Hopefuls pitch for key seed funding

Robert Gordon University’s (RGU) Startup Accelerator participants pitched for valuable seed funding in an online event yesterday.

RGU’s Start-up Sunday showdown saw 10 finalists compete for four awards of £5,000 using pre-recorded videos that were streamed on YouTube.

The event featured staff, students and alumni, as well as a keynote speech by Trade, Investment and Innovation Minister Ivan McKee.

Winning start-ups included Attendr, which came away with the most innovative idea award after developing a new system for tracking student attendance in further and higher education.

Storical, an online platform aimed at making it easier for people to find and share

“It’s great to share some positive stories”

stories, won the gong for best pitch.

KnitIt won the “most improved” award for the most progress and development over the course of the accelerator.

It designed a platform to reinvent knitting patterns, while using interactive tools to help users learn from tutorials, find and share ideas and track their progress.

The audience choice award – voted on by members of the public – went to Kairos, which has developed a system to help people reduce their household waste and save money.

Mr McKee said: “During these difficult times it is great to share some positive stories.

“Nurture and growth of young innovative companies matters. It is just what we need as we navigate our way out of lockdown and towards recovery.”