Tag: Scottish EDGE 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.

‘Bold, brave and brilliant’

SCOTTISH EDGE AWARDS

Scottish EDGE invests £1.5 million into 38 early stage, high growth businesses 

With many UK firms struggling to innovate against the current economic backdrop, 38 Scottish businesses with high-growth potential have received a much-needed injection of cash at the 22nd round of the Scottish EDGE Awards that took place last week.  

Taking place for the first time in Glasgow since 2019 and hosted by the Royal Bank of Scotland, the awards were attended by Simon Hannah in his first official engagement as Chair of the organisation, and Mark Scott, CEO of pet wellness brand Bella & Duke.

This year also saw the introduction of the new Scottish Government backed £100,000 Pathways Award, to support an ambitious female entrepreneur and was presented to Good Nude Food, a multi-award winning, probiotic fermented sauerkraut company.  

Two of the other big winners of the evening were Brose Oats, which triumphed in the Food and Drink Category, a new award sponsored by Food & Drink Scotland, and Conneckt Charging, an EV charging network which won in the Net Zero category, supported by Royal Bank of Scotland.

Both winners took home a prize worth £100,000, while GLORIAH, a company manufacturing sustainable intimate care products for women experiencing menopause, won a prize worth £80,000 in the Zero Waste Scotland supported Circular Economy category.  

Sustainability was also a theme for Oir Soap, who won £65,000 alongside the STV Award of £75,000 of advertising airtime, and who create luxury soaps using natural ingredients.

Biotech start-up Prozymi Biolabs won the £65,000 IBioIC award to further their quest to revolutionise the gluten-free market, while Edinburgh Open Workshop, which offers affordable and flexible access to workshop machinery and tools, was awarded £75,000 in the Social Enterprise category, which is supported by The Postcode Innovation Trust.  

The Young EDGE and Wildcard categories returned this round, with the former supporting companies whose Managing Directors are under 30 years old and the latter providing a grant to pre-trading businesses which need support to bring their products to market.

Winners of this year’s Young EDGE award ranged from Selki Store, which provides heat packs to people suffering from chronic pain, to confectionery companies Tabrifics and Chocolatia, who received the £15,000 Harper Macleod and Scottish Enterprise top Young EDGE awards respectively.  

Wildcard winners included Claymore Surgical Ltd, who are developing a software platform to automate the diagnosis of childhood sleep apnoea, and Practest, who are aiming to revolutionise GPs’ communication with their patients.  

Sir Tom Hunter of the Hunter Foundation said: “Bold, brave and brilliant – those are the characteristics of Scottish EDGE winners.

“All the evidence points to Scotland needing far more of these businesses. EDGE is a brilliant supporter of high growth business and I’m sure could do a lot more for Scotland’s economy with the right Government support.” 

Judith Cruickshank, MD Commercial Mid Market at the Royal Bank of Scotland, said: “The Scottish EDGE awards continue to showcase the remarkable innovative talent present within Scotland’s entrepreneurial community.

“Helping businesses to scale and succeed is core to our principles which is why we’re so proud to continue our support for the Scottish EDGE awards. 

“We’d like to congratulate all those businesses who were awarded funding at last night’s awards, and we can’t wait to see their progress in the coming months. As supporters of the Net Zero category, we’d like to extend special congratulations to Connekt Charging. Their work in creating an extensive and reliable charging network has the potential to be transformational.” 

All images © Sandy Young Photography Scottish EDGE Awards 22, winners Web: www.scottishphotographer.com Blog: sandyyoungphotography.wordpress.com Mail: sandy@scottishphotographer.com Tel: 07970 268944 ***Credit should read Sandy Young/scottishphotographer.com***

Jane Martin, managing director of innovation and investment at Scottish Enterprise said: “We’re pleased to continue our support for the Young EDGE category, which was once again a highly competitive field.

“Scottish EDGE has an important role to play within Scotland’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. By supporting innovative, high growth potential start-ups, together we can drive Scotland’s future economic prosperity and create purposeful, scaling companies of the future.”  

Evelyn McDonald, CEO of Scottish EDGE, said: “As businesses across Scotland find themselves facing challenging circumstances, there’s never been a more urgent need to drive creativity and innovation.

“The winners of the 22nd round of Scottish EDGE are testament to the incredible potential within Scotland’s start-up landscape. The addition of further awards this round, both Pathways and Food and Drink, has allowed us to reward more businesses, and alongside our partner organisations we continue our commitment to help Scottish businesses not just survive, but 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 this year’s Scottish EDGE winners (alphabetically) 

·         Ansearch (Edinburgh) – Ansearch connect to all of your business apps, to make their data searchable from one place (imagine Google, but the results are from your business) – Young EDGE, £10,000  

·         BOROBOSCOT (Edinburgh) – Introducing Maah, a robotic platform and its digital twin designed to aid older adults and caregivers improve both their lives and work, against the backdrop of the demographic crisis – £80,000 

·         Brose Oats (East Lothian) – Brose is a healthy and delicious alternative to dairy, and is made of the most environmentally sustainable substances of all plant-based drinks – oats – Food & Drink, £100,000 

·         CaskNet (Edinburgh) – CaskNet is a digital cask register, authenticating ownership of whisky casks owned by private individuals or brokers in Scotland, alleviating problems facing the industry – £65,000 

·         CEXAL LTD (Edinburgh) – CEXAL Ltd creates rapid, accurate and cost-effective test kits for the identification of harmful pathogens in water samples – Young EDGE, £10,000  

·         Chocolatia (Forfar)- Chocolate producer from a restaurant background making luxury chocolates with ethical, sustainable ingredients, showcasing Scottish seasonal produce and highlighting their importance – Young EDGE, £15,000  

·         Coolthstore Ltd (Edinburgh) – We provide FridgeMate, a non-battery energy-storage module onto which all future fridges will be built. FridgeMate harvests and stores renewable energy for later peak-time usage – Wildcard, £10,000 

·         Conneckt Charging (Ayr/Glasgow)- Connekt is a privately operated EV charging network and App which integrates into commercial EV charging solutions to provide its drivers with a seamless and reliable charging experience – Net Zero, £100,000 

·         Claymore Surgical (Glasgow) – We are developing a centralised software platform to automate the diagnosis of childhood sleep apnoea and prioritise treatment for the children who need urgent care – Wild Card, £15,000  

·         Edinburgh Open Workshop (Edinburgh) – A creative makerspace offering affordable, flexible, Pay-As-You-Go access to workshop machinery and tools – Social £75,000  

·         Eye to the Future – Eye to the Future develops software that enables clinicians to deliver improved and more consistent health outcomes through earlier diagnosis of critical eye conditions – £70,000  

·         Feverfew Garden Company (Orkney) – We’re the UK’s first functional gardenwear brand specifically designed for women. We create high quality products that help women feel confident in the garden – £10,000  

·         GLORIAH (Edinburgh) – GLORIAH create, manufacture, and sell sustainable luxury intimate care products for women experiencing menopausal symptoms alongside providing educational, sharable content focused on the menopause – Circular Economy, £80,000 

·         Good Nude Food (Shetland Isles) – Good Nude Food is a multi-award-winning, probiotic fermented sauerkraut company. Our vision is to be a brand leader in the growing gut-healthy, fermented food sector – Pathways, £100,000  

·         Gradatim (Edinburgh) – We create children’s picture books to aid the delivery of complex disability/illness information to children under 5 that are read in conjunction with their treatment – Wildcard, £10,000 

·         Happy Leaf Ltd (Glasgow) – Developing an all-in-one smart sensor and app that makes growing houseplants easy – Wildcard, £10,000  

·         Highland Domes Ltd (Dingwall) – We build competitively priced, visually pleasing geodesic greenhouses that are more resilient, better insulated and with more economic use of space than alternative structures – Young EDGE, £10,000  

·         Jacks-Alt-Stays (Millport) – Jack’s Alt-Stays – A one-of-a-kind cabin accommodation concept on a scenic Scottish island, powered by renewable energy – £90,000  

·         Klank (St Andrews)- Klank is a live-music booking service that connects musical performers, event hosts, and fans in an intuitive, streamlined, mobile application – Young EDGE, £10,000  

·         Local Caddie Ltd (Edinburgh) – Local Caddie is an innovative virtual platform connecting Golf Tourists and Scottish Caddies – Wildcard, £10,000  

·         Marked: Wayfinding System (Glasgow) – MARKED: Wayfinding System, is a micro-mobility management and navigation system that aims to redefine how people experience cycling and scooting in the city – Young EDGE, £10,000  

·         Oir Soap Ltd (South Queensferry) – At Oir we make luxury, plastic-free soaps using all natural and sustainable ingredients. The bars are deigned to replace shower gel – STV, £65,000 + £75,000 ad airtime 

·         Nami Surgical Ltd (Glasgow) – Nami has developed a miniaturised ultrasonic scalpel for robotic assisted surgery. Nami is an innovative B2B OEM for surgical robot manufacturers – £80,000 

·         Planner Bee VA Services Ltd (Aberdeen) – Planner Bee VA Services is a Virtual Assistant Service supporting sustainable and ethical businesses to make a buzz with their digital marketing – Young EDGE, £10,000 

·         Practest (Kirkwall) – We are on a mission to change how GPs communicate with their patients. Developing the Practest product (trading name), responsible for commercialisation and customer – Wildcard, £10,000 

·         Pro Dispense (Hamilton) – A protein machine that dispenses a smooth organic blend of protein and other key supplements such as creatine, on demand whenever the user requires – Young EDGE, £10,000 

·         Prozymi Biolabs (Edinburgh) – A biotech start-up that aims to revolutionise the gluten-free market using gluten-degrading enzymes for the production of gluten-free bread made of wheat – IBioIC, £65,000 

·         Quine Ltd (West Lothian) – Quine Magazine, the only digital-first publication for women in Scotland. Quine covers the latest in fashion, beauty, lifestyle and careers – Young EDGE, £10,000 

·         Research in Dreams t/a Hubble Bubble (Edinburgh) – Hubble Bubble is an online AI-based platform matching international students with the right course based on their passion at the top universities in the UK – £70,000 

·         Screen Hustler (Glasgow) – Screen Hustler is a talent marketplace and portfolio platform for the film and TV industry – Young EDGE, £10,000 

·         Selki Store (Stirling) – We aim to help people living with chronic pain by contributing to the understanding of their needs, and by creating functional heat-packs – Young EDGE, £10,000 

·         SIP IT (Scotland) (Aberdeen) – SIP IT takes pride in being Scotland’s only PUR SIP manufacturer of structural insulated panels – £85,000 

·         Tabrifabrics (Aberdeen) – Tabrifics® is a new small-batch Scottish confectionery company, which is passionate about bringing new life to our nation’s classic confection – Young EDGE, £15,000 

·         The Prebiotic Company (Edinburgh) – The Prebiotic Company’s principal business activity is the sale of our own innovative prebiotic water under the brand name ió fibrewater – £70,000  

·         Tourprism (Stirling) – Tourprism develops a web application that empowers tourism businesses with customized feedback insights, crucial for their business strategy and tactical decisions – Wildcard, £10,000 

·         Ujaama Spice (Edinburgh) – Scottish spice trading business, committed to decolonizing the traditional supply chain and shifting the stigma surrounding spice commodities – Young EDGE, £10,000 

·         Venturithm (Glasgow) – Venturithm is a web-based simulation platform that supports entrepreneurs by transforming market research into financial projections, enabling a new level of business model experimentation – Wildcard, £10,000 

·         2B Jumps (Edinburgh) – 2B Jumps has created an innovative showjump design that increases horse welfare, rider safety and enhances course building efficiency and accessibility – Wildcard, £10,000

University supported companies celebrate EDGE Awards success

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.”