The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Women’s award sends out amessage
An online booking specialist last night won an £18,000 pitching competition organised by Scotland’s only female angel investment group.
Appointed was selected from more than 100 entrants in Investing Women’s Accelerate HER event at the angel group’s first Ambition & Growth Conference in Edinburgh.
Appointed chief executive officer Leah Hutcheon was presented with £5,000 by Scottish Government Minister Annabelle Ewing at a gala dinner in Edinburgh Castle.
The company will also benefit from a £13,000 package of mentoring, legal and accountancy support from Accelerate HER sponsors Chiene + Tait.
Linc Scotland, the umbrella group of Scotland angel investor organisations, added £5,000 to be shared between the five runner-up businesses.
The Edinburgh-based start-up has revolutionised the way small businesses sell their timeslot appointments online.
From personal trainers to driving instructors, Appointed enables online booking, and offers small businesses access to customer relationship, marketing and business management tools.
The business claims to be the world’s first truly multi-time-zone online booking system. It enables people to take bookings across different time zones and build repeat business and customer loyalty through smart promotions.
The pitching competition and Edinburgh Castle reception were highlights of the conference, which concludes today.
The 200-plus delegates include startup and young-growth entrepreneurs, business leaders and established angel investors.
Jackie Waring, chief executive of Investing Women, said: “Leah and the team at Appointed typifies the high quality of emerging female entrepreneurship we have been fortunate to witness throughout the Accelerate HER process.
“We will do all we can to help the company achieve its full potential.”
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “We need to champion female role models across all sectors and debunk the myths that there are roles specifically for boys or girls.”