Scottish EDGE is set to invest a further £1.5m in businesses with high growth potential, as the 20th round of awards invites 24 finalists to pitch their ideas on 6 and 7 December.
Having already invested £20m in over 500 businesses in the past eight years, the awards will welcome back categories including Net Zero EDGE, which launched last year with backing from the Royal Bank of Scotland to coincide with COP26.
In line with the Scottish Government’s commitment to becoming carbon neutral by 2030, businesses with a sustainable and ethical ethos at their core will all be contenders in this category. The finalists include ethical fashion designer Beira Moda, reusable plant-based water bottles maker S’wheat, and bespoke reusable face mask creator Mask Logic.
Supported by The Hunter Foundation, RBS, the Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise, the awards will also celebrate scientific and digital innovation, with BioLiberty’s robotic glove designed to help stroke survivors with remote rehabilitation, PicSea’s data-collecting underwater robots and Yaldi Games’s community-driven life simulation game featuring on the list.
A new community-based award has also been introduced, which will recognise the efforts of an enterprise which may have otherwise missed out. Exclusive to this round, the award - which arose from a crowdfunding campaign - has a value of up to £20,000. It credits businesses which have made a positive contribution to the wellbeing of their communities and the planet, with the winner decided by public vote.
Evelyn McDonald, chief executive of Scottish EDGE, said: “We are thrilled to continue to reward the innovation of the nation’s entrepreneurs, having previously supported over 500 businesses to achieve their goals and expand their visions ever further.”
The full list of finalists:
- Argyle IT & Education - A blended learning platform to meet West African higher education needs.
- BearHammer Games - A virtual reality fitness game.
- Beastly Brews, trading as Panther Milk - The world’s first oat milk ready-to-drink cocktail.
- Birken Tree (Scotland) - The first dedicated Birchwater, created for pairing with whiskies.
- Eleon Products - A tool for cleaning teeth next to gaps.
- Fitabeo Therapeutics - Developing oral thin films as an enhanced way of delivering medicine.
- Mask Logic - Designs bespoke, re-usable facemasks for healthcare and other sectors.
- Meander Apparel - An outdoor clothing brand making ethical garments.
- Microplate Dx - Antibiotic susceptibility testing diagnostics, aiming to reduce antimicrobial resistance.
- Palaemon Maritime - Anti-piracy barriers on a rental basis for ships.
- RIVAL SC - A tech platform aiming to revolutionise supply chain management for SMEs.
- Today Agency - A student-driven media agency connecting businesses with creative students.
- Ailsa Reliability Solutions - Aiming to eliminate unplanned downtime of client's critical assets.
- Beira Moda - Ethical womenswear made from discarded high-end fabric.
- BioLiberty - A soft robotic glove and digital platform to help stroke survivors with remote rehabilitation.
- GaitAR Ltd - Developing mobility solutions for Parkinson's patients, in the form of smart glasses.
- Hoolr Education - Tech to help organisations manage, scale and understand their coaching cultures.
- PicSea - Ocean digitisation using swarms of underwater robots to collect data.
- Rutland Square Gin - Chai spiced gin aimed at Indian market.
- S'wheat - The world's first reusable bottle made from plants.
- Thistle Rocketry - A space launch start-up currently developing scalable rocket systems for cube satellites.
- Two Birds Fitness - A range of drinks which combine speciality coffee/tea with vitamins and antioxidants.
- Unbaggaged - On-demand luggage storage platform that picks, stores and returns bags where and when needed.
- Yaldi Games - A mission-led game developer making a community-driven life simulation game called Wholesome.
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