The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
£1.3million prize pot divided
Finalists in round 10 of the Scottish Edge awards have been awarded a total of £1.3million in grants and loans.
Following a countrywide search to find Scotland’s next generation of entrepreneurs, 20 start-ups pitched their business plans to an expert panel of judges in order to win a share of the prize pot.
The panel of judges, which was chaired by ASOS chairman Brian McBride, chose 12 winners.
Also announced were the winners of Higgs Edge, which seeks to identify innovative science and technology businesses with global commercialisation potential, Young Edge, for entrepreneurs under the age of 30, and Wild Card Edge for businesses which have yet to start trading.
Scottish Edge – backed by Scottish entrepreneur Sir Tom Hunter – is a competition aimed at identifying and supporting Scotland’s up-and-coming innovative high-growthpotential talent.
Funding is awarded as a 50% grant and 50% loan, with a maximum award of up to £150,000.
The loan is paid back to help fellow entrepreneurs on their pathway to success.
Scottish Edge also provides mentoring, training and access to professional support.
Both the Young Edge and Wild Card Edge awards are grants of up to £10,000.
One of the biggest round 10 winners was Corien Staels of Glasgow firm Staels Design, which received £100,000 to help with the continued development of a revolutionary backrest for wheelchair users.
Other winners included Mime Technologies, of Inverness, which designs innovative software to support international first response for frontline emergency care. Mime received £80,000.
Scottish Edge chief executive Evelyn McDonald said: “I really do feel privileged to be celebrating our 10th round at a time when Scotland is building one of the most exciting startup ecosystems in the world.”