🚍 Ember expansion, OGI Bio win, tributes for Ryan McCabe
Plus getting ready for Turing Fest!
Here's your Campfire for the 1st of July, 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.
Shameless plug: we’re hosting two events next week as part of the Turing Fest Fringe!
🚀 Founder2Founder Night: Lightning talks and startup founder public office hours. Listen to local startup founders as they teach you something in 10 minutes, and watch as groups of early-stage founders get in-depth advice about their idea from founders who've been there before. Very kindly sponsored and hosted by Shepherd and Wedderburn.
🎁 Pitched Your Idea: Are you super early in your startup journey? Want a fun way to work on your pitch? This relaxed morning event right before Turing Fest begins for the day is a great way to get out of your own head and have some fun while learning a bit about how your idea comes across. Very kindly sponsored and hosted by Johnston Carmichael.
We’ll announce speakers and companies later this week. If you’d like to help out, teach something, or get feedback for your idea, just reply to this email and get in touch.
🌊 Updates
🕊️ Tributes for Ryan McCabe, CEO and founder of Odro, have been coming in from across Scotland’s tech and business communities after he tragically passed away on Saturday, June 22nd. Those paying tribute highlighted his infectious energy, positivity, wisdom, and joy for life, reflecting the significant impact he had on many people. DGT
🧫 Edinburgh-based OGI Bio, a biotech company specialising in innovative solutions for microbial growth and analysis, was named Scotland's ‘most exciting tech business’ in KPMG's UK-wide competition after it beat nine local startups and was one of nearly 400 nominees. This win comes shortly after raising a £650,000 funding round. DGT SS SBN IN
🍃 Edinburgh-based Edge Solutions (a company that makes technology that protects wind turbine blades from erosion) has signed a ten-year exclusive supply agreement with Ineos Styrolution, a subsidiary of the UK chemicals conglomerate Ineos, to use its Armour Edge system for its wind farms. TS
💳 Edinburgh- founded BR-DGE (online payment orchestration provider) has partnered with Swedish fintech firm Trustly (global open banking solutions firm). This collaboration will integrate Trustly's services into BR-DGE’s platform, offering customers an additional payment platform. DGT
🚍 Ember, the UK's first all-electric intercity bus operator, raised £5.6 million in debt from Triodos Bank UK to expand its fleet of zero-emission coaches in more markets. Launched in Scotland in 2020 with a route between Edinburgh and Dundee, Ember now also serves Glasgow, Stirling, and Kinross. DGT
📌 Wider UK-wide outlook: A new market snapshot from Pitchbook reveals mixed signals in the UK economy at the start of 2024. GDP grew by 0.6% in the first quarter, the fastest in two years, indicating an exit from recession. However, wage growth of 5.7% and recent tax cuts make a rate cut in June less likely. The FTSE 100 has underperformed other European indices, rising only 4% this year. This has led to more M&A activity. Read more here (DGT)
📣 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.
🗣️ Faur, a new Edinburgh-based strategic communications collective, is offering a free Communications Strategy to supercharge one Scottish startup. You can find more details here, and have until Wednesday, 17th July 2024 to register interest.
🥃 Are you a problem-solver driven by curiosity and a passion for your work? Do you thrive on deep, meaningful conversations and value fostering long-lasting relationships? Do you love whisky? If so, we invite you to become a founding member of Dram & Discourse. Learn more here
⚙️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
🍻 02/07, 17:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: Tech Meetup Edinburgh - July 2024: The Tech Meetup is a monthly excuse for the tech community around Scotland to network, learn and share new ideas! MORE INFO
☕ Series: Unfiltered: An in-person, informal catch-up with the Scottish tech community! Come join us for a coffee!
⛾ 03/07, 08:30 🗺️ Inverness, MORE INFO
⛾ 03/07, 08:30 🗺️ Aberdeen, MORE INFO
⛾ 03/07, 08:30 🗺️ Dundee, MORE INFO
⛾ 03/07, 08:30 🗺️ Edinburgh, MORE INFO
⛾ 03/07, 08:30 🗺️ Glasgow, MORE INFO
⛾ 03/07, 08:30 🗺️ Stirling, MORE INFO
🍻 04/07, 18:00 🗺️ Glasgow: Tech Meetup Glasgow - July 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
👨🏻🏫 09/07, 11:00 🗺️ Dundee: Dundee Presentation Club: Join us in the Abertay cyberQuarter for a chance to practice your pitches and public speaking in a friendly, supportive setting. MORE INFO
🎯 09/07, 13:00 🗺️ Stirling: Marketing Meetup with Scunnered Digital [Stirling]: Join us for a six-month event series dedicated to elevate your marketing skills, build connections and exchange ideas with fellow marketers. MORE INFO
💼 10/07, 09:00 🗺️ Aberdeen: Understanding and Implementing Value Stream Mapping and Management: Learn to think lean as we support you through the development of a continuous improvement plan aligned with energy transition priorities. MORE INFO
💻 11/07, 08:30 🗺️ Perth: Perth Tech Mornings: Open to everyone, join us in the Famous Grouse Ideas Centre in Perth Creative Exchange to connect with members of the local tech community. Come for a coffee, networking and build connections. MORE INFO
🍳 11/07, 09:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Edinburgh Professional Breakfast - Networking: This, our 3rd meetup, will provide a further opportunity for the room to get to know each other through a networking activity - looking to bring together the professional services network and founders network together. MORE INFO
🤖 11/07, 18:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Edinburgh Data Science & AI Meetup: An Introduction to AI Agents and a talk about ML from Physics Research to Media Content-Creation. MORE INFO
🏠 18/07, 11:00 🗺️ Online: Utilising AI to future-proof homes: A free-to-attend webinar that will explore how emerging AI technologies can be utilised to assess and manage the climate risks facing UK properties. MORE INFO
⛓️ 18/07, 17:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Blockchain Scotland Meetup: Welcome to the Monthly Blockchain Scotland Meetup at the Bayes Centre in Edinburgh. The event takes place at the ground floor in G.03. MORE INFO
🔌 23/07, 12:00 🗺️ Kirkcaldy: Unplugged Kirkcaldy: This event aims to bring together entrepreneurs, techies, creatives, students, investors, and other regional stakeholders to network and share ideas. It is open to everyone. MORE INFO
📢 23/07, 18:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Founders Live Edinburgh: For the first time ever in Scotland! Founders Live is an unforgettable competition sweeping the globe where five handpicked companies take the hot seat, with only 99 seconds to pitch their company and describe their value proposition in front of an eager audience. MORE INFO
🔗 24/07, 09:30 🗺️ Glasgow: Engaging in Lean: Join us and become a cultural enabler that delivers sustainable improvement through engagement, lean and supporting behaviours. MORE INFO
💬 24/07, 11:00 🗺️ Dundee: Barclays Eagle labs at MSIP July Drop-in Clinic 2024: Drop in and let’s have a chat about your business goals and ambitions here at Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc. MORE INFO
🔌 24/07, 12:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: Presentation Club: Join us for a supportive and friendly afternoon of public speaking practice for people in the tech startup world. MORE INFO
🚀 24/07, 17:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: AI, Cryptocurrency and the Third Sector: Our fourth and final event in the series is a roundtable presenting the expectations and uses of cryptocurrency in the Third Sector. MORE INFO
👥 25/07, 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
🎯 25/07, 17:15 🗺️ Edinburgh: Barclays Eagle Labs and CodeBase monthly Quiz - Edinburgh (July): Join us for this month's pub quiz - bringing together the CodeBase and Edinburgh community for a bit of fun! MORE INFO
🎯 Deadlines
🇬🇧 Upcoming Innovate UK deadlines:
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
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That’s all for this week - have a great one!
Team 🔥 Campfire