Four Scottish female founders have been announced as winners of the AccelerateHER UK awards.
The women have been celebrated for their achievements across the fields of science and medical technology; fintech, data science and cyber security; cleantech, climate and and disruptive innovation.
The winner of the Science and MedTech category is Ishani Malhotra, founder and chief executive of Carcinotech, a company which manufactures 3D printed living tumours developed from patient-specific cancer stem cells, primary cells and established cell lines.
The FinTech, Data Science and Cyber Security category award went to Lynne Darcey Quigley, founder and chief executive of Know-it Global, a business which streamlines the credit control process so businesses can credit check and monitor, chase for payment, and collect overdue unpaid invoices in one place.
Xiaoyan Ma, chief executive of Danu Robotics, picked up the award for CleanTech, Climate and Net Zero. The cleantech start-up is developing sustainable technological solutions to the global waste challenge.
The Disruptive Innovation winner is Danae Shell, chief executive of Valla, a do-it-yourself law platform that helps people resolve employment issues.
Jackie Waring, chief executive of AccelerateHER and founder of Investing Women Angels, said: “We believe there is massive potential for more female founders to scale their companies internationally and we look forward to supporting the journey and growth of today’s winners through our global network of investors and advisors.”
Each winner will receive an investor-ready mentoring package from Investing Women Angels and get the opportunity to take part in international market building missions to Europe, North America or the Middle East.
Winners will become part of the AccelerateHER network and benefit from industry contacts, potential funders and learning.
Economy Secretary Kate Forbes said: “These awards recognise and showcase businesswomen who are leading their fields in areas like life sciences and technology and demonstrate the clear potential for growth in Scotland’s businesses - I warmly congratulate the winners.”
Now in their seventh year, this is the first time the previously Scotland-only event has extended UK-wide.
Yesterday, Jennie Johnson (My First Five Years), Lottie Hawkins (Earthly Biochar) and Karen McDonald (Farm Compare) were named as winners in the North England, Wales and Northern Ireland regions respectively. The South England winners will be announced tomorrow.
The awards are delivered in partnership with Barclays Eagle Labs. The Scottish Government and business consulting firm CGI have also been instrumental in supporting the growth of the awards in Scotland; ensuring over 700 female founders to date have accessed tangible expert help to prepare for investment and growth.
The judging panel was made up of Kirsty Ramsay, vice president of consulting delivery at CGI; Kerry Sharp, director of growth investments at Scottish Enterprise; and Sher Galer, ecosystem manager at Barclays Eagle Labs.
Don't miss the latest headlines with our twice-daily newsletter - sign up here for free.
