🧗 EDGE Winners, Forumm and Heero raises, Aizle relaunch
Plus RGU showcase, Novosound news, and an announcement of a further £5m from the gov into stuff.
Here's your Campfire for the 27th of May, 2024.
💼 Want to create template legal agreements in minutes for free? Check out what Shepherd and Wedderburn making available for Campfire readers below in the ‘Asks and Offers section’. Also follow the Start to Scale LinkedIn page for useful videos and posts designed to help founders.
🌊 Updates
🏴 Scottish EDGE winners were announced on Friday, with the vast majority of winners being in Cleantech, CPG, consumer products, and agency/consulting.
EDGE winners (up to £100k either 30/70 or 70/30 loan/grant split depending on category) included: Looper Tech (circular economy software to help manufacturers generate climate certifications), AndMunch (online catering marketplace), Una Watch (modular, repairable GPS running watch), and Tax Torch (tax planning platform).
Young EDGE (up to £10k grant for companies whose directors are younger than 30) included: Harlyy (automated customer feedback and marketing analytics for restaurants), Life Rites (digital resources for those with terminally ill loved ones), and MedSnapp (gamified medical education platform for medical students)
Wildcard EDGE (up to £15k for pre-treading companies, sole-traders and partnerships) included: TinyGyms (private exercise spaces for people who feel intimidated by traditional public gyms), FourFourFive (more accurate monthly business financials), and Hulk Bio (stem-cell based human milk when breastfeeding isn't possible).
For a full list of winners, head to our friends at DIGIT here.
💼 The SG announced a new £5m investment ‘aiming to support high-growth businesses and entrepreneurs’. The funding has gone to expanding Scottish EDGE, developing pre-start support for underrepresented groups, universities to ‘maximise the economic impact of university spinouts’, and showcase events. TS DGT SFN
🚀 Edinburgh-based fintech Smart Data Foundry (a University of Edinburgh spinout) has relaunched Aizle (synthetic data platform) following deals with NatWest, the FCA, TISA, and the Department for Business and Trade. FS SS
💰 Dundee-based Heero Technologies (home energy retrofit app) has raised £230,000 of bridge financing from its existing lead investor TRICAPITAL Angels and Scottish Enterprise. This funding comes in preparation for a planned Series A funding round. SBN IN DGT
📈 Glasgow-based sensor technology company Novosound is expanding into the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region after securing new clients in the Middle East and North America. DGT
🏅 Nine Scottish fintech companies: Autorek, Predictiva, Br-dge, Appointedd, and CopyLab, will participate in the European fintech conference Money20/20, taking place in Amsterdam from June 4th to 6th, as announced by FinTech Scotland in partnership with SDI. DGT
🏆 Aberdeen-based Robert Gordon University's Startup Accelerator Showcase featured pitches from eight of the 16 start-ups to a live audience. Cardio Intel win £10,000 by securing both the Innovation Impact Award and the Audience Choice Award for their digital twin technology aimed at reducing heart disease mortality. ABN SS
🎓 Glasgow-based Forumm (fundraising platform designed for university and school alumni) raised £222,000 in funding to further their mission of transforming the way universities and schools connect with their alumni. Lnkdn
📣 Asks & Offers
🚨Start to Scale by Shepherd and Wedderburn is offering eligible subscribers of Campfire exclusive access to their ‘Start to Scale Hub’ which helps companies create template legal agreements in minutes for free. To learn more and request access click here.
💰 Pitch & network with international investors - In June 2024, 20 International Investors are taking part in a visit to Scotland seeking investment opportunities. Scaling Scottish companies have the opportunity to present to the cohort (with a particular emphasis on companies at Seed/Series A stage) and network with investors. Must be available W/C 17th June 2024. Find out more and apply here.
🙋Reath are hiring! If you love business development, sales and our planet, have a look for more info here.
👨🏻💻 Looking for a data-scientist job? Glasgow-based PropEco is hiring a full-time data scientist and backend engineer to further develop its data platform, which helps property professionals manage the impacts of climate change. Please email chris@propeco.io if interested.
🎧 Who do you know? Voxblock (improving children’s literacy through audiobooks - 10k so far) is hiring for a COO/Director of Ops. Role includes supply chain and inventory management, scaling processes in operations, coordinating fulfilment, project management, and marketplace management. Competitive salary and share options, full-time/4 days a week, based in Edinburgh. Jobspec here.
🗄️ Want an office AND the diverse membership of a coworking space? The Melting Pot are seeking an organisation to occupy their Hot Office for a long-term rental. Available furnished or unfurnished, capacity for up to six team members at a time. Renting the Hot Office also includes 24/7 keyholder access and discounted Pay-As-You-Go access for any additional team members. For more info, contact Sam Ross.
⚙️Do you dream about prototyping? The University of St Andrews has just opened its Rapid Prototyping Centre with facilities like HD 3D Printing Studio with premium materials, a 3D design office suite, electromechanical engineering equipment and machinery, and an electronics design studio (clean room environment). They offer services like high quality 3D scanning, stereolithography, selective laser sintering, fused deposition modelling and much much more. Campfire readers get a 10% discount (just quote CAMP10). Email them here, and find out more here.
👭 Interested in connecting with possible co-founders? Fill in your listing on Cofounder Curious today! Connect with others for possible cofounder matching here.
👷Are you hiring? Send us a blurb and we’ll include it in the next newsletter!
✍️ Want to write something for Campfire? Have an opinion you'd like to share? get in touch!
📅 Events
💡 27/05, 10:00 🗺️ Dumfries: Intellectual Property Training Event: Come and hear from local businesses and public sector expertise on how to protect your intellectual property. This is a FREE event ran by the AIMS Project in partnership with Dumfries and Galloway College. MORE INFO
🔌 28/05, 12:00 🗺️ Stirling: Unplugged Falkirk: This event aims to bring together entrepreneurs, techies, creatives, students, investors, and other regional stakeholders to network and share ideas. It is open to individuals from all stages of the startup journey, from early-stage startups to established companies, as well as employees and other business professionals looking to engage with more startup activity, the local community and looking to learn more about the type of Techscaler support available across Central Scotland. MORE INFO
🎮 28/05, 17:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: EcGx - Edinburgh College Games eXpo - 2024: Everyone is invited to this free evening! Bring your gang along to play some games, including hot new projects by local indie game developers as well as FE and HE level game dev students from Edinburgh College, and have the opportunity to chat with the devs and share your feedback. MORE INFO
🔌 29/05, 12:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Unplugged @ Texthouse, Kelso: We are delighted to offer Unplugged in Kelso! This event is for anyone looking to learn more about what Techscaler is and what it has to offer the tech sector in the Borders. MORE INFO
📢 29/05, 08:30 🗺️ Glasgow: DIGIT Expo West 2024: DIGIT Expo West is Scotland’s largest gathering of technology personnel coming to Glasgow with over 1000 delegates. Themes of discussion will include Cyber Security, Data, AI, ML, Analytics, Cloud Services, Networks, Connectivity and much more. MORE INFO
😵💫 29/05, 17:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: Anti-Burnout 101: Founder Wellbeing Showcase & Mixer: A series of 'quick-fire' wellbeing talks, showcase, ecosystem networking, healthy food/drinks, and so much more. MORE INFO
🥾 29/05, 17:45 🗺️ Edinburgh: Sustainability Netwalking: Share practical experience, spark new ideas and acknowledge the (often unspoken) challenges. All so we can make greater progress on sustainability in our work. MORE INFO
🔗 29/05, 18:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Entrepreneurs Social Club (ESC) - May 2024: Welcome to our monthly Entrepreneurs Social Club (ESC) gathering! Skip the talks, presentations and lectures - in favour of going straight to the bar, where real connections are made! MORE INFO
🤝 30/05, 10:00 🗺️ Dumfries: Coworking Days [South of Scotland]: We’re excited to invite our tech and business community, and anyone wishing to connect with our local community to our coworking days, taking place at Moat Brae in Dumfries. MORE INFO
👥 30/05, 17:00 🗺️ Stirling: The Social at CodeBase Stirling: Open to everyone, this is an in-person celebration to connect and catch up with the CodeBase and Central Scotland community. MORE INFO
🔎 30/05, 17:15 🗺️ Edinburgh: Barclays Eagle Labs and CodeBase monthly Quiz - Edinburgh (May): Join us for this month's pub quiz - bringing together the CodeBase and Edinburgh community for a bit of fun! MORE INFO
🌐 30/05, 17:30 🗺️ Inverness: Inverness Social: Scavenger Hunt: Join us for a scavenger hunt adventure through the charming streets of Inverness, followed by a relaxed social gathering. All members of the community are invited! Whether you're involved in tech, entrepreneurship, or simply curious, this event is for you. No prior experience is required – just bring your enthusiasm! MORE INFO
🌃 30/05, 17:30 🗺️ Glasgow: FuckUp Nights Glasgow Vol.I: Fuckup Nights is a global movement and event series that shares stories of professional failure. Each month, in events across +200 cities and 65 countries, we get a couple of speakers to get up in front of a room full of strangers to share their professional fuckup. The stories of the business that crashes and burns, the partnership deal that goes sour, the product that has to be recalled, we tell them all. MORE INFO
📢 30/05, 18:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Tech Social May at Uno Mas: Tech Social May at Uno Mas is the perfect opportunity to mingle with like-minded tech enthusiasts over drinks and good vibes! MORE INFO
🍺 30/05, 18:30 🗺️ Dundee: Dundee - Small99's People, Planet, Pint™: Sustainability Meetup: Pop down to your local People Planet Pint meetup to find more about what's going on locally with sustainability and how you can get involved. MORE INFO
🍺 01/06, 13:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: UX Edinburgh x People, Planet, Pint™: Sustainability Meetup: Pop down to your local People Planet Pint meetup to find more about what's going on locally with sustainability and how you can get involved. MORE INFO
🍻 04/06, 17:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: Tech Meetup Edinburgh - June 2024: The Tech Meetup is a monthly excuse for the tech community around Scotland to network, learn and share new ideas! Come along to enjoy informative presentations from your peers, listen to exciting projects in the community and make some new connections. MORE INFO
☕ Series: Unfiltered: An in-person and informal catch-up with the Scottish Codebase community! Come join us for a coffee!
⛾ 05/06, 08:30 🗺️ Stirling, MORE INFO
⛾ 05/06, 08:30 🗺️ Glasgow, MORE INFO
⛾ 05/06, 08:30 🗺️ Edinburgh, MORE INFO
⛾ 05/06, 08:30 🗺️ Aberdeen, MORE INFO
⛾ 05/06, 08:30 🗺️ Inverness, MORE INFO
🤝 05/06, 10:00 🗺️ Dumfries: Coworking Days [South of Scotland]: Join us at our coworking days for the South of Scotland Community! MORE INFO
👾 05/06, 10:30 🗺️ Aberdeen: Gamification Skills with RGU School of Computing: Whether you’re a seasoned developer, entrepreneur or simply curious about the power of game mechanics in non-gaming contents, this event is tailored for you. MORE INFO
⛏️ 05/06, 17:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: Cracking the Black Box within the Platform Economy: An open discussion about citizens place in the intersection of data protection, AI tools and worker status in the digital platforms world. MORE INFO
💼 06/06, 08:15 🗺️ Glasgow: Hear the story of one of Scotland’s standout exits of 2023, The trials of growing an international business: Join us for a panel discussion on one of 2023’s standout exits for a Scottish tech company. MORE INFO
🍕 06/06, 18:00 🗺️ Glasgow: Tech Meetup Glasgow - June 2024: Join us at Civic House, Glasgow on the first Thursday of each month for our free event featuring two talks on tech with soft drinks and pizza. MORE INFO
🥂 06/06, 19:00 🗺️ Aberdeen: 'Reverse' Pitch Party: Investor Showcase & Mixer: Ever heard of a reverse pitch event? It's a unique setup where startups and entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to a panel of investors who are actively scouting for new opportunities. But here's the twist: instead of the entrepreneurs doing all the talking, it's the investors who take the stage. They share what they're seeking, offering invaluable insights for potential partnerships and investments. MORE INFO
📅 11/06, 18:30 🗺️ Glasgow: June Meetup - Simplicity and Systems @Barclays Eagle Labs: Our talks are geared towards introducing members of our community, to facilitate networking, mentorship, learning and collaboration. People with all levels of technical expertise are welcome. MORE INFO
🌐 12/06, 09:30 🗺️ Glasgow: Horizon Europe Roadshow: Information, Networking and Collaboration for Success - Scotland: Join us for an exciting in-person networking and information event to learn, connect and discuss the Horizon Europe collaborative research and innovation opportunities that can accelerate your project. MORE INFO
⏲️ 12/05, 12:00 🗺️ Online: Scale me up, Scotty: Building your dream finance team: Whether it’s revenue or staff, turnovers are part of any company’s outlook. However, the latter is proving trickier to curb, especially for startup CFOs and their budding teams. Can hybridity be blamed or did morale get lost in manual processes? This Sifted Talks will look at how to build, nurture and maintain an airtight finance team for the better of your bottom line. MORE INFO
💚 13/06 12:30 🗺️ Online: Being a courageous sustainability leader | Roundtable: Join your peers to discuss the realities of building and maintaining trust so you can make greater progress on sustainability in your organisation. MORE INFO
💡 14/06, 10:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Good Ideas: Catalyst: The Melting Pot's Catalyst workshop, part of our Good Ideas programme, returns! MORE INFO
🎯 Deadlines
🏗️ 28 May 2024: Shott Scale Up Accelerator (Royal Society of Engineering). Info here
🎓 21 June 2024: Barclays Eagle Labs Funding Readiness Programme: which is educating around different methods of funding available for startups/scaleups through expert led online workshops Info here
🇬🇧 Upcoming Innovate UK deadlines:
UK - Germany Bilateral: Collaborative R&D Round 3 Applications close 3 June
New Innovators in Communication Networks 2024 Applications close 12 June
Smart Shipping Acceleration Fund Applications close 26 June
UK-Taiwan CRD 2024 Applications close 17 July
Innovate UK Smart grants: April 2024 Applications close 24 July
Europe Quantum Technology CR&D 2024 Applications close 28 August
Think someone would like this issue? Forward it to them! Check out previous issues by subscribing.
That’s all for this week - have a great one!
Team 🔥 Campfire