Here’s your Campfire for Monday, 31st of August. How the heck are we already at the end of August…
📣 Asks, Offers, Updates, & Deadlines
💰 Scottish EDGE Round 28 is open Scotland’s biggest business funding competition is back with a £1.5m prize pot and a new top award of £200k. Applications are open to businesses across all sectors, from pre-trading startups to businesses trading for up to five years, with a range of awards offering grant and loan funding alongside expert support and connections. Applications close 2pm, 2 September 2026 and require a three-minute video pitch. Learn more and apply here
⚡ TechX Energy Transition Accelerator applications open Calling energy innovators. Applications are now open for the TechX Energy Transition Accelerator, supporting startups developing technologies that can accelerate the transition to a lower-carbon energy future. Successful applicants receive £50k in funding, expert mentorship, industry connections and support to commercialise and scale their solutions. Apply here.
🎤 Call for Speakers: Agentic AI Europe 2027 Applications are now open to speak at the 7th Edition of Agentic AI Europe, taking place 16–18 March 2027 in Edinburgh. If you’re building, researching or deploying Agentic AI and have practical insights or real-world experience to share, submit a proposal to speak at ‘Europe’s leading Agentic AI summit’. More info on becoming a speaker 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 or share something with Campfire? Get in touch!
📅 Events
☕ 01/09, 17:00 🌐 Online: Canvas and Coffee – Value Proposition A focused 60-minute working session for founders to pressure-test their value proposition, clarify their thinking and make tangible progress with guidance from an experienced mentor. MORE INFO
🎮 01/09, 18:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: GameDevEd Social Meetup A casual meetup for Edinburgh’s game development community to meet, chat and connect, welcoming everyone from students and hobbyists to experienced developers across all disciplines. MORE INFO
⛓️ 01/09, 09:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Edinburgh Decentralised Finance Summit 2026 A full-day summit bringing together developers, researchers, founders, investors and industry professionals to explore decentralised finance, with talks, networking and opportunities to connect across Scotland’s blockchain ecosystem. MORE INFO
📚 02/09, 18:00 🗺️ Glasgow: People Planet Pint: Book Club A relaxed sustainability-focused book club bringing people together to discuss ideas, share perspectives and connect with Glasgow’s climate-conscious community. MORE INFO
💡 03/09, 11:00 💻 Online: The Secret to Selling What You’ve Built A free webinar for research and deep tech founders on turning complex technology into a proposition customers, pilot partners and investors understand and want to buy. MORE INFO
🚀 03/09, 10:00 🗺️ Dumfries: Business and Enterprise Expo – Dumfries & Galloway Build your sales confidence, connect with local entrepreneurs and discover practical support and advice to help start or grow your business. MORE INFO
⚡ 07/09, 09:00 🗺️ Glasgow: The Power Hour Three experts share practical advice on accountancy, legal and intellectual property topics to help businesses avoid common pitfalls and support growth. MORE INFO
🛠️ 08/09, 09:00 🗺️ Glasgow: Founder Fix Bring your biggest business challenge to a free 45-minute one-to-one session with an experienced business consultant and leave with practical advice, fresh thinking and a clearer way forward. MORE INFO
💡 08/09, 15:00 🗺️ Stirling: UnStuck | Stirling A small, problem-led session for early-stage founders to bring a real business challenge and get practical advice, fresh perspectives and useful connections from fellow founders and practitioners. MORE INFO
🚪 09/09, 16:00 🗺️ Glasgow: Tech Exits: Paths, Pitfalls and Possibilities Hear from tech founders about different routes to exiting a business, from trade sales and management buyouts to listings, with lessons learned and practical advice on maximising value, navigating the process and planning what comes next. MORE INFO
⚡ 10/09, 18:30 🗺️ Glasgow: TecTonic Night Summit – Scotland's innovation market square returns to BAaD for Glasgow Tech Week. Join 500 founders, investors, creatives and tech professionals for an evening of meaningful networking, startup showcases, mentorship and live experiences. MORE INFO
🥂 11/09, 17:00 🗺️ Glasgow: Founders’ Fizzy Friday Wrap up Glasgow Tech Week with founders, entrepreneurs and business professionals over a glass of fizz, informal conversation and new connections — no pitches, presentations or selling. MORE INFO
💻 14/09, 18:30 🗺️ Inverness: TechMeetup Inverness September 2026 A friendly meetup for Scotland’s tech community featuring networking, pizza and drinks, plus a practical talk on quantum security and what it means for teams using modern encryption. MORE INFO
🌍 14/09, 18:00 🗺️ Dundee: People Planet Pint™: Sustainability Meetup A relaxed meetup bringing Dundee’s sustainability community together to connect, share ideas and chat about climate action over a drink. MORE INFO
🎮 15/09, 18:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: GameDevEd Social Meetup A casual meetup for Edinburgh’s game development community to meet, chat and connect, welcoming everyone from students and hobbyists to experienced developers across all disciplines. MORE INFO
🌱 15/09, 09:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Greentech Meetup – September Hear from a Greentech specialist and connect with Edinburgh’s green community at this monthly meetup hosted by Barclays Eagle Labs at CodeBase. MORE INFO
🏭 16/09, 12:00 🗺️ Paisley: Design-led Innovation in Scotland – Make it right, make it here, make it now Discover how design-led innovation can de-risk ideas, improve manufacturing and help businesses turn new concepts into scalable, manufacturable products. MORE INFO
💷 17/09, 09:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: YCF Conference 2026: Valuations Explore how businesses, assets and ideas are valued from pre-seed through to exit, with expert speakers covering everything from patents and people to investment and growth. MORE INFO
🎨 17/09, 12:00 🗺️ Lockerbie: Advanced Canva - for Marketing Assets and Reels: Build. Brand. Batch. Take your Canva skills further and learn how to create branded marketing assets, short-form video and a content system designed to save you time. MORE INFO
⛓️ 21/09, 17:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Blockchain Scotland Meetup Connect with Scotland’s blockchain community at the Bayes Centre for an evening of tech discussion, networking, food and drinks. MORE INFO
💷 23/09, 18:00 🌐 Online: Business Expenses: What can you claim? Learn which business expenses you can legitimately claim, how to maximise tax relief and stay compliant with HMRC requirements, with practical examples covering common expenses and record keeping. MORE INFO
🌍 23/09, 19:00 🗺️ Aberdeen: People Planet Pint: Sustainability Meetup Meet people interested in sustainability and climate action over a relaxed drink, with space to connect, share ideas and chat about building a better future locally. MORE INFO
♻️ 24/09, 18:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: People Planet Pint x HappyPorch Radio – Circular Economy Connect with Edinburgh’s sustainability community for an evening focused on the circular economy, hosted in collaboration with HappyPorch Radio. MORE INFO
🤝 30/09, 17:30 🗺️ Glasgow: Focus on Founders Live 2026 An evening for founders and business owners to make meaningful connections and have honest conversations about the realities of building a business, with curated introductions to people who can help with the challenges they’re facing. MORE INFO
🎮 24/10, 10:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: PlayAway for a Day A one-day gathering exploring where creative technology, games and interactive media meet arts, education and community work, with talks, panels, practical demos, exhibitions and plenty of opportunities to connect. MORE INFO
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That’s all for this week - have a great one!
Team 🔥 Campfire