the ground. We want to ensure our graduates have the very best chance of success and are equipped to develop their business idea so they can turn it into reality.
“THRIVE will provide students with an outstanding insight into the food and drink industry by equipping them with the essential skills for product development along with marketing, legislative, and business knowledge that will be essential in executing their vision and creating a sustainable food business.”
THRIVE is aimed at third and fourth-year students, as well as recent graduates, with applicants asked to pitch their ideas as part of the process.
A business accelerator that supports budding entrepreneurs is offering £250,000 to young people across Scotland who want to grow a digital business.
The sought-after scheme from TwinklHive provides grants and mentorship to individuals aged 18 to 24 and enables young people to commit and pursue entrepreneurship as a full-time career path and make their business dreams a reality.
The combination of funding and dedicated support on offer has been designed to provide a unique educational experience and equip successful applicants with the knowledge and skills to grow successful and sustainable businesses.
To apply, the young entrepreneurs must have a validated concept for a technology-enabled business and a clear vision. Their idea should also be focused on solving a real problem for their customers, as the scholarship is looking to develop the next mission driven founders and cultivate startups that will make a real difference to society.
Each successful applicant will receive a grant of up to £40,000. The scholarship is a full-time position that is set to run for six months, with the opportunity to apply for follow-on investment from the TwinklHive accelerator at the end of this period.
The applicants are not required to pay back the grant, which also covers the founding team’s salaries of up to £20,000 for the six month period.
Set up in 2019, TwinklHive was created by the entrepreneur Jonathan Seaton, who is the Co-Founder and CEO of the global educational publisher Twinkl. Jonathan started Twinkl with his wife Susie Seaton in their spare bedroom over ten years ago. The business now operates in over 200 countries and regions and has over 790 team members based at its offices in Sheffield and around the world.
Since its launch, TwinklHive has supported a variety of mission-led founders from startups in the tech sector, including EdTech, FinTech and HealthTech. The accelerator is working to continually extend its support to the startup ecosystem more widely, including assisting and supporting young and aspiring entrepreneurs with their scholarship scheme.
Alongside the non-repayable grant, candidates will receive mentorship and support from Jonathan and the current startup founders from within the Hive. Candidates will also gain access to the accelerator’s expansive business network. All support and mentorship can be accessed virtually to suit candidate’s locations.
Jonathan Seaton, Co-Founder and CEO at Twinkl and TwinklHive, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to now be in a position to offer support and mentorship to young individuals in Scotland.”
“We have all been living in unprecedented circumstances due to the pandemic. Covid has undoubtedly impacted the job market, and people are looking to find new opportunities and explore new directions as a result.
“For young people who are looking for a new direction or to pursue their business ideas, it can be an exciting yet daunting time. Through the TwinklHive scholarship we endeavor to support young entrepreneurs looking to take that leap and pursue and grow a business of their own.
“When my wife, Susie and I founded Twinkl, we experienced first hand the difficulties young entrepreneurs face when trying to get a business venture up and running. It can be difficult to get investment and having advice from people with experience is invaluable. We hope that we can provide the same kind of advice that helped us all those years ago and give people the opportunity to make a difference to their own lives and to others. ”
Amber Jardine, Hive Manager at Twinkl, said: “The scholarship was created to support young people who are passionate about building a sustainable business. I am so pleased that this year we are able to open this opportunity nationwide and I am looking forward to the prospect of working alongside mission-driven entrepreneurs with innovative solutions.”
The scholarship is open to people across the UK and applications are open now. If you or someone you know would like to apply, please email hive@twinkl.co.uk where further information will be provided.
The closing date for applications is Friday 11th June.
For more information about the scholarship and to find the application form visit the TwinklHive blog.
Morrisons is offering British entrepreneurs a fast-tracked route to a national market through a programme called ‘Growing British Brands’.
The ‘Growing British Brands’ programme will give businesses the potential to sell products in all 497 Morrisons stores as well as listings in other parts of the business including Morrisons.com, Food Boxes and wholesale channels like Amazon.
Morrisons will also offer promotional plans and favourable payment terms to help these businesses scale up.
To support these emerging British businesses, Morrisons has assembled a team of experts to find brands with game-changing, innovative products that need a helping hand to get to the main stage.
The team will offer successful applicants to the programme advice and support covering every aspect of retailing, from production to packaging and marketing and logistics.
Entrepreneurs with products ranging from food and drink to beauty and homewares are being encouraged to apply to the ‘Growing British Brands’ programme by clicking on the ‘Supplying Morrisons’ link at morrisons-corporate.com/suppliers.
This formal programme follows a very strong response to a recent call to arms from Morrisons CEO, David Potts, who encouraged British entrepreneurs with the next big thing to get in touch.
David Potts, Morrisons CEO, said: “There are thousands of people with great ideas, but getting them to market at scale is often a long, risky and complicated process.
“Morrisons started with just one shop over 100 years ago and is now one of Britain’s biggest retailers. We know and understand the entrepreneurial spirit and want to play our full part in helping the next generation of British brands quickly reach national distribution.
“For too long, small businesses have lacked the opportunity and perhaps confidence to scale up a great idea capable of supplying hundreds of stores at serious volumes. We hope that this programme can provide the support, guidance and confidence for great brands with great products to lift their horizons, to think big and to reach new customers all around Great Britain.”
Victoria Prentis MP, Food Minister, said: “Our manifesto was clear that we want people, both at home and abroad, to be lining up to buy British. “The ‘Growing British Brands’ programme will boost small businesses, encouraging them to scale up and reach thousands of potential new customers.
“Our food and drink businesses are renowned for high quality products and standards of animal welfare. They form a core part of our agri-food sector which supports over four million jobs and provides £121 billion to the UK economy. I welcome this announcement by Morrisons to further support entrepreneurs in this vital sector.”
Morrisons launched its Local Foodmakers programme in 2017, and has since launched over 1,300 products from local foodmakers, growers and producers. This new programme aims to uncover those suppliers who have the ability to be stocked in stores nationwide.
