💻 Female Founder Hackathon, funding for Fungi, Investor Panel, and saying no
This week, we hear news from Tom Hunter, MSIP, Enough Foods, and more.
Here's your Campfire for the 28th of August, 2023.
💼 This issue of Campfire is sponsored by Start to Scale, Shepherd and Wedderburn's initiative to supercharge start-ups and scale-ups
🤝 Cofounder Curious
New listings this week include:
Seasoned product leader and early-stage startup team member. My speciality is building AI products. Previously worked at 7 startups, including a tech unicorn, where I was first employee and Head of Product until Series B.
Plus more!
Want to connect with any of them? Be sure to fill out your profile and join our Scottish-based Cofounder Curious list.
🌊 Updates & Opinions
♻️ 10 companies have been selected for the latest Dundee-based MSIP (Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc) accelerator programme targeting sustainability: Other Way Climate, Donaa, BOABER, BioBright, Copper & Carbon, Redbarn Group, Recarbox, Well Spent, and HydroTrux IN TS
💰 Tom Hunter has called for a targeted corporation tax rate of 15% in renewables and low carbon manufacture and services; life sciences and medical technologies and software, big data and AI. DGT TS
💊 Glasgow-based Simple Online Healthcare announced it's expanding within Europe and revenues had increased 56% to £24.3m and they have nearly doubled headcount to a team of 99. SFN DGT TS
🍄 Glasgow-based Enough Foods (fungi-sourced protein/fake meat) raised £34m from World Fund, CPT Capital, with participation from AXA IM Alts, HAL Investments, Onassis Group, Tailored Solutions and Scottish Enterprise. UKTN DGT TS
💷 Translucent (Multi-entity super app for CFOs) raised £5m from Chalfen Ventures and LocalGlobe. TL
🦸♀️ AccelerateHER and Techscaler are hosting a Female Founder Hackathon to help founders and potential founders get matched with industry experts, explore challenges, and answer questions. Registration here. FS
👼 LINC Scotland (Angel Syndicate industry body) has rebranded as Angel Capital Scotland. New website here. IN
🦠 Glasgow-based ScreenIn3d (disease on a chip technologies) raised £225k from Gabriel Investments, Scottish Enterprise, and the University of Strathclyde Inspire Entrepreneurs Fund ACS
💡 Have an idea to help support Scotland-based entrepreneurs? The Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise are launching another Ecosystem Fund. More info here.
📣 Asks & Offers
📣 We've launched the Founders Survey! Please fill it out, it takes less time than you spend making that artisanal pour-over coffee in the morning. If you have a mailing list of startup founders, and would be willing to share the survey, let us know!
❓ Who do you know? Community Lab (open innovation platform) is hiring a Proposition Manager ("Imagine a Product Manager has a baby with a Project Manager and that baby was raised by an Account Manager who had an affair with a Community Manager") Know anyone?? Send them this.
👭 Interested in connecting with possible co-founders? Fill in your listing on Cofounder Curious today! Connect with others for possible cofounder matching here.
✍️ Want to write something for Campfire? Have an opinion you'd like to share? get in touch!
🦸 Absolute Superheroes
"John Morrison and Joe Fitzgibbon are absolute superheroes within the Scottish ecosystem. They're always there to help my company and other startups. From free mentoring in the early days, quality advice, even the occasional office space to use in Edinburgh and London, they are genuinely there to help out while still being cost-effective." - John Gordon, CEO & Co-founder, Incentive Games
Shepherd & Wedderburn's innovative and personable approach helps companies from first incorporation onwards (including through to an exit – if that’s the goal). Their global reach means they can scale and grow with you, like they have with clients like Epic Games, FanDuel, Parsleybox, and TVSquared.
👉 To learn more, send an email to starttoscale@shepwedd.co.uk & set up a chat.
📅 Events
☕ Series: Unfiltered: Connect with members of the local tech community, the coffee is on us!
📆 06/09, 08:30 🗺️ Edinburgh MORE INFO
📆 06/09, 08:30 🗺️ Glasgow MORE INFO
📆 06/09, 08:30 🗺️ Dundee MORE INFO
📆 06/09, 08:30 🗺️ Aberdeen MORE INFO
📆 06/09, 08:30 🗺️ Inverness MORE INFO
📆 06/09, 08:30 🗺️ Stirling MORE INFO
🙋♀️ 31/08, 12:00 🗺️ Galashiels: AccelerateHER + Techscaler Meetup: South of Scotland: Whether you’re working on a fledgling idea for a startup or already in the thick of scaling your tech enterprise, having a community of folks to connect with, share knowledge with, and generally find support amongst is invaluable. For women and non-binary folk in the tech startup world this is even more vital. MORE INFO
🤝 31/08, 17:00 🗺️ Stirling: The Social: Our monthly social is upon us! Simply this is an event to informally connect people in tech and is open to all. MORE INFO
🛢️ 31/08, 18:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: The Oil Machine at TMP: Screening + Discussion: Come to The Melting Pot to watch The Oil Machine and spend an evening of reflections and discussion on our dependence on fossil fuels. MORE INFO
♻️ 31/08, 17:30 🗺️ Glasgow: People, Planet, Pint: Sustainability Meetup: Come and meet others interested in the Net Zero, Bcorp and Environmental space! MORE INFO
🤝 02/09, 14:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Founders meetup: We are a group of startup founders who meet to talk about the ups and downs of our work in an informal setting. MORE INFO
🎢 05/09, 09:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: Preparing for growth and pre-empting the barriers: This interactive event covers: exploring what actions should be taken and when for maximum impact; understanding what platforms to put in place to support the growth journey; pre-empting the hurdles that businesses encounter as they grow. MORE INFO
🏄♀️ 05/09, 09:30 🗺️ Online: Scottish Women in Business September coffee meetup: These meetups are to Connect, Communicate and Collaborate with other smart, successful women in business - and are open networking event is for any woman in business, whether running your own company, freelancing or employed at any level. MORE INFO
🤓 05/09, 17:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: Edinburgh Tech Meetup: We have some interesting speakers, talks and games lined up with lots of time for networking. This month: Investor Panel: David Ovens (Archangel Investors), Amar Chauhan (Find Others & Duo Ventures), Georgina Hollis (Find Others and Duo Ventures), Mark Hogarth (Techstart Ventures) . MORE INFO
👩 07/09, 12:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: AccelerateHER + Techscaler Meetup: Edinburgh and Lothians: Whether you’re working on a fledgling idea for a startup or already in the thick of scaling your tech enterprise, having a community of folks to connect with, share knowledge with, and generally find support amongst is invaluable. For women and non-binary folk in the tech startup world. MORE INFO
🙅♀️ 07/09, 12:30 🗺️ Online: Managing Demands and Saying No: In this 60 minute, online seminar, we explore the thorny issue of managing the demands on our time. In many workplaces it feels like there's a potentially infinite amount of work. To succeed, we need to understand and manage the demands that are placed on us so that we spend our effort on what matters. To do this we need to learn to prioritise, say no when appropriate and manage our own boundaries. MORE INFO
🤓 07/09, 18:00 🗺️ Glasgow: Tech Meetup Glasgow: This month the talks are an How xDesign built Martin Lewis' new AI chatbot by Dan Llewellyn and Emma Chee and Introduction to Svelte by Habib Ogunsola. MORE INFO
⛓️ 07/09, 19:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Blockchain dinner & drinks: Join us for dinner and/or drinks in this rather quiet pub, learn new things and make new connections. MORE INFO
☀️ 08/09, 13:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Hang out and Hack - Climate Hacking @ Codebase: A monthly meetup focused around providing a collaborative, friendly, welcoming space to work on climate-related projects with like-minded people! MORE INFO
⛓️ 11/09, 17:00 🗺️ Dundee: Monthly Scottish Blockchain Meetup (Dundee): "Can you trust a trustless system? An exploration of the assumptions that underlie the blockchain world" by Peter D. from the Ethereum Foundation and "Can blockchain transform Scotland’s Economy?" by Sarah Forbes, Digital Economy Specialist, Scottish Enterprise. MORE INFO
🚪 15/09, 09:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: YCF 2023: Exists seen from both sides: Presentations by investors (business angels and VCs), young companies at start-up stage, entrepreneurs who have successfully taken their companies to exit and beyond, and a summary of exits across the UK and USA to illustrate norms and trends. Speakers include Ana Stewart, Doug Lawson (MarkToMarket), John McNicol (Kelvin Capital), Sarah Barber (Jenson Funding Partners), Morag McFarlane (Tissue Solutions), Ben Panter (Blackford Analysis), and Russell Childs (Optoscribe). MORE INFO
🎯 Deadlines
🎯 Open 💡 Applications are open for the RBS Accelerator programme MORE INFO
🎯 01/09 🤓 Applications are now open for the Scottish Cyber Awards. MORE INFO
🎯 01/10 ♻️ TechX Accelerator: Cleantech at a tech readiness level of 2-6, up to £100k in grant or SAFE note, 15 week programme with 3 weeks expected in Aberdeen. Looking for "diverse, innovative start-ups that will pave the way in clean energy." MORE INFO
🇬🇧 Upcoming Innovate UK deadlines:
Unlocking Potential Begin (£5k grants for business ideas) Submissions close 6 September
Unlocking Potential Build (£50k grants for business ideas) Submissions close 6 September
Ofgem Round 3: Call for Ideas Submissions close 21 August
India – UK Collaborative R&D for industrial sustainability Applications close 6 August
UK-Israel Eureka Bilateral Collaborative R&D: Round 2 Applications close 13 September
Innovate UK Smart grants: June 2023 Applications close 27 September 2023
Are we missing your event or deadline? 👉 Submit it here!
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That’s all for this week - have a great one!
Team 🔥Campfire