£1.4m boost for 32 of Scotland's most inspiring high growth businesses
Scotland’s entrepreneurial community showcased its best big ideas from high growth small businesses as the winners of Round 27 of Scottish EDGE were revealed last night (June 18) in Edinburgh, hosted at the Royal Bank of Scotland Conference Centre.
As the UK’s largest funding competition for high growth enterprises, Scottish EDGE has now supported 759 businesses, providing a platform for companies to scale, create jobs, and drive significant economic impact across the country.
The 32 successful businesses covering sectors from healthtech to clean energy, and food and drink to creative technology, were crowned worthy winners following a gruelling competitive pitch process in front of some of Scotland’s most notable business leaders.
Taking the top prize of £150,000 in the Future EDGE category, supported by Scottish Enterprise, was MedAscend, whose AI platform enables healthcare students to practise lifelike patient conversations through simulation in preparation for real clinical care.
They were closely followed by Nudge Innovations, a business designing practical solutions that remove the everyday friction that makes reuse difficult, which won £90,000 in Pathways EDGE, sponsored by the Scottish Government; GreenFlip, making decarbonisation investable by providing instant retrofit ROI assessments, who took home £90,000 in Circular Economy EDGE, sponsored by Zero Waste Scotland; and Real-E-Racing, who turn live motorsport data into interactive digital experiences, securing £80,000 in Creative EDGE, sponsored by Creative UK.
The STV supported Growth EDGE award of £70,000 plus £75,000 worth of ad airtime was given to PEAT’D, the world’s only range of peat-smoked tomato sauces. Meanwhile, Glasgow Community Sauna CIC, who provides affordable and accessible sauna where locals can improve their mental and physical wellbeing, emerged as winner of the Social Enterprise EDGE category backed by the Postcode Innovation Trust, taking home £75,000.
As founding funders of Scottish EDGE, the main sponsors of the event are The Hunter Foundation, Royal Bank of Scotland, the Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise, each of whom have provided financial and operational support of the initiative since its inception.
XYNQ took top spot amongst the pre-trading businesses in the Wild Card category, winning a grant of £15k which will help develop its digital notary platform which records every automated decision that a system makes.
Young EDGE, the category recognising companies whose directors are all under 30, awarded grants to ten companies. Three received the top £15,000 award, with each award supported by a different organisation: Sendix, an AI-assisted GovTec compliance engine, received the award supported by the Scottish Government; Techscaler supported the award presented to Narrasight, which uses AI to create rich descriptions of online images for visually impaired people; and Barbara Bell, which is developing discreet jewellery technology for women’s safety, received the award supported by Mettle.
Tom Arthur, Minister for Business and Fair Work, addressed the finalists, praising their ambition, resilience and contribution to Scotland’s economy, and reaffirmed the Scottish Government’s commitment to backing entrepreneurs across every part of Scotland.
Sir Tom Hunter, founder of The Hunter Foundation, said:
“Scottish EDGE demonstrates the massive economic potential of Scotland’s entrepreneurs - congratulations to them one and all …The landscape of support for them going forward however is both cluttered and confusing hence I hope our new Government sorts that out so these and thousands of other entrepreneurs can accelerate their growth and economic contribution.”
Jane Martin MBE, managing director at Scottish Enterprise, said:
“Congratulations to all this year’s winners, and especially to MedAscend on receiving the Future EDGE award.
“MedAscend demonstrates the strength of new ideas coming out of Scotland, using AI to help healthcare students practise realistic patient conversations, get tailored feedback, and prepare more safely for clinical care. It’s a strong example of the ambitious, innovation-led businesses we’re backing to help scale Scotland’s high-growth potential future industries and support long-term economic growth.
“We look forward to seeing MedAscend and all this year’s EDGE winners build on this success as they continue to develop and grow.”
Darren Pirie, Head of Accelerator & Partnerships, Royal Bank of Scotland, said:
“The 27th Round of the EDGE Awards was another incredible showcase of Scottish innovation and entrepreneurship. These Awards are vital in giving Scotland’s startups and scaleups access to the funding and exposure that they need to grow and expand. As a founding partner, we are consistently impressed each year by the strength of the Award entries. Congratulations to all of the winners and to everyone who took part.”
Evelyn McDonald, CEO of Scottish EDGE said:
“Our Round 27 winners are a powerful reflection of the ambition, innovation and resilience driving Scotland’s entrepreneurial economy forward. This exceptional cohort is not only building bold, high-growth businesses, they are shaping a more sustainable, inclusive and enterprising future for Scotland and beyond. Backing founders with the vision and determination to turn big ideas into lasting impact is exactly what Scottish EDGE exists to do.”
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FULL LIST OF WINNERS (Alphabetical)
AI for the Eye Ltd – Wild Card EDGE – £10,000 – West Calder – AI-enabled retinal imaging screening device for bovine tuberculosis in cattle.
Barbara Bell – Young EDGE, Mettle winner – £15,000 – Edinburgh – Safety technology integrated into jewellery, using Bluetooth and a mobile app to trigger emergency alerts and share live location discreetly.
Bilayer – Young EDGE – £10,000 – Milltimber – Bilayer measures and uses AI to predict how drug molecules enter and remain within bacteria, helping scientists design antibiotics faster and more cost-effectively.
BioPhotonix – Young EDGE – £10,000 – Glasgow – BioPhotonix develops Revolux, a portable, multi-modal medical device combining light therapy and ultrasound to treat dry macular degeneration in community optometry clinics.
Beryl AI – Wild Card EDGE – £10,000 – Edinburgh – Beryl AI operationalises complex energy legal agreements, connecting the actions contracts require with what is happening in financial, production and operational data.
Deep Green Ventures Ltd – Wild Card EDGE – £10,000 – Banchory – A data science startup using physics-informed neural networks to overcome the UK’s fragmented geothermal data landscape, reducing commercial uncertainty and removing investment hurdles for developers.
Diamond Group UK Ventures Ltd, trading as Squircle – Young EDGE – £10,000 – Glasgow – Squircle creates smart devices that trigger instant smartphone automations, helping organisations save time, reduce waste and simplify everyday interactions with digital services.
GECO CONNECT LTD – Scottish EDGE - £90,000 - GECO Connect is an AI-enabled digital wellbeing platform for Scotland’s residential care and education sectors, supporting SHANARRI reporting, outcome tracking and inspection readiness.
Glasgow Community Sauna CIC – Social Enterprise EDGE – £75,000 – Glasgow – Glasgow Community Sauna CIC provides affordable and accessible sauna and cold plunge facilities, creating a welcoming community hub where locals can improve their mental and physical wellbeing.
GreenFlip – Circular Economy EDGE - £90,000 – Edinburgh - GreenFlip makes decarbonisation investable by providing instant retrofit ROI assessments, using accurate AI-powered modelling of heat loss, energy consumption, solar generation and financial performance.
Highland Heritage Woodworks Ltd. – Scottish EDGE – £100,000 – Westhill – Highland Heritage Woodworks is a master carpentry and sawmill company specialising in the milling, kilning and supply of home-grown timber, from forest to front door.
Husu Ltd – Young EDGE – £10,000 – Glasgow – Husu helps accounting firm leaders reduce burnout and turnover risk while improving firm performance by spotting hidden workplace problems early.
Irrigate App Ltd – Scottish EDGE – £100,000 – Irrigate App provides a technology solution combining software, an app and hardware to deliver cellular IoT control for golf course irrigation.
Julia’s Kombucha – Young EDGE – £10,000 – Edinburgh – Julia’s Kombucha produces probiotic drinks for independent cafés and shops, combining strong repeat wholesale demand with a circular glass bottle system and local Edinburgh production.
Kineticolor Ltd – Scottish EDGE – £85,000 – Tranet – Kineticolor is a prospective spinout from the University of Strathclyde, selling B2B computer vision software that transforms standard cameras into analytical instruments for chemical process monitoring and R&D.
Kit Fresh – Wild Card EDGE – £10,000 – Cousland – Kit Fresh is an enzyme-powered detergent sheet enhanced with silver ions to eliminate sweat, odour and bacteria from activewear, delivering performance, convenience and sustainability.
LotusDx – Wild Card EDGE – £10,000 – Glasgow – LotusDx provides at-home STI tests that deliver fast, private results, enabling early detection, prevention and treatment without clinic visits, while giving users control over their sexual health.
MedAscend – Future EDGE – £150,000 – Dundee – MedAscend is an AI platform that enables healthcare students to practise lifelike patient conversations through scalable simulation, personalised feedback and safer preparation for real clinical care.
NarraSight – Young EDGE, Techscaler winner – £15,000 – Glasgow – NarraSight provides interactive image descriptions for websites, enabling blind users’ independence and EAA compliance through plugins and APIs. Its B2B SaaS delivers inclusive, context-aware access.
Netax Fightwear Ltd – Young EDGE – £10,000 – Glasgow – Netax Fightwear is a combat sports performance brand developing innovative protective equipment. Its Motus-X Shin Guard enables athletes to train harder and safer through integrated ankle protection.
Nexus Technical Products (Fiinka Ltd) – Scottish EDGE – £100,000 – Troon – Nexus Technical Products develops next-generation impact protection and comfort systems using advanced additive manufacturing, while also delivering innovative engineering solutions across defence, medical and high-performance sectors.
Nudge Innovations Ltd – Pathways – £90,000 – Glasgow – Nudge Innovations designs practical solutions that remove the everyday friction that makes reuse difficult. Its approach is simple: designing reuse around real life.
Openbook Analytics – Young EDGE – £10,000 – Glasgow – Openbook is an AI-powered investing co-pilot that simplifies stock market research for everyday investors, transforming complex financial data into clear, actionable insights in minutes.
Open Cellar – Wild Card EDGE – £10,000 – Kirkcaldy – Open Cellar transforms wine discovery through quarterly 100 ml tasting flights. It eliminates choice paralysis and upfront stock costs through a scalable, data-driven, fractionalised sampling platform.
PEAT'D – STV Growth EDGE – £70,000 – Glasgow – PEAT’D is the world’s only range of peat-smoked tomato sauces, instantly transforming any dish with rich, deep flavour and natural character.
ProofCode Ltd – Wild Card EDGE – £10,000 – Dunbar – ProofCode helps companies assess software engineers using their own code, replacing traditional coding tests with a more accurate and reliable way to evaluate real ability.
Real-E-Racing Ltd – Creative EDGE – £80,000 – Kelso – Real-E-Racing turns live motorsport data into interactive digital experiences, enabling audiences to play, train and watch motorsport in real time. In short: live, playable motorsport.
SafeScope – Wild Card EDGE – £10,000 – Glasgow – SafeScope enhances existing video airway devices with physical guidance, reducing airway injury, saving procedure time and lowering complication-related costs in surgery and emergency care.
SepSensor – Wild Card EDGE – £10,000 – Glasgow – SepSensor develops a self-calibrating portable biosensor for early sepsis detection and continuous monitoring, using disposable cartridges and an optical system to support faster clinical decisions.
Sendix – Young EDGE – £15,000 – Dundee – Sendix is an AI compliance engine that prevents costly SEND tribunal failures by automating legally defensible Education, Health and Care Plan drafting for multi-academy trusts.
Tuko Baby Ltd – Scottish EDGE – £70,000 – Stonehaven – Tuko has created the world’s first baby carrier precision-engineered for dads, featuring patent-pending ergonomics, all-weather construction, 78% recycled ocean materials and suitability for children aged 4 to 36 months.
XYNQ – Wild Card EDGE – £15,000 – Edinburgh – XYNQ is a digital notary for AI decisions. It creates cryptographic certificates proving that automated platform decisions were fair, auditable and compliant, starting with music distribution.