🐗 BetHog, Konversable raise, new investment 'accelerator', finding more women investors
Plus tons of events as the weather starts to cool down.
Here's your Campfire for the 18th of November, 2024.
💼 Shepherd and Wedderburn is hosting Patents 101: Getting your IP Investor-Ready: Covering questions investors are likely to ask about your IP, understanding how to know where you stand with IP created by employees, consultants, and third parties, and the process of enforcing and defending patent claims. More info below. Tuesday 19 November 2024, from 1730, Edinburgh. Register here.
🌊 Updates
🤖 Glasgow-based tech firm Konversable (AI chatbot and messaging solutions) raised £300,000 from angels. Serving industries like automotive, hospitality, and finance, the company also offers white-label integrations and works with strategic partners worldwide. The funding will support product development, user experience improvements, and scaling strategic partnerships. TH
🎰 Edinburgh-based BetHog (cryptocurrency casino and sportsbook) has been formally launched after raising $6 million in seed funding led by 6th Man Ventures. Cofounders are FanDuel cofounders Nigel Eccles and Rob Jones. DGT IN
🎯 CodeBase-run Techscaler and Focused for Business, has launched a new three-month "Funding Accelerator" programme to help startups secure early-stage investment, targeting rounds between £100,000 and £1 million. FS DGT
🥇 Investing Women Angels, and AccelerateHER have launched W2W, a program to encourage more women to become angel investors. Starting next month, it will run sessions connecting experienced investors and founders with emerging female-led businesses across Scotland. IN DGT TS
🥃 Indian spirits group Piccadily Agro Industries (PAIL), known for Indri whisky and Camikara rum, is set to build a distillery on a 58-acre site in Portavadie, Scotland, marking an industry first for an Indian alco-bev company. Part of a $118.4m investment across India and Scotland, the project aims to produce Scotch-style malts and boost India's influence in the premium whisky market. JD
📣 Asks & Offers
🚨Start to Scale by Shepherd and Wedderburn is offering eligible subscribers of Campfire exclusive access to their ‘Start to Scale Hub’ which helps companies create template legal agreements in minutes for free. To learn more and request access click here.
👓 PurpleByte is looking to connect with founders who are interested in accessibility. PB is an Edinburgh-based digital accessibility company working with tech companies and digital agencies to create truly inclusive online experiences. Led by a founder with digital experience expertise and lived experience of accessibility barriers, we are bridging the digital divide through practical, cost-effective accessibility solutions while demonstrating that inclusive design drives better business outcomes - from improved SEO and user experience to broader market reach and enhanced brand reputation. For more info, head here.
🔎 Ansearch is looking for beta testers for their new open-source "feature as a service" aimed at making app development faster and easier to maintain. They’re starting with full-text search for RAG and a unified API for CRMs. More information here.
🥃 Are you a problem-solver driven by curiosity and a passion for your work? Do you thrive on deep, meaningful conversations and value fostering long-lasting relationships? Do you love whisky? If so, we invite you to become a founding member of Dram & Discourse. Learn more here
🦅 Barclays Eagle Labs launched their new Eagle Labs Academy, funded by the UK Government. The Academy provides access to free learning content and entrepreneurship training from different sources. Aiming for those starting their journey to those wanting to scale. Aside from the content, Eagle Labs has partnerships and access opportunities with the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology, and their Demo Directory. Find out more here.
👭 Interested in connecting with possible co-founders? Fill in your listing on Cofounder Curious today! Connect with others for possible cofounder matching here.
👷Are you hiring? Send us a blurb and we’ll include it in the next newsletter!
✍️ Want to write something for Campfire? Have an opinion you'd like to share? get in touch!
📅 Events
🚀 19/11, 12:00 🗺️ Stirling: AccelerateHer + Techscaler Meetup: Stirling: For women and non-binary folk in the startup world community is even more vital - providing a network to turn to as you hit each milestone, and when you want to give back to the next wave of inspiring women and non-binary entrepreneurs. MORE INFO
💻 19/11, 12:30 🗺️ Online: Meet the Founder: Chris Noble, Lynchpin.ai: Hear directly from Chris Noble as he talks about his journey from founder to Facebook, and back to founder! MORE INFO
🚩✨ 19/11, 17:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: Patents 101: Getting your IP Investor-Ready: Your start-up company’s intellectual property is key to investment and, ultimately, a successful exit. So, what steps can you take to protect that all-important intellectual property and get it ‘investor-ready’? Join Shepherd and Wedderburn’s IP specialists along with Reddie and Grose’s patent attorney experts for an insightful session answering that question and more. MORE INFO
🌎 19/11, 18:30 🗺️ Online: Selling Online series - Understanding your ecommerce customers - online: Learn about selling online as a great way to start, diversify or grow a retail business – and anyone can do it! MORE INFO
💼 20/11, 10:00 🗺️ Dundee: Lawrie Office Hours: Managing and Protecting Your IP: Meet with a Director and Patent Attorney from Lawrie for direct, personalised advice on IP. MORE INFO
📍 20/11, 10:30 🗺️ Inverness: Inverness Pitch Club: A supportive and welcoming environment which gives you the opportunity to practise your pitching skills and gain confidence in talking about your business. We’re here to help from the ground up! MORE INFO
🎯 20/11, 12:00 🗺️ Online: Startup Next Steps Winter '25 Explainer Webinar: Join us for this informal online explainer event where we'll unpack what our upcoming course is and if it's right for you! MORE INFO
🌐 20/11, 17:00 🗺️ Online: Founders Live Prime Time 2024: Global Finals: The five Prime Time regional winners compete for $10,000 in cash and prizes! MORE INFO
🤝 20/11, 18:15 🗺️ Edinburgh: People Peeps Edinburgh: All are welcome to the second meetup of People Peeps Edinburgh (previously known as Organisational and People Development). This month’s focus will be: Exploring Happiness and Subjective Wellbeing. MORE INFO
⚡ 21/11, 08:30 🗺️ Aberdeen: Bio Buzz at ONE Biohub: Bio Buzz, the monthly life sciences meet-up held at ONE BioHub, Foresterhill Road, Aberdeen, every third Thursday of the month. Join the next Bio Buzz on Thursday 21st October from 8.30am until 10.30am. MORE INFO
🎪 21/11, 09:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: DIGIT Expo 2024: DIGIT Expo is Scotland’s largest gathering of technology personnel; 2023’s event attracted over 1500 delegates. Join to experience a keynote theatre and 3 seminar rooms with talks on Cyber Security, Data, AI, ML, Analytics, Cloud Services, Networks, Connectivity and much more. MORE INFO
💼 21/11, 09:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: eCommerce and Digital Trade Symposium: Join our symposium, where we’ll highlight opportunities and identify steps that organisations can take to improve in the eCommerce channel. MORE INFO
💼 21/11, 10:00 🗺️ Online: CodeBase Online Office Hours: Ian Martin: Your chance to meet with some of CodeBase's senior leaders for a one-one-one chat! MORE INFO
🚀 21/11, 12:00 🗺️ Hawick: Leveraging Artificial Intelligence and Data for Business - Hawick workshops: Join SOSE, alongside Data Understood, and learn how artificial intelligence and data can transform your business over 4 workshops in Hawick. MORE INFO
👔 21/11, 12:00 🗺️ Online: The Employee Ownership Transition: A Deep Dive: Do you want to learn more about the employee ownership trust process? Attend our deep dive interactive workshop to find out more. MORE INFO
👌 21/11, 17:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: Pitch It To Me: One Minute Special: A casual evening of pitching to your peers, with the opportunity to receive feedback from an expert judging panel. MORE INFO
🎢 21/11, 17:30 🗺️ Glasgow: Bridging Communities: The Melting Pot in partnership with Glasgow City Innovation District (GCID), the University of Strathclyde’s Social Innovation Cluster and some of the city's most engaged community builders, are offering a chance to gather, connect and lean into the innovative potential of your local communities. MORE INFO
🍺 21/11, 18:00 🗺️ Glasgow: Glasgow- Small99's People, Planet, Pint™: Sustainability Meetup: Pop down to your local People Planet Pint meetup to find more about what's going on locally with sustainability and how you can get involved. MORE INFO
🥂 21/11, 18:00 🗺️ Dumfries: Tech MeetUp - South of Scotland: This event aims to bring together everyone who is interested in tech, those who want to learn more, and want to meet like-minded people. MORE INFO
📝 21/11, 18:00 🗺️ Dundee: How Not to Get Hacked with Declan Doyle: Join us in the Abertay cyberQuarter or online via Zoom for a hybrid discussion with Declan Doyle of the Cyber and Fraud Centre about the importance of cybersecurity for startups and how to make it a primary concern from the very beginning of your business. MORE INFO
🍺 21/11, 18:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: Edinburgh - Small99's People, Planet, Pint™: Sustainability Meetup: Pop down to your local People Planet Pint meetup to find more about what's going on locally with sustainability and how you can get involved. MORE INFO
🚀 22/11, 09:00 🗺️ Dumfries: Leveraging Artificial Intelligence & Data for Business - Dumfries workshops: Join SOSE, alongside Data Understood, & learn how artificial intelligence and data can transform your business over 4 workshops in Dumfries. MORE INFO
💻 22/11, 09:30 🗺️ Online: Online Coworking Session - Week 6: Join our virtual coworking session and experience a productive and collaborative work environment from the comfort of your own space! In this online gathering, participants will have the opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals, discuss and decide on a specific task or project to accomplish during the day. MORE INFO
🌱 26/11, 09:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Edinburgh Greentech Meetup - Sustainable hydrogen ecosystem applications: This event is open to anyone with an interest in sustainability or greentech, and you’ll have the opportunity to meet other people in the space and get to know the Edinburgh Greentech community. MORE INFO
🌟 26/11, 10:00 🗺️ Glasgow: Build an EVP to Improve Talent Attraction and Retention: Join this event in Glasgow and learn more about the importance of employer brand and value propositions. MORE INFO
🩺 26/11, 11:00 🗺️ Dundee: Barclays Eagle labs at MSIP November Drop-in Clinic 2024: Drop in and let’s have a chat about your business goals and ambitions here at Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc. MORE INFO
📝 26/11, 17:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: Scottish Notion Meetup: Enjoy excellent chat, with speakers and case studies to develop your Notion knowledge. With free soft drinks and food, this is the perfect post-work hangout. MORE INFO
🥂 26/11, 17:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: Cheers to Change: Navigating the Menopause with Smart Choices: Celebrate World Menopause Day by joining this empowered and inclusive discussion on menopause and HRT, alcohol and wellness. MORE INFO
🥼 26/11, 17:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: Barclays Health Elevate Scotland: Your chance to showcase your business innovations and discover how to navigate commercialisation in life sciences. MORE INFO
🗃️ 26/11, 18:00 🗺️ Dundee: Dundee Data Meetup: Join us for our monthly Dundee Data Meetup, featuring two expert speakers who will share their insights into game testing and handling sensitive data with open science. MORE INFO
🎯 26/11, 18:30 🗺️ Online: Selling Online series - Learning from ecommerce competitors - online event: Learn about selling online as a great way to start, diversify or grow a retail business – and anyone can do it! MORE INFO
🍁 27/11, 11:00 🗺️ Glasgow: Startup First Steps Autumn '24 | Week 10 | Showcase: Join us for an impactful day of connection and reflection as we mark the end of the Autumn ‘24 cohort of Techscaler Startup First Steps. MORE INFO
🥂 27/11, 18:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Entrepreneurs Social Club (ESC) - Edinburgh Startup Meetup: The social club for founders and aspiring entrepreneurs - skip the talks, presentations and lectures - and go straight to networking! MORE INFO
🌟 27/11, 18:00 🗺️ Dundee: Boosting Your Business With Games Technology: Discover how games technology can transform your business at our event in Abertay's Cyberquarter. From training to marketing, learn how local gaming talent can enhance key areas of your business. MORE INFO
🌍 28/11, 09:45 🗺️ Edinburgh: Scottish EDGE Round 24 Live Final: Round 24 of the UK's BIGGEST small business funding competition will take place on 28th November at RBS Conference Centre with the latest batch of finalists pitching for up to £100,000 in funding. This year's event promises to be one of the most exciting yet, with a brand-new format designed to enhance your experience. For the first time, the usual two-day schedule will be condensed into a dynamic, single-day event, all while expanding the offering for attendees. MORE INFO
💼 28/11, 10:00 🗺️ Online: Online Office Hours with Lawrie: Managing and Protecting Your IP: Meet with a Director and Patent Attorney from Lawrie for direct, personalised advice on IP! MORE INFO
🩺 28/11, 10:00 🗺️ Aberdeen: Eagle Has landed at One Tech November Drop in Clinic: Drop in and let’s have a chat about your business goals and ambitions here at One Tech Hub. MORE INFO
👥 28/11, 17:00 🗺️ Stirling: The Social: Game Night with Ping Creates!: Join us for this month’s exciting social event, where we’re bringing the community together in a relaxed, fun atmosphere! This time, we're teaming up with Ping Creates! to celebrate their rebrand in style—featuring awesome video games that will light up the Stirling hub. MORE INFO
✍🏼 28/11, 17:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: Barclays Eagle Labs and CodeBase monthly Quiz - Edinburgh (November): Join us for this month's pub quiz - bringing together the CodeBase and Edinburgh community for a bit of fun! MORE INFO
💼 28/11, 17:30 🗺️ Galashiels: Business & Community Networking (Galashiels): Join us at a town near you for one of our informal networking sessions, open to all! Find out all about SOSE and what we can do for you. MORE INFO
🥂 28/11, 18:00 🗺️ Glasgow: Tech, Toasts, & Ten Years: Startup Grind Scotland Christmas Party!: Join us to celebrate the season and raise a toast to another fantastic year with the Startup Grind Scotland community. This year, we’re also marking a major milestone: 10 years of Startup Grind supporting and shaping Scotland’s startup landscape. So much has transformed since 2014 - let’s celebrate just how far we’ve come together! MORE INFO
🎄 03/12, 17:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: ProductTank Edinburgh: End of Year Celebration!: Join us for a festive and fun-filled evening as we gather to wrap up an incredible year of ProductTank Edinburgh meetups! This is a chance for our vibrant community to come together, reflect on the milestones we've achieved, and shape the future of our meetups. MORE INFO
🎉 03/12, 17:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: Tech Startup Founders Festive Party 2024: Another year of building startups passes us by and what a year it's been! You'll be joined by fellow tech startup founders, operators and investors - so, share war stories, successes and visions for the future! 🎇 MORE INFO
💪🏼 03/12, 18:00 🗺️ Aberdeen: Be Bold: Women in Tech Meet-up Aberdeen: Join us on the 3rd of December at the ONE Tech Hub for our “Be Bold!” event, an inspiring evening designed to empower women in tech to step into their power, take up space, and communicate with confidence. Learn effective strategies to help you achieve your goals and make a lasting impact in your field. MORE INFO
💻 03/12, 18:30 🗺️ Online: Selling Online series - Using your own ecommerce website - online event: Learn about selling online as a great way to start, diversify or grow a retail business – and anyone can do it! MORE INFO
☕ Series: Unfiltered: An in-person and informal catch-up with people from across the tech ecosystem. Come along for coffee, breakfast and networking!
⛾ 04/12, 08:30 🗺️ Dundee, MORE INFO
⛾ 04/12, 08:30 🗺️ Inverness, MORE INFO
⛾ 04/12, 08:30 🗺️ Edinburgh, MORE INFO
⛾ 04/12, 08:30 🗺️ Aberdeen, MORE INFO
⛾ 04/12, 08:30 🗺️ Stirling, MORE INFO
⛾ 04/12, 08:30 🗺️ Glasgow, MORE INFO
💡 04/12, 09:30 🗺️ Glasgow: Understanding Co-ops – Glasgow: Considering a co-op? Whether starting a new venture or seeking a new approach for your existing business, a co-op could be the perfect fit. MORE INFO
👨🏻💻 04/12, 10:30 🗺️ Lauder: Coworking Days [South of Scotland]: Join us at our coworking days with the South of Scotland Community. MORE INFO
💻 04/12, 12:30 🗺️ Online: Unlocking Funding Opportunities for Small Businesses: A webinar with Dell: Join Dell to hear about funding opportunities in the UK, how to apply for funding, and learn about Dell's funding programme! MORE INFO
🚀 04/12, 13:00 🗺️ Online: Nordics Space Data for Industry: Join this webinar and find out about upcoming grant funding for space data companies. MORE INFO
📱 04/12, 13:00 🗺️ Dumfries: Building Apps with No Code - Dumfries: Have you thought about building an app for your business, but don’t know how to code? This workshop is for you! MORE INFO
🎯 04/12, 17:00 🗺️ Norwich: Unlocking Tech Potential in Norfolk & Suffolk: Explore challenges & opportunities for tech growth in Norfolk & Suffolk, with insights to strengthen the regional tech ecosystem. MORE INFO
⛓ 04/12, 17:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Blockchain Scotland Meetup: Welcome to the Monthly Blockchain Scotland Meetup at the Bayes Centre in Edinburgh. The event takes place at the ground floor in G.03. MORE INFO
🎯 05/12, 09:30 🗺️ Kilmarnock: Improving Your Business Using Lean and Digital Tools: Join our free session as you learn how digital tools are linked to lean and how you can use both in your business. MORE INFO
✨ 05/12, 10:00 🗺️ Online: Inclusive business models: identifying opportunities for plural ownership: This workshop will show how employee ownership and co-operative business models can help organisations with Community Wealth Building (CWB). MORE INFO
💼 05/12, 10:00 🗺️ Online: Office Hours with Potter Clarkson: Our Office Hours are a series of one-to-one sessions with various experts from the legal and accounting sectors to support tech startup founders on their journey. In this one, participants will be able to engage directly with and receive personalised advice from IP Attornies for Potter Clarkson. MORE INFO
📱 05/12, 13:00 🗺️ Hawick: Building Apps with No Code - Hawick: Have you thought about building an app for your business, but don’t know how to code? This workshop is for you! MORE INFO
🌃 05/12, 18:30 🗺️ Glasgow: FuckUp Nights Glasgow Vol.III: nnovators, rebels, misfits and dreamers! Join us at FuckUp Nights Glasgow to laugh, learn, and embrace the beauty of mistakes – because failure is simply a stepping stone on the journey to success. There will be tons of networking, good vibes, and the best company around! MORE INFO
🎄 05/12, 19:00 🗺️ Glasgow: Glasgow Tech Christmas Night Out: All are welcome and there is no requirement to have any level of tech knowledge or experience to attend, just a desire to learn. Come along (bring your friends), network and learn something new with us! MORE INFO
🎯 Deadlines
📣 Royal Academy of Engineering – Shott ScaleUp Accelerator Now Open:
Are you a senior business leader looking to scale up your engineering or tech SME? Apply now for 12 months of 1-2-1 coaching and leadership training with a grant up to £10k. Apply Here by 19 November
🚀 Nominations for the ScotlandIS 2025 Digital Technology Awards are open: Celebrating innovation and talent in Scotland's digital economy and marking its 15th year, the awards include 10 categories. Nominate here by 9 January 2025.
🇬🇧 Upcoming Innovate UK deadlines:
Eureka Globalstars Japan Round 3 Applications close 4 December
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That’s all for this week - have a great one!
Team 🔥 Campfire