By Kristy Dorsey
More than £1 million has been secured by 29 young firms across Scotland in the latest round of the Scottish EDGE Awards, the UK’s biggest competition for potential high-growth businesses.
The 17th round of the competition saw a total of £1.175m handed out, with Edinburgh-based Dyneval among the biggest winners. Co-founded by Tiffany Wood and Vincent Martinez, Dyneval received £100,000 in support of its portable technology to help boost cattle conception rates through semen analysis.
Also scooping £100,000 was Waterwhelm of Edinburgh, which has developed technology to produce drinking water from almost any source. It was the winner of the Higgs EDGE award for science, technology and engineering focused businesses.
Bug Bakes of Fife received £50,000, plus £75,000 of advertising spend through the STV Growth Award. It makes dog food from insect protein to reduce the animal’s carbon pawprint by up to 99 per cent.
As the winner of the Circular Economy Award, Quick Block received £80,00 for its flat-packed, interlocking building system made from 100% recycled plastic. Another eco-friendly firm, vegan fashion retailer Treen in Edinburgh, was awarded £60,000.
In the Social Enterprise category, the award was split between two businesses, with Well-Fed (Scotland) receiving £60,000 for its range of food-based services that re-invest profits back into the community, and Animalia Apparel taking £25,000 for its world-class fight wear that in turn supports disadvantaged young people.
The winners were announced at a virtual event with keynote speakers Sir Tom Hunter and Matt Moulding, chief executive of global technology platform The Hut Group. It brings the total awarded through Scottish EDGE to approximately £17.8m.
The programme is supported by The Hunter Foundation, Royal Bank of Scotland, the Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise.
Gordon Merrylees, managing director of entrepreneurship at the Royal Bank of Scotland, said: “This year’s winners are a testament to the quality and innovation that exists across the country’s start-up and high growth businesses."
Winners in the Wild Card EDGE division – the category for pre-trading companies, sole-traders and partnerships – received £75,000 in total, including Theo Health which was awarded the top Wild Card EDGE award of £15,000. Young EDGE winners – the category for companies where all directors are under the age of 30 – also received £75,000, with Lilypads getting the top Harper Macleod Young EDGE award of £15,000.
As well as awarding businesses with funding, Scottish EDGE also provides support packages that include mentoring, support and signposting to alternative finance. Its funding is awarded as 50% grant and 50% loan which is paid back to help fellow entrepreneurs on their pathway to success.
Last month some of Scotland’s leading entrepreneurs committed an additional £1 million of grants and loans to Scottish EDGE. This included funding from Sir Tom, Kevin Dorren, Sir Brian Souter, James Watt, Lord and Lady Haughey, Chris van der Kuyl and Paddy Burns.
The full list of winners is as follows:
Scottish EDGE
Animalia Apparel: (Social Enterprise Award) Glasgow-based creators of world-class fight wear tested by world champions and international athletes to support disengaged people in the community. £25,000
Bare Bones Chocolate: A small-batch chocolate factory based in Glasgow, handcrafting single-origin chocolate and hot chocolate. £50,000
Cascade Water Products: Developers of the first commercial short retention micro-greywater recycling system, based in Dundee. £75,000
Chamber 3 t/a Ocean Plastic Pots: Glasgow makers of plant pots using recycled polypropylene from discarded rope, fishing net and beach plastic. £40,000
Dyneval: (IBioIC Award) Edinburgh firm creating technology for reliable measurements of semen quality in livestock. £100,000
Edinburgh Charcuterie Company Ltd t/a East Coast Cured: A range of continental-style dry cured meats using premium Scottish produce sourced from local farms and produced in Edinburgh. £60,000
Gecko Glazing: Edinburgh developers of a unique cost-effective secondary glazing system that cuts window heat loss by half. £50,000
LiberEat: A technology app developed in Aberdeen that shows allergens in groceries, menus and recipes. £35,000
Quick Block: (Circular Economy Award) A flat-packed, interlocking building system made from 100% recycled plastic that is produced in Glasgow. £80,000
Rookums t/a Ice and Fire Distillery: Craft small batch premium gin and rum producer based in Caithness. £70,000
Saulderson Media: Influencer marketing agency based in Glasgow managing high-profile social influencers in gaming and esports. £60,000
Shrinking Footprints t/a Bug Bakes: (STV Growth Award) Dog food made in Fife from insect protein to reduce your dog's carbon pawprint. £50,000, plus £75,000 airtime.
Treen: Vegan fashion retailer in Edinburgh bringing positive impact brands to the conscious shopper. £60,000
Waterwhelm: (HiggsEDGE Award) Technology developed in Edinburgh that produces drinking water from almost any source. £100,000
Well-Fed (Scotland) CIC: (Social Enterprise Award) Providers of a range of food-based services using profits to support the local community in Glasgow. £60,000
Whereverly: Edinburgh provider of a tourism and cultural data management system to destination marketing organisations. £35,000
Wildcard EDGE
BioLiberty: A novel robotic glove designed in Dundee that increases grip strength, and a digital platform which helps develop natural hand strength. £10,000
Connex Solar: An interdisciplinary group of researchers based at the University of Strathclyde, developing innovative microgrid technologies to unlock clean energy for social and economic uses. £10,000
GaitAR Ltd: Lossiemouth developers of mobility solutions for Parkinson's patients, in the form of Smart Glasses that improve mobility, cognition, balance and gait. £10,000
Lightwater Sensors: St Andrews-based providers of water quality sensors primarily for pesticide detection. £15,000
Microplate Dx: Diagnostics spinout company from the University of Strathclyde developing 'Microplate' technology that allows clinicians to choose the optimum antibiotic to treat a patient's infection in minutes. £15,000
theo HEALTH: Glasgow creators of a wearable device and app to measure and track muscle development, providing physiotherapists with greater insight into the recovery from injury. £15,000
Young EDGE
17 Seas Ltd t/a Thankbox: A simple-to-use online group card and cash collection service developed in Roslin. £10,000
Dream Pads t/a Lilypads: Edinburgh developers of reusable sanitary pads fitted to the user's body, with 10% of revenues donated to subsidising period products internationally. £15,000
Gut Feelings: Kinloss producers of Kombucha, an effervescent fermented tea brewed using high quality, organic ingredients and using a low waste business model. £10,000
Lenz Labs (Lenz Ltd): Edinburgh developer of Traction Hub, which provides better traction control to combat low adhesion on the railways. £10,000
Talk and Grow: Edinburgh developer of a three step match, book and talk system to take the stress out of finding a counsellor, allowing clients to focus on their mental health. £10,000
Today Agency: A student-driven media agency based in Edinburgh that connects independent businesses with its team of creative, paid local students to help them grow using social media and content. £10,000
Trusty Buck's: A plant-based food business based in Glasgow serving the restaurant, takeaway and mobile catering segments. £10,000
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