🤖 Malted AI raise, The Green Co's story, and resources for scaleups?
Plus dozens of great events happening all over.
Here's your Campfire for the 20th of May, 2024. Shameless plug, but we’re cohosting another great Founders Meetup in Edinburgh on Tuesday and are pleased to welcome Cat Burton, co-founder and CTO of Vesper (an awesome gaming AI startup).
💼 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
🏢 Edinburgh-based Malted AI (bespoke LLMs for businesses) raised £6m from Hoxton Ventures and Creator Fund. UKTN TS DGT SIF
🫧 Dundee-based The Green Co (sustainable household cleaning products) is expecting to grow to over £2m in revenue in 2024. Started by two school friends, the company has now shipped over 100,000 units to 50 countries (carbon negative). SFN
💼 What about the scaleups? Interesting opinion piece from Shane Corstorphine (ex-CFO of SkyScanner) about how all the focus around startups might be starving resources for scaleups. FS
🏴 New Scottish tech ecosystem overview report from UKTN that goes over the main sectors, companies to watch, etc in Scotland (aside from some naughty references to startups in Wales that the copyeditor forgot to switch out...). UKTN
🤖 Edinburgh based Convi (AI personalised video platform) joined the Global Coalition for Content Provenance and Authority (C2PA) as a contributing member in the digital cloning consent interest area. SS
👔 Suited & Booted, a bespoke tailor and clothing retailer founded in Dubai by two Scottish friends, with customers that include boxer Amir Khan and footballer Ronaldinho is launching its first UK store in Merchant City in Glasgow. TS
📣 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
🔌 20/05, 16:00 🗺️ Turriff: Unplugged Turriff: Open to everyone, CodeBase Unplugged is a networking event for professionals working in, or interested in, tech startups. MORE INFO
🎯 21/05, 11:00 🗺️ Inverness: Inverness Pitch Club: A supportive and welcoming environment which gives you the opportunity to practise your pitching skills and gain confidence in talking about your business. We’re here to help from the ground up! Whether you’re simply talking about your business or idea at networking events, or you’re going to be pitching at a competition to capture the attention of investors. Let’s get confident about communication. MORE INFO
🎮 21/05-23/05 🗺️ Edinburgh, Dundee, Glasgow: Games Talks Live: Scotland: A series of short talks interspersed with general networking over 3 days across Edinburgh, Dundee and Glasgow to encourage collaboration and communication between local games developers, and networking with visiting publishers and guests. Doors open at 4pm. The events run over three days, one in each of Scotland's games hubs of Edinburgh, Dundee and Glasgow (E/D/G after each speaker signifies if they're speaking at all cities, or just one or two). MORE INFO
🔥 21/05, 18:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Startup Founders Meetup - May 2024: Each month, we'll have a combination of tactical fireside chats with experienced entrepreneurs and plenty of opportunities to network with other founders, potential cofounders, and investors. MORE INFO
🤝 22/05, 08:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: European Coworking Day 2024 by The Melting Pot: Join us and our vibrant community as we celebrate coworking here in Edinburgh and across Europe. Get a ticket and Come and cowork with us for free all day in the heart of Edinburgh city centre (08:30-17:30), Join us for a special lunch where you will hear from some of our members about why they cowork at Scotland's Centre for Social Innovation and the benefits coworking can have, Lunch is on us! You'll try the best soup in the whole city. Vegan and gluten-free! MORE INFO
🎤 22/05, 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
🔑 22/05, 13:00 🗺️ Online: Unlock Employee Action on Sustainability with the Most Sustainable Workplace Index: Learn how the Index can help put sustainability at the heart of your company culture. MORE INFO
💥 22/05, 18:00 🗺️ Glasgow: Ignite Your Scaleup Journey: Techscaler Fireside Chats: Techscaler is thrilled to invite you to this Fireside Chat as part of our Focus on Investment series, designed to empower scaleup and growth-stage founders in the Scottish tech ecosystem. MORE INFO
💡 23/05, 10:00 🗺️ Dundee: Abertay Idea Generator: This event is designed to inspire innovation and collaborative thinking for those interested in the tech startup world. The event kicks off with an introduction to Techscaler and Bell Street Ventures, and the support on offer for those looking to develop their startup idea. MORE INFO
💬 23/05, 14:30 🗺️ Dundee: Founders' Funding Fireside Chat: Join us in the DC Thomson building for a chance to learn about the different funding options available for startups and to network with other founders in the Dundee & Tayside region. MORE INFO
📢 23/05, 17:00 🗺️ Aberdeen: Transform Meetup: Transform Meetup is the premier event for transformation programme professionals, including but not limited to COO’s, PMOs, Programme Directors, Programme Managers and Project Managers. Join us to network with like-minded individuals, learn about the latest trends and best practices in transformation programmes, and hear from industry experts on various topics. MORE INFO
🤝 24/05, 10:00 🗺️ Perth: Perth Coworking Day: Join us at the Famous Grouse Ideas Centre in Perth Creative Exchange for a day of free coworking. This is a great opportunity to connect with the regional tech and business community, use the excellent facilities available and get an extra dose of Friday motivation. 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
🔌 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, 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
💼 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, 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
🌐 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
💚 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
🎯 Deadlines
🏗️ 28 May 2024: Shott Scale Up Accelerator (Royal Society of Engineering). 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
Are we missing your event or deadline? 👉 Submit it here!
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That’s all for this week - have a great one!
Team 🔥 Campfire