🧑‍🦯 Smart Cane, Beeks Financial Deal, ScotlandIS awards, New R&D facility for smiconductors

Plus Geovation Scotland's Accelerator is open for applications.

Mar 24, 2025

Here's your Campfire for the 24th of March, 2025.

💼 This issue of Campfire is sponsored by Geovation Scotland. If you’re building in land, property, and location technologies, make sure you read more about Geovation Scotland’s Accelerator launch below.

🌊 Updates

👨‍🦯 The WeWALK Smart Cane, an AI-powered device providing haptic and audio feedback for blind people, was showcased at Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) Scotland’s Inclusive Design for Sustainability conference in Glasgow. The event also featured the RoboGuide AI-enabled dog, developed by University of Glasgow scientists to assist blind and partially sighted individuals in navigating indoor spaces. FS

💰 The UK government is investing £9m in a semiconductor R&D facility at Inchinnan’s National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) to accelerate domestic chip production. The facility will establish an advanced packaging scale-up line for power electronic semiconductors, reducing packaging and distribution times from months to days—”addressing a critical gap in the £500m UK semiconductor packaging market, which employs 15,000 people”. UKTN

🚀 Glasgow-based Beeks Financial (low-latency compute and connectivity) secured its first crypto partnership with Kraken (cryptocurrency exchange platform), providing low-latency, institutional-grade cloud infrastructure from Kraken’s European data centre. In return, Kraken will rent cloud compute from Beeks’ Exchange Cloud under a revenue-sharing agreement set to begin in the second half of the year. Kraken has 13 million customers. UKTN

🏆 The 15th annual ScotlandIS Digital Tech Awards featured Scottish companies across sectors like AI, fintech, cybersecurity, and more. Winners included DeepMiner for Data Trailblazer, PACE Anti-Piracy for Cyber Excellence, and Inicio AI for Service Innovation, while British Youth International College took home both Product Innovation and Scale-Up Business of the Year. Other honourees included Kick ICT, Lugo, and CAVU Aerospace UK. DGT

🕹️ Dundee-based Abertay University has been ranked the top overall international school for video game design, securing 8th place globally for undergraduate programs and 7th for postgraduate courses in the Princeton Review’s latest rankings. DGT

🪩 TecTonic Night Summit returns on 29 May as part of Glasgow Tech Week. “A 400+ person event and a vibrant, collaborative showcase of Scotland’s digital, creative, and entrepreneurial communities”. Here’s a 50% discount on tickets!

📣 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.

👔 Firstport is hiring a Growth Advisor (part-time, 2-year contract) and an Investment Associate (full-time, permanent) to support social entrepreneurs scaling their impact. Both roles are home-based with access to the Edinburgh office. Deadlines and more information: Growth Advisor – 28th March, Investment Associate – 9th April.

👭 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!

🗺️ Geovation Scotland’s Spring Cohort is open for applications!

by Robert Gelb, written in partnership with Geovation Scotland

Does the startup you’re building have anything to do with what’s below our feet or above our heads? Whether it’s property, mobility, space, agriculture, greentech, or fintech, more companies than you might think need geospatial, land or property data to serve their customers.

If that’s you: you’re in luck. Geovation Scotland’s 7th accelerator programme is open for applications!

If successful, here’s what their bespoke accelerator programme includes:

Up to £15,000 in equity-free programme funding
Supported access to data from Registers of Scotland and Ordnance Survey
Access to Geospatial expertise and property insights
Funded office space in Edinburgh
Business mentorship and coaching

I caught up with Geovation Scotland Delivery Lead Jess Moncur, and Start-up Community Engagement Manager Alex Gordon to chat a bit about the accelerator and what kinds of companies they end up working with.

“Our founders are extremely diverse in terms of not only their backgrounds, but the business they’re building,” Jess says, “Last year’s cohort included businesses ranging from emergency search and rescue tech (EmergencyLocate), to a marketplace for spare space in trucks (VanFill), to carbon monitoring for construction teams (Optab). Even though Geovation Scotland is data specific, it’s sector agnostic.”

Geovation Scotland is the only organisation specifically designed to support early-stage startups innovating in land, property, and location technologies in Scotland. It’s a partnership between Registers of Scotland and Ordnance Survey and they’re on a mission to help early-stage founders.

The accelerator programme (which is open for applications now until the 25th of April) is a twelve-month bespoke cohort-based programme that's customised to each founder and their business needs.

Jess explains, "The first six months is intense incubation followed by six months of market support, that’s truly bespoke. From validation, exploration, to traction; we're able to offer specific support that founders might need."

To enable this, Geovation Scotland’s resources and content range from technical assistance to bus-dev advice, and they support founders anywhere on their journey, from the idea through to seed stage (providing the company has not raised or generated investment or revenue in excess of £300k and is less than 3 years old).

"Our 900-strong community is made up of other founders and all kinds of subject-matter experts," Alex adds, "Our cohort members tell us it's one of the most engaged online communities they've experienced." Aside from mentorship, they're also able to connect founders with professional experience in different technical and commercial aspects of prop-tech and geospatial data.

So, if you’re building a product or solution in proptech, geospatial tech, or doing anything that deals with location data in Scotland, do check out Geovation Scotland’s accelerator and community.

👉Remember, the application deadline is the 25th of April.

Geovation Scotland is the only organisation specifically designed to support early-stage startups innovating in land, property, and location technologies in Scotland.

Follow Geovation Scotland for updates, and get in touch with the team if you have any questions about the accelerator.

📅 Events

📍 24/03, 18:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Startup Founders Meetup - March 2025: Tactical fireside chats with experienced entrepreneurs and speed networking with other founders, potential cofounders, and investors! MORE INFO

🎯 25/03, 10:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Co-Work Club Edinburgh: Tired of the home office grind but not ready for the daily commute? Say goodbye to crowded coffee shops and the endless search for a quiet Zoom spot. We've got the solution: Welcome to Co-Work Club @ Kimpton Hotel, Edinburgh. MORE INFO

🌱 25/03, 17:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: Growth Meetup Scotland | March 2025: Connect with Scotland’s startup growth community! MORE INFO

🤝 25/03, 18:00 🗺️ Dundee: Dundee Data Meetup: March 2025: Whether you’re a data practitioner, a student, or simply interested in how data shapes our world, come along and be part of our growing community! Stay tuned for updates on speakers and topics! MORE INFO

📈 25/03, 18:00 🗺️ Glasgow: Founders Dinner: Fundraising made simple: This exclusive dinner dives into the investment landscape, from venture capital to alternative financing, and how to choose the right path for your company. MORE INFO

🍃 26/03, 09:00 🗺️ Glasgow: Clean Heat 2025: Come along to Scotland’s largest annual clean heat event in March 2025. MORE INFO

🍀 26/03, 09:00 🗺️ Dumfries: South of Scotland Hydrogen Innovation & Brokerage Event: Join us at Easterbrook Hall on March 26th for the South of Scotland Hydrogen Innovation & Brokerage Event, featuring expert speakers and net. MORE INFO

🌐 26/03,10:00 🗺️ Dumfries: Selling Internationally via Ecommerce - Dumfries: Whether you are starting out, or expanding your retail operations, there are multiple opportunities to going global. MORE INFO

💭 26/03, 10:00 🗺️ Online: Solutions to Your Tech Challenges – Techscaler and Digital Dairy Chain: In partnership with Techscaler, Digital Dairy Chain is hosting an online event for farms and dairy supply chain businesses to connect with and hear from a range of technology companies who are looking to break in to the industry. MORE INFO

📢 26/03, 18:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Entrepreneurs Social Club (ESC) - Edinburgh Startup Meetup: The social club for founders and aspiring entrepreneurs - skip the talks, presentations and lectures - and go straight to networking! MORE INFO

🛡️ 27/03, 08:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: Scot-Secure 2025: The conference hosts 350+ cybersecurity attendees, 30+ speakers and 25+ exhibitors. MORE INFO

🩺 27/03, 10:00 🗺️ Aberdeen: Barclays Eagle Labs at One Tech Hub Drop in Clinic Mar 2025: Drop in and let’s have an open discussion about your business goals and ambition and learn more about how your ecosystem manager here at Eagle Labs can support you and your business here at One Tech Hub. MORE INFO

💼 27/03, 10:00 🗺️ Online: Online Office Hours with Lawrie: Managing and Protecting Your IP: Meet with a Director and Patent Attorney from Lawrie for direct, personalised advice on IP! MORE INFO

👔 27/03, 10:00 🗺️ Online: The Employee Ownership Transition: A Deep Dive: Do you want to deepen your knowledge of the EOT process when considering a transition to employee ownership. Attend an interactive workshop. MORE INFO

⛓ 27/03, 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

💥 27/03, 17:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: Breaking Barriers: The Path to Bravery & Better Products: Whether you’re a Product Manager, Designer, Engineer, or just curious about how great products come to life, this event is for you! MORE INFO

🍺 27/03, 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

🍸 27/03, 18:30 🗺️ Glasgow: FuckUp Nights Glasgow Vol.IV x Startup Grind: Join us at FuckUp Nights Glasgow to laugh, learn, and embrace the beauty of mistakes – because failure is simply a stepping stone on the journey to success. There will be tons of networking, good vibes, and the best company around! MORE INFO

🛡️ 27/03, 18:45 🗺️ Edinburgh: 2025 Scottish Cyber Awards: The Scottish Cyber Awards honours the outstanding talent in Scotland and unites the cyber community for an evening of networking and celebration. MORE INFO

👨🏻‍💻 28/03, 09:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Founder Friday Coworking: Join us for a day of networking and inspiration! this is your chance to connect with fellow founders, share ideas, and maybe even spark your next big project. MORE INFO

💻 29/03, 10:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Makers gonna make - Episode 6: Whether you're a coding novice or a seasoned pro, have a recurring monthly revenue or none at all. Prefer the latest JavaScript framework, the magic of no-code, or maybe just a single index.php file, all are welcome. MORE INFO

🛒 29/03, 11:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: BUY SOCIAL FAIR: Join us on Saturday 29 March and discover amazing products from local sellers doing their bit for people and planet. MORE INFO

💰 31/03, 09:00 🗺️ Glasgow: How to Find Funding in the Low Carbon Sector: Learn about the upcoming 2025 research and innovation funding that’s available through Horizon Europe and other international programmes. MORE INFO

🚀 31/03, 13:00 🗺️ Online: Innovation, Culture and a Growth Mindset: Join this webinar led by John Metselaar and discover how to better engage and empower your people. MORE INFO

🙌 01/04, 09:30 🗺️ Glasgow: Female Founders Co-Working Club - April: Stay inspired, motivated and connected throughout 2025 with the Female Founder Co-Working Club at Glasgow Eagle Labs! MORE INFO

⚡️ 01/04, 10:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: nocode.scot 🧡 Zapier: For this month's nocode.scot meetup, we're going to be taking a deep dive into the world of Zapier. MORE INFO

🕹️ 01/04, 16:00 🗺️ TBA: SGDA presents: Games Talks Live: Short talks and networking for the Scottish games industry since 2019. MORE INFO

💻 01/04, 17:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: Tech Meetup Edinburgh - April 2025: The Tech Meetup is a monthly excuse for the tech community around Scotland to network, learn and share new ideas! Enjoy informative tech presentations from your peers, hear about exciting community projects and create new connections. MORE INFO

🤝 03/04, 09:30 🗺️ Glasgow: Bridging Communities - The Extended Edition: A one-day event to bridge communities, spark connections and inspire action. MORE INFO

🎯 09/04, 10:00 🗺️ Glasgow: Go-To-Market Without the Gamble: How to Validate Before You Execute: Learn how to build, and deliver against, an effective Go-To-Market strategy. MORE INFO

💼 10/04, 11:00 🗺️ Online: Online Office Hours with Potter Clarkson: Our Office Hours are a series of one-to-one sessions with various experts from the legal and accounting sectors to support tech startup founders on their journey. In this one, participants will be able to engage directly with and receive personalised advice from IP Attornies for Potter Clarkson. MORE INFO

🌐 10/04, 14:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: The Nature of Connection - TetraMap Workshop: At this participative workshop you'll discover the power of TetraMap by trying it out and exploring how you can use it for your own personal growth or for team and organisational development. MORE INFO

🎯 Deadlines

🇪🇪 Applications for Estonia 2025 Foras Ventures Programme are open! Apply if you're a UK-based or UK-focused founder with a scalable global business model, ready to fully commit to the programme (18–24 May 2025). You should align with the conference themes, meet EU/Estonia entry requirements, and be eager to elevate your business. Applications are open until Fri 28th March, 5pm. Apply here.

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That’s all for this week - have a great one!

Team 🔥 Campfire

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