🤝 Onfolk acquisition, Dundee top for spinouts, Storii on US TV, and Partnerships for FC Labs, iGii, and Thankbox
Plus: Tell us who you think should be the gov's next chief entrepreneurial adviser.
Well that was weird. For some reason today’s Campfire didn’t send this morning. Sorry about that. Here it is!
Here's your Campfire for the 28th of October, 2024.
💼 Campfire is sponsored by Johnston Carmichael, Scotland’s largest independent firm of chartered accountants and business advisers. Having worked with over 500 clients in Technology and Life Sciences at all stages of growth, Johnston Carmichael is there for you from pre-seed through to exit and beyond. From business advice to accounting, to personal wealth and independent financial planning, get in touch with Johnston Carmichael today.
🌊 Updates
🧾 Edinburgh-based Onfolk (payroll solution for small businesses) was acquired by Tide, the business finance platform. With the addition of Onfolk, they’re launching Tide Payroll, which will help streamline payroll and other admin tasks in one app. Tide
🎥 Glasgow and San Fransisco-based Storii, a user-friendly app that helps families connect by recording and preserving personal stories without the need for writing, was featured on the Home Shopping Network on Monday. HSN
🏋🏻♂️ Edinburgh-based FC Labs recently deployed their brainfit system into Chivas Brothers, alongside other big names like Galliford Try and Robertson Group. FC Labs are making it simple for organisations of all sizes to monitor and enhance brain fitness and performance as seamlessly as physical fitness.
🚺 Stirling-based iGii, a 3D carbon nanomaterial crafted for advanced sensing technologies, is partnering with Prymexa—a developer of health monitoring devices that track vital signs for improved home health management and precise clinical diagnostics. This World Menopause Day, they’re launching a next-gen menopause tracking project to provide millions experiencing menopause with enhanced insights, guidance, and treatment options. Lnkdn
🚀 Edinburgh-based Lenz labs has rebranded to Mapify Logistics (a platform for tracking all types of assets including vehicles, equipment, alarms, and railway lines). The platform’s standout features include effortless asset visualisation, conflict-free scheduling, one-click data filtering, and compliance tracking, all aimed at saving time and reducing headaches. Lnkdn
🍷 Edinburgh-based Thankbox, the platform that allows users to create personalised digital greeting cards in ‘just one minute’, has signed a deal with Virgin Wines, the UK-based online wine shop, to add them to their gifting platform.
🎫 England football fans started using Glasgow-based VeryConnect membership, CRM and community software solutions to verify their memberships and pick up tickets for the men’s England vs. Finland UEFA match! Lnkdn
🔮 Edinburgh-based Tinkertell, a story coach powered by generative AI to create personalised stories, illustrations, and learning activities for kids, has launched a £250k pre-seed round with Katherine Schlatter announced as lead investor. Lnkdn
🐙 Octopus Ventures released a report recently ranking UK universities on their spin out success, with the University of Dundee topping the list. Report Here
🎊 Next year, Turing Fest celebrates its 10th anniversary, and is moving to an earlier date—May 7-8. The event will dive into the impact of AI on tech, founders, investors, society, and beyond. Early bird tickets are set to launch next week! They’re also shifting focus toward founders, growth and product leaders, and early-stage investors (psst, they’re also running a Growth Summit in London next week. More info below…).
💬 The Scottish Government is considering new candidates for the Chief Entrepreneurial Adviser role after Mark Logan's departure announced last week. Who's the Campfire's choice? Reply with your nominee!
📣 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.
🔎 Ansearch is looking for beta testers for their new open-source "feature as a service" aimed at making app development faster and easier to maintain. They’re starting with full-text search for RAG and a unified API for CRMs. More information here.
🥃 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
🦅 Barclays Eagle Labs launched their new Eagle Labs Academy, funded by the UK Government. The Academy provides access to free learning content and entrepreneurship training from different sources. Aiming for those starting their journey to those wanting to scale. Aside from the content, Eagle Labs has partnerships and access opportunities with the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology, and their Demo Directory. 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
♣ 28/10, 15:00 🗺️ Glasgow: Biz Run Club - Glasgow: Welcome to Biz Run Club - where performance meets business growth. We're a community for entrepreneurs, founders, and senior leaders. MORE INFO
🎯 28/10, 17:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: SE & Innovate UK – Joint ways of working: funding and investment: Explore funding and investment opportunities and connect with investors at this event organised by Scottish Enterprise and Innovate UK. MORE INFO
🌱 29/10, 09:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Edinburgh Greentech Meetup - Networking For Future Solutions: This event is open to anyone with an interest in sustainability or greentech, and you’ll have the opportunity to meet other people in the space and get to know the Edinburgh Greentech community. MORE INFO
🚩👷♀️ 29/10, 09:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: Future of Proptech in Scotland Chapter 2 Ideation: If you work in property, construction, built environment, proptech or tech this is the event for you. Bring your best thinking hats and get ready for a deep dive into what the future of proptech could look like. MORE INFO
🍹 29/10, 17:30 🗺️ Inverness: Inverness Social: Drink & Draw: An evening of creativity, tech chats, and Halloween fun with the local startup community! Whether you're building a startup, interested in tech, or just love doodling with a drink in hand, join us for an exciting night of nibbles, drinks, and a mystery creative challenge. MORE INFO
🚩📢 29/10, 17:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: Transatlantic M&A: Sold in the USA!: Join Shepherd and Wedderburn’s Stephen Trombala as he leads a panel of entrepreneurs discussing how they started, financed, and grew their businesses, sharing key lessons, highs, and lows from their journeys. MORE INFO
📊 29/10, 18:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Edinburgh Data Science + AI October Meetup: The fourth Edinburgh Data Science and AI meetup will be on Tuesday October 29th, from 6pm at the Bayes Centre at the University of Edinburgh George Square Campus! MORE INFO
👩🏻💻 29/10, 18:00 🗺️ Dundee: Dundee Data Meetup: Join us for an evening of insights into public sector data use and innovations, featuring two expert speakers from the Scottish Government and DeepMiner. MORE INFO
👔 30/10, 09:00 🗺️ Livingston: Employee Ownership Learning Journey: Join our trip across Edinburgh and the Lothians as we meet speakers from successful employee ownership-based businesses over two days. MORE INFO
♣ 30/10, 15:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Biz Run Club - Edinburgh: Welcome to Biz Run Club - where performance meets business growth. We're a community for entrepreneurs, founders, and senior leaders. MORE INFO
💡 30/10, 15:30 🗺️ Kirkcaldy: Lightbulb Sessions: Fife Creative Tech Workshop and Meetup: The Lightbulb Sessions are monthly workshops looking at a different aspects of data driven theatre: From exploring what data driven tech is and how you could/should use it, to IP and contracts, from finding and commissioning technologists, to designing inclusivity and accessibility into new tech, to thinking about security and ecologically responsible tech. MORE INFO
🥂 30/10, 17:00 🗺️ Aberdeen: Data & AI Meetup: Aberdeen: From using data visualisation, modelling, and real-time simulation to inform architecture, urban regeneration and land management, through to optimising and monitoring energy usage and tracking carbon emissions, the potential for data & AI to enhance capabilities in this sector are immense. MORE INFO
💡 30/10, 18:00 🗺️ Aberdeen: Entrepreneurship: From Idea to Innovation - Women in Tech Aberdeen Meet-up: Do you have a groundbreaking tech idea but unsure how to turn it into a thriving business? Join Women in Tech Aberdeen, Barclays and AccelerateHer on the 30th of October at One Tech Hub for an inspiring and informative evening dedicated to tech entrepreneurship! MORE INFO
🤝 30/10, 18:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Entrepreneurs Social Club (ESC) - October 2024: Skip the talks, presentations and lectures - in favour of going straight to the bar, where real connections are made! MORE INFO
🍺 30/10, 19:00 🗺️ Aberdeen: Aberdeen - 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
👨🏾🦱 31/10, 12:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Scottish Ethnic Minority Talent Summit and festival: The event will bring together new perspectives and deeper insights, focusing on developing talent pipelines and fostering a more inclusive future for Scotland’s economic growth and resilience. MORE INFO
🎃 31/10, 17:00 🗺️ Stirling: CodeBase Stirling Halloween Social: Get ready for a spooktacular evening with CodeBase this Halloween! Whether you're a long-time member or new to the Stirling community, join us for a fun-filled night of food, drinks, and lively conversations. MORE INFO
✨ 31/10, 17:00 🗺️ Aberdeen: AI Hype or AI Hope? Cutting through the noise - Startup Grind Scotland: Hear from 4x trailblazing startup founders as they reveal how AI has transformed their ventures, uncovering both the opportunities and challenges they’ve faced along the way. Plus, get expert insights from Builder AI on how to supercharge your business using AI technologies that really work. MORE INFO
🔗 05/11, 17:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Blockchain Scotland Meetup: Guy Fawkes Special: 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
✏️ 05/11, 17:15 🗺️ Edinburgh: Barclays Eagle Labs and CodeBase monthly Quiz - Edinburgh: Join us for this month's pub quiz - bringing together the CodeBase and Edinburgh community for a bit of fun! MORE INFO
🍻 05/11, 17:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: Tech Meetup Edinburgh - November 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
🥂 05/11, 18:00 🗺️ Glasgow: Amplifying Voices IS BACK – Collab with Startup Grind x The Social Hub: Bringing together an incredible line up of individuals who are making waves in technology. Prepare to be inspired as we delve into the diverse journeys of founders and leading voices in the tech sphere, discovering firsthand how they carved their path into the world of technology. Don't miss this chance to network with fellow tech enthusiasts, learn from the best, and be part of an empowering community driving technological advancement forward! MORE INFO
☕ Series: Unfiltered: An in-person and informal catch-up and coffee with colleagues and the Scottish tech community!
⛾ 06/11, 08:30 🗺️ Glasgow , MORE INFO
⛾ 06/11, 08:30 🗺️ Inverness , MORE INFO
⛾ 06/11, 08:30 🗺️ Stirling , MORE INFO
⛾ 06/11, 08:30 🗺️ Dundee , MORE INFO
⛾ 06/11, 08:30 🗺️ Edinburgh , MORE INFO
⛾ 06/11, 08:30 🗺️ Aberdeen , MORE INFO
🌱 06/11, 09:00 🗺️ London: TURING x SYSTM Growth Summit: Find out what’s working now, from the sharpest practitioners in startup growth, including Sean Ellis and Matt Lerner. This curated gathering of experts for founders and growth leaders is brought to you by the growth experts at SYSTM and Turing Fest. MORE INFO
💡 06/11, 09:00 🗺️ Glasgow: Unlocking Productivity: The Power of Collaborative Robotics: Join this event and discover the business benefit of embedding collaborative bots into your business. MORE INFO
🎤 06/11, 17:30 🗺️ Glasgow: Let's Talk Product: This event offers a highly informative and interactive session, providing valuable insights into the world of product management. Attendees will leave with practical advice, inspiration, and new connections from across Glasgow’s product community. MORE INFO
🎯 07/11, 13:30 🗺️ Dumfries: Pitch it to me: elevate your pitching skills: This workshop will allow participants to develop and practice their pitching skills in an informal and collaborative setting. You will leave this workshop feeling pitch ready. MORE INFO
🌐 07/11, 17:30 🗺️ Glasgow: Founders Live Glasgow: The ultimate entrepreneurial experience and global pitch competition returns in Glasgow! MORE INFO
👨💼 07/11, 18:00 🗺️ Online: Scaling a B2B SaaS Startup without Hiring a Sales Team: Join us for a roundtable event focused on helping early-stage B2B SaaS startups build scalable sales processes that win and retain cold new business - without relying on a traditional sales team or personal networks. MORE INFO
🍻 07/11, 18:00 🗺️ Glasgow: Tech Meetup Glasgow - November 2024: All are welcome and there is no requirement to have any level of tech knowledge or experience to attend, just a desire to learn. Come along (bring your friends), network and learn something new with us! MORE INFO
🤝 08/11, 09:30 🗺️ Online: Online Coworking Session - Week 5: This event is designed to foster accountability and provide a sense of community as participants work together towards their goals. Whether you're a freelancer, entrepreneur, or remote worker, this virtual coworking session offers a platform to share ideas, seek advice, and celebrate achievements. MORE INFO
👨🏻💻 11/11, 09:00 🗺️ Dundee: Continuous Improvement Business Breakfast Workshop: Interested in understanding the basics of business improvement through team-building and practical exercises? Join our event to learn more. MORE INFO
🚀 11/11, 18:30 🗺️ Inverness: Inverness Tech Meetup: Whether you're a seasoned professional or tech curious, whether you've attended meetings before or not, and whether you're looking to make new contacts, learn from others, or share your expertise, please book a ticket as places are limited. MORE INFO
✏️ 12/11, 09:30 🗺️ Glasgow: SMAS engaging in Lean workshop: Join this breakfast workshop & learn about what's needed to make sustainable improvement through engagement, lean and supporting behaviours. MORE INFO
📝 12/11, 12:00 🗺️ Inverness: Highland Island Co-operatives Learning Journey: Join this free event and learn more about co-operatives and hear directly from businesses already using this model. MORE INFO
⚡ 12/11, 12:00 🗺️ Inverness: AccelerateHER + Techscaler Meetup: Inverness: Whether you’re working on a fledgling idea for a startup or already in the thick of scaling your business – technology can offer useful solutions to businesses of all shapes and sizes. As a founder, whether in tech or any other sector, you’ll also know that having a community of people to connect with, share knowledge with, and generally find support amongst is invaluable. MORE INFO
🌍 12/11, 17:00 🗺️ Online: Founders Live Prime Time 2024: Europe: Europe’s 5 top-voted founders compete to appear in the Prime Time Global Finals! MORE INFO
💻 14/11, 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
💡 14/11, 10:30 🗺️ 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
🎯 14/11, 12:00 🗺️ Online: Selling Your Business Masterclass: Do you have a business succession plan? Join our free webinar to learn about selling your business to an employee ownership trust. MORE INFO
✌️ 16/11, 10:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Makers gonna make - Episode 3: Our monthly event puts emphasis on building, hacking and tinkering with other like-minded makers, followed by an opportunity to present what you did in a community where we help each other, we value honest feedback and help hold each other accountable. MORE INFO
📍 20/11, 10:30 🗺️ 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! MORE INFO
🌐 20/11, 17:00 🗺️ Online: Founders Live Prime Time 2024: Global Finals: The five Prime Time regional winners compete for $10,000 in cash and prizes! MORE INFO
🎪 21/11, 09:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: DIGIT Expo 2024: DIGIT Expo is Scotland’s largest gathering of technology personnel; 2023’s event attracted over 1500 delegates. Join to experience a keynote theatre and 3 seminar rooms with talks on Cyber Security, Data, AI, ML, Analytics, Cloud Services, Networks, Connectivity and much more. MORE INFO
💼 21/11, 09:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: eCommerce and Digital Trade Symposium: Join our symposium, where we’ll highlight opportunities and identify steps that organisations can take to improve in the eCommerce channel. MORE INFO
👔 21/11, 12:00 🗺️ Online: The Employee Ownership Transition: A Deep Dive: Do you want to learn more about the employee ownership trust process? Attend our deep dive interactive workshop to find out more. MORE INFO
🎢 21/11, 17:30 🗺️ Glasgow: Bridging Communities: The Melting Pot in partnership with Glasgow City Innovation District (GCID), the University of Strathclyde’s Social Innovation Cluster and some of the city's most engaged community builders, are offering a chance to gather, connect and lean into the innovative potential of your local communities. MORE INFO
🍺 21/11, 18:00 🗺️ Glasgow: Glasgow- 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
🥂 21/11, 18:00 🗺️ Dumfries: Tech MeetUp - South of Scotland: This event aims to bring together everyone who is interested in tech, those who want to learn more, and want to meet like-minded people. MORE INFO
📝 21/11, 18:00 🗺️ Dundee: How Not to Get Hacked with Declan Doyle: Join us in the Abertay cyberQuarter or online via Zoom for a hybrid discussion with Declan Doyle of the Cyber and Fraud Centre about the importance of cybersecurity for startups and how to make it a primary concern from the very beginning of your business. MORE INFO
🍺 21/11, 18:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: Edinburgh - 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
🌍 28/11, 09:45 🗺️ Edinburgh: Scottish EDGE Round 24 Live Final: Round 24 of the UK's BIGGEST small business funding competition will take place on 28th November at RBS Conference Centre with the latest batch of finalists pitching for up to £100,000 in funding. This year's event promises to be one of the most exciting yet, with a brand-new format designed to enhance your experience. For the first time, the usual two-day schedule will be condensed into a dynamic, single-day event, all while expanding the offering for attendees. MORE INFO
🎯 Deadlines
📣 Royal Academy of Engineering – Shott ScaleUp Accelerator Now Open:
Are you a senior business leader looking to scale up your engineering or tech SME? Apply now for 12 months of 1-2-1 coaching and leadership training with a grant up to £10k. Apply Here by 19 November
🚀 Nominations for the ScotlandIS 2025 Digital Technology Awards are open: Celebrating innovation and talent in Scotland's digital economy and marking its 15th year, the awards include 10 categories. Nominate here by 9 January 2025.
🇬🇧 Upcoming Innovate UK deadlines:
Innovate UK innovation loans future economy: Round 17 Applications close 30 October
Eureka Globalstars Japan Round 3 Applications close 4 December
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That’s all for this week - have a great one!
Team 🔥 Campfire