Entrepreneurial Scottish businesses flourishing at EDGE finals

I was delighted to attend the Scottish EDGE final yesterday. The day was packed with incredibly talented and creative Scottish businesses pitching to receive a piece of the £1.5 million prize pot which was shared among 42 enterprises.

Harper Macleod is proud to have worked with and advised EDGE since its inception in 2012 to what is now Round 18 of the competition. Our team has helped nearly 50% of Scottish EDGE winners with commercial issues including, expansion and fundraising. Many of our own partners have judged various Edge finals, with our Donnie Munro most recently judging the 2021 Young EDGE finals.

A range of themes dominated the conversation yesterday. A noteworthy business was OrganLike, a company creating hydro-based fake organs, via 3D printing, to assist surgeons and other medical professionals with difficult surgical procedures and training. OrganLike, which aims to reduce surgery time and in turn surgery waiting lists, received £100,000 of EDGE funding.

Another interesting business was Creag Dhu, a whiskey brand which accelerates the ageing process by providing the flavour, complexity and smoothness of a 35-year-old whiskey in just three years. Creag Dhu breaks the traditional mould with an affordable price point and undeniable quality. This company impressed the judges and received £125,000 of EDGE funding.

Alice Sharp moved the judges with her energy and passion. Her interactive learning package, Adventures with Alice, aims to tackle alarming illiteracy rates among children. Adventures with Alice, which is already used in some Scottish schools, received an EDGE award of £75,000. This will assist Alice in taking her learning packages worldwide.

Keynote – let Scotland flourish

Sir Tom Hunter addressed the audience as the keynote speaker. Sir Tom stressed the importance of Scottish innovation and entrepreneurship and noted that the jobs that EDGE businesses create and the taxes paid play a part in allowing Scotland’s economy to flourish. Sir Tom also addressed the impressive businesses that did not receive an award, he encouraged them to make use of the feedback provided by the EDGE team and apply next year for EDGE19, which opens in January 2022.

Whilst Covid continues to impact Scottish business, Scottish EDGE continues to reward Scottish innovation. The EDGE final was a great representation of Scotland’s up-and-coming, innovative, high-growth entrepreneurial talent – reinforcing the message that Scotland as an exciting place to do business.

Get in touch, we’re here to help

If you met any of our team at Scottish Edge or you would like to speak with us then please get in touch. We are happy to discuss how we can be of service to your business.