A Glasgow firm making self-watering origami plant pots from waste polypropylene has been named the country's best new business of the year at the inaugural Scotland StartUp Awards.

Originally formed as the Wales StartUp Awards in 2016, the competition has been rolled out to nine nations and regions across the UK following a surge in the creation of new businesses during the pandemic. A total of 23 awards were presented at the Scottish debut across categories such as Digital StartUp of the year, Green Startup of the year, the Rising Star Award for businesses less than 12 months old, and Young Entrepreneur of the year.

The top prize went to Potr, which sells self-watering plant care via flat-pack pots and vases delivered through the letterbox. Its system allows plants to self-regulate their water intake for up to three weeks, while the flat-pack design cuts transport emissions through a reduction in weight, volume and the elimination of single-use protective packaging.

The creator of the awards, Professor Dylan Jones-Evans, said he was pleased with how the inaugural event has been received.

The Herald: Professor Dylan Jones-EvansProfessor Dylan Jones-Evans

“It’s been fantastic to see so many people who are truly happy in the work they are doing and have shown courage to build themselves a career path that drives them to get out of bed every morning," he said.

"The importance of always being inspired and stimulated in whatever you do should not be underestimated - it’s clear that our Scottish finalists have been spurred on to succeed by tapping into their own passions and talents, setting and reaching goals which are meaningful to them.

“A huge congratulations to all the category winners and especially to the team at Potr in becoming the Scotland Start-up of the Year and in driving both innovation and sustainability in a traditional sector. We look forward to seeing what’s next for these phenomenal businesses and wish them all the best for many more years of success.”

Judges included Scottish entrepreneurs and their supporters: Laura Birrell of Sticky Heelz; Danny Campbell of Hoko; Emma Macdonald of The Tartan Blanket Co; and Russell Dalgleish of Exolta Capital Partners.

The full list of winners:

 

Scotland StartUp of the Year

Potr 

Business-to-Business Services StartUp of the Year

IDM Safety Solutions

Consumer Services StartUp of the Year

The Black Box Approach

Construction and Building Services StartUp of the Year

PMA Recruitment Services

Creative start-up of the year

Make Things Happen Design Studio 

Digital StartUp of the Year

Ethical Intelligence Associates

Edinburgh StartUp of the Year

Noisy Clan

Fintech StartUp of the Year

hubb

Food and Drink StartUp of the Year

Savora Drinks

Glasgow StartUp of the Year

hubb

Global StartUp of the Year

Freight On Worldwide 

Graduate StartUp of the Year

Two Raccoons

Green StartUp of theYear

Potr

Innovative StartUp of the Year

Welcome Eyecare

Manufacturing and Engineering StartUp of the Year

Adalec 

Medtech StartUp of the Year

Lenus Health

Mobile and Emerging Technologies StartUp of the Year

DragonflAI

Online Retail StartUp of the Year

Second Cashmere

Professional Services Start-Up of the Year

Richard Jennings Mortgage Services

Rural StartUp of the Year

P J Gaul and Co

Social Enterprise StartUp of the Year

Social Good Connect

Tourism and Leisure StartUp of the Year

FreeFlow Technologies

Young Entrepreneur of the Year

Madeline Riddell of MADFITT

Rising Stars

Wear Your Smile

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