35 winners share prize fund of £1.5 million at 25th Scottish EDGE Awards

The awards ceremony was hosted by Royal Bank of Scotland at Citation in Glasgow city centre and united entrepreneurs who made it through the competitive pitching process to secure funding.

Deputy First Minister, Kate Forbes, delivered a special message congratulating the winners and acknowledged the vital role entrepreneurs play in shaping Scotland’s future economy. In her remarks, she highlighted the passion, creativity and determination of all the entrepreneurs who made it to the finals.

The biggest winner at the awards was Vanilla Farms, who cures and supplies premium-quality vanilla using sustainable, high-tech agriculture. The business received a total of £150,000 from the newest addition, Missions EDGE, supported by Scottish Enterprise.

Veteran awards categories also returned for the 25th round, with the £100,000 Scale EDGE Award, supported by Royal Bank of Scotland, going to accredited Royal Yachting Association (RYA) training centre, Ardent Training. Meanwhile, Shifted Group and Swift Aeronautics secured funding as the top £15,000 Young EDGE Winners, supported by Techscaler and IOE Foundation respectively.

Those successful in Wild Card, which provides grants to pre-trading businesses, included digital game apparel designer, Haggis Studios, who received the category’s top £15,000 award.

The STV supported award of £70,000 plus £75,000 worth of ad airtime was given to innovative kitchen provision maker, Goat Rodeo Goods, while Green Crop Tech, an agritech start-up developing a dual-action biostimulant, emerged as winner of the Scottish Government backed Pathways category, winning £70,000.

Round 25 also saw the return of the £100,000 Circular Economy EDGE Award, which is supported by Zero Waste Scotland, and went to New Found Hope for its therapeutic footwear innovations to address the issue of toe-walking in neurodivergent children. Narture CIC, who bakes artisan sourdough while supporting community, creativity, and social inclusion, won £75,000 in the Social Enterprise category, supported by the Postcode Innovation Trust.

Elsewhere, the Creative EDGE Award, facilitated by support from Creative UK, which champions, connects and promotes the development of the creative industries across the United Kingdom, gave a boost of £75,000 to SaaS live concert streaming service, Everyday People.

Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said:

“Scottish EDGE has played a central role in supporting emerging entrepreneurial talent and innovative business ideas for many years and I am proud that the Scottish Government continues to be long standing partner of the awards.

“I am also pleased that a growing number of businesses and private investors are supporting the vision behind Scottish EDGE. Scotland’s entrepreneurs and start-up businesses are the lifeblood of our economy and we must do all we can to encourage and foster the incredible talent and innovation in evidence right across the country.”

Judith Cruickshank, MD Commercial Mid-Market at the Royal Bank of Scotland, said: “Congratulations to Ardent Training and all the winners of the 25th round of EDGE. Ardent is a fantastic example of a business that continues to scale and grow.

“We know that entrepreneurship is key to unlocking economic growth across the country and, through our involvement with Scottish EDGE, we celebrate these successes as well as the innovation and creativity taking place across the ecosystem.”

Jane Martin managing director of innovation and investment at Scottish Enterprise said: “Congratulations to all of the winners as well as the innovative team at Vanilla Farm the winner of the new Mission EDGE award and it will be exciting to see what is next in store for these agritech entrepreneurs.

“Mission EDGE reflects Scottish Enterprise’s focus on priorities around energy transition, boosting capital investment and scaling high-growth industries of the future such as industrial biotechnology. We are targeting our support to help deliver transformational change for Scotland’s economy and the Scottish EDGE awards uncover talented innovators that will shape the business landscape for generations to come.”

 Evelyn McDonald, CEO of Scottish EDGE added: “Reaching our 25^th round is a true testament to the resilience, ambition and creativity of Scotland’s entrepreneurial community. With every round, we continue to see businesses not just innovating, but actively contributing to a better future, whether it’s through sustainability, social impact, or cutting-edge technology. We’re incredibly proud to support them on their journeys and excited to see what the future holds for this new group of winners.”