- Young Innovators Next Steps Awards recognises trailblazing young entrepreneurs, accelerating their business growth to deliver an even bigger impact
- Almost £1m awarded – with each winner given £50,000 to grow and scale their business over the 12-month programme
- Innovate UK calls for next generation of innovators to come forward and apply for the next Young Innovators Awards
Two Young Innovators from Scotland have been given a further boost to their early-stage businesses by Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency, through the Young Innovators Next Steps Awards.
These entrepreneurs were previous recipients of the Young Innovators Award and have now been awarded a second time, based on their progress and their future growth plans.
Looking for young people with innovative ideas
The announcement comes as Innovate UK calls for aspiring entrepreneurs across Scotland to come forward and apply to be part of the Young Innovators Award 2022/23 cohort.
The programme nurtures the talents of tomorrow to tackle some of society’s most pressing challenges. Up to 100 winning young entrepreneurs will be supported for 12 months, with individuals benefiting from a £5,000 grant, one-on-one business support, and an allowance to cover living costs.
Young Innovators Next Steps award winners
With a focus on helping young people really scale up their ground-breaking ideas, the Young Innovators Next Steps Awards will see all 19 winners receive an additional £50,000. From the first prosthetic limb for children which grows as they do, to wallets made of seaweed, and technology to help monitor and protect our bees, the 19 innovators are already making a big impact in their sectors.
In just over 12 months, since winning their first Innovate UK award, the pioneers have attracted further investment, secured offices and production facilities, expanded their teams (creating over 50 new jobs), filed patents and landed important deals with the likes of John Lewis, M&S, and Microsoft.
The two winners from Scotland are:
- Lucy Fisher (26 years old), from Aberdeen, took a childhood passion for knitting and turned it into a business. Knit It® aims to inspire the younger generations to pick up their needles and start knitting via an interactive online platform that makes knitting fun and simple, whilst teaching knitters and newbies skills and techniques. Knit It® has gone from a girl and her grandma to a thriving team. Since winning her first award Lucy has pitched at London Tech Week, launched www.knit-it.co.uk and is now on the lookout for knitting pattern designers to join her story.
- Elena Höge (29 years old), from Edinburgh, is creating Games for Good like Wholesome, a relaxing life simulator about living in harmony with nature. It teaches children and adults about nature, including how to forage and cook wild food.
- Since winning the Young Innovators Award, Elena has grown her team from 1 to 6, won prestigious industry awards, and raised around £90,000 in grants and small investments.
These Young Innovators Next Step winners’ ideas are improving lives and creating a more sustainable, productive and prosperous future.
New advances in technology are also at the heart of many of the innovators’ business – from an AI personal trainer, to an interactive online platform to inspire the digital generation to pick up their knitting needles, and a mobile app designed to help families monitor and improve their wellbeing.
Young Innovators 22/23 Competition
Both winners from Scotland originally scooped Young Innovator Awards in 2021. The Young Innovators Awards recognise young people, aged 18 to 30, from every region and nation of the UK with great business ideas who have the potential to become successful entrepreneurs and future leaders in innovation.
Award winners will each receive a £5,000 grant, living allowance, a package of business coaching, and mentoring from a personal Innovation Champion from Innovate UK Edge.
Aspiring entrepreneurs can learn more and register their interest in the forthcoming Young Innovators awards, which open on 13th June: https://ktn-uk.org/programme/young-innovators-22-23-registration
Commenting on her award and project, Lucy said, “I started Knit It® because I wanted to revolutionise the knitting industry and inspire a new generation to take up the craft.
“At the beginning, I could not have imagined that, right now, I would have secured funding to take my business forwards, have support from household names and avid knitters like Tom Daley and be on the lookout for collaborators and partners to make this happen big time!
“I’m so proud to have been selected for Innovate UK’s Young Innovators Next Steps Award and excited for the future!”
Commenting on her award and project, Elena said: “When I first applied for Innovate UK’s the Young Innovators Award, I had a vision to create games that go beyond digital with environmental, social, and cultural impact, while inspiring young people to get outdoors and benefit from the natural world.
“In a relatively short space of time, it’s gone from a dream to a reality, with support from external backers and my own excellent team.
“My advice to any innovators on the fence about their ideas is to go for it – your passion will drive the business forwards.”
The Young Innovator Awards enable entrepreneurship and innovation among more young people to help them bring more diverse ideas and businesses into the economy, champion innovations for the underrepresented, and provide a platform for gamechangers looking to make a societal, economic and environmental impact.
Emily Nott, Head of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion at Innovate UK said: “It’s one thing to have a business idea and – as so many aspiring entrepreneurs would attest – quite another to make it a reality.
“These innovative young people have worked relentlessly to realise their ambitions and we are proud of the role we are able to play in helping them on this journey. Their disruptive ideas stand to make a big impact, but their stories are important in other ways too – if they can inspire other young people to come forward and innovate, we will all benefit”.
Innovate UK’s Chief Executive Officer, Indro Mukerjee, said: “Innovate UK is committed to inspiring and supporting the next generation of innovators. We will work to inspire, involve, and invest in their talent to create a strong future economy and society.
“Congratulations to the Young Innovators Next Steps award winners and I look forward to seeing their businesses develop even further”.
Aspiring entrepreneurs can learn more about the forthcoming Young Innovators awards, which open for applications on the 13th June: https://ktn-uk.org/programme/young-innovators-22-23-registration