🤖🌳 Green AI, Web Summit Winners, Text-based podcast editing, and deals!
Here's your Campfire for the 3rd of October, 2023.
Before we begin: Fill out the Founders Survey and share your views about the investment landscape in Scotland. It's an entirely volunteer-led initiative, so we need the support of the community. You can use this link for sharing.
💼 This issue of Campfire is sponsored by Shepherd and Wedderburn's initiative to supercharge start-ups and scale-ups. Be sure to follow the Start to Scale LinkedIn page for useful videos and posts designed to help founders.
🤝 Cofounder Curious
New listings this week include:
Enterprising software engineer with 15 years experience in startups and tech companies.
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
🏔️ The following companies have won a place on the Foras Web Summit cohort in November and will be heading to Lisbon: Within Eve, ZOEX, DragonflAI, LiberEat, CCU International, Present Pal, OK Positive, Selfily, Valla, Electrek Explorer, Willo, Together, Talking Medicines, Three Robins, Snappy Shopper, Infix, Lokali.Shop, Robotical, No Logo, Swurf, Creative Entrepreneurs Club, Snapdragon, Nano-Lit, Bond, Neurobright, Konversible, Chauffeur Drive Systems, ScribePro, SENSEcity, Mesomorphic, Data Understood, and XRology. DGT TS FS
💌 Stamp Free (send parcels with no labels or stamps) is over-raising on Seedrs - congrats! More info here.
🕹️ According to a new report by Knight Frank, Scotland's gaming sector is worth £350m to the economy, making it the top region in the UK. TS
🎙️ Inverness-based Alitu (podcasting editing and hosting) now lets you edit your podcast episodes by text! More info here.
🚪 The YCF Conference was last month, the subject of which was 'Exits seen from both sides." Nick Freer writes a summary with insights from companies like MarktoMarket, Skyscanner, DeltaDNA, Par Equity, and Kelvin Capital. TS
🤝 There's a new match-making programme for social entrepreneurs interested in learning how to pitch and connect with procurement leads managed by Social Investment Scotland (SIS) and Social Enterprise Scotland. Participating procurment leads include reps from the Wates Group, abrdn, Historic Environment Scotland, Assembly Festival and eBay Details here. SBN TS
🙉 Edinburgh-based Trickle (anonymous feedback platform for employee engagement) raised £1m from Equity Gap, NoBa Capital, and Scottish Enterprise. DGT ACS TS IN
🛣️ Edinburgh-based Continuum Industries (AI to help infrastructure developers transition to greener energy) raised $10m from Singular, Credo, Playfair, and Techstart Ventures. UKTN DGT TS
🕹️ Run an indie game studio? Get a free expo place at Scottish Games Week (October 30th and 31st in Edinburgh and November 3rd in Glasgow). More info here. FS
🔘 Edinburgh and Glasgow-based spinout Neuranics (magnetic sensors for health, fitness, and metaverse applications) raised £1.9m from Par Equity, GU Holdings (University of Glasgow's investment company), Old College Capital, and Creator Fund. FS IN UKTN DGT
🌝 Dundee University student Struan Robertson won the 34th Young Software Engineer of the Year Award for using machine learning to map the surface of the moon in much greater detail. FS DGT
🤑 Edinburgh-based Stellar Omada (digital transformation and testing for the financial services industry) raised £4.5m from BGF. DBG
📣 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!
🏎️ Fancy working for an Accelerator? Geovation Scotland is hiring an Innovation Delivery Lead. More info here.
🔒 Cyber Security Questionnaire: Rada Cyber Security is looking for anyone working in small or medium sized businesses in Scotland to fill out a quick questionnaire about cyber security to help in their research: Answer here.
👭 Interested in connecting with possible co-founders? Fill in your listing on Cofounder Curious today! Connect with others for possible cofounder matching here.
🙏 Looking for a mentor? A senior software engineer with a background working for early to mid stage tech startups as well as running engineering teams for NGOs providing data analytics to public health in the developing world is looking to mentor a junior developer. They have extensive experience in DevOps, API design and implementation, data analytics and cloud security. They are looking to find a junior to mid-level software engineer who would enjoy one-to-one mentoring in technical skills as well as early career development (no cost). Reply if interested.
✍️ Want to write something for Campfire? Have an opinion you'd like to share? get in touch!
🦸 They take time to understand our business.
"Given the infancy and nature of our business, it's critical that we work with legal counsel that gives due consideration to the nuances of our specific business and offers creative and practical solutions for our particular challenges. Shepherd and Wedderburn has provided high-quality, practical and business-minded guidance that has helped contribute to our early successes.
While the entirety of the firm has been a great partner for us, Hannah Bruce in particular has done an excellent job guiding us through a myriad of legal challenges by taking the care and time to understand our business and operations to ensure we are provided the best and most pointed counsel possible. I would strongly recommend Shepherd and Wedderburn as a trusted partner for providing expert advice and support on a wide range of legal and compliance matters." - Kevin Kreuser, Head of Legal, BetDEX Labs, Inc.
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 starttoscale@shepwedd.co.uk & set up a chat.
📅 Events
🤝 Series: Unplugged: Open to everyone, Unplugged is a networking event for professionals working in, or interested in, tech startups and tech innovation.
📆 03/10, 16:00 🗺️ Stonehaven MORE INFO
📆 05/10, 16:00 🗺️ Peterhead MORE INFO
📆 11/10, 16:00 🗺️ Fraserburgh MORE INFO
☕ Series: Unfiltered: Connect with members of the local tech community, the coffee is on us!
📆 04/10, 08:30 🗺️ Edinburgh MORE INFO
📆 04/10, 08:30 🗺️ Glasgow MORE INFO
📆 04/10, 08:30 🗺️ Dundee MORE INFO
📆 04/10, 08:30 🗺️ Aberdeen MORE INFO
📆 04/10, 08:30 🗺️ Inverness MORE INFO
📆 04/10, 08:30 🗺️ Stirling MORE INFO
☕ 03/10, 09:30 🗺️ Glasgow: October Coffee Meetup (Scottish Women in Business): These meetups are to Connect, Communicate and Collaborate with other smart, successful women in business. MORE INFO
📜 03/10, 09:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: Preparing your Digital Assets for Investment - copyright and data protection: Join us at this free half-day workshop to learn how to how to protect and commercialise your IP. MORE INFO
🤝 03/10, 17:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: Tech Meetup - Edinburgh: We have some interesting speakers, talks and games lined up with lots of time for networking. MORE INFO
💡 04/10, 10:00 🗺️ Online: An Introduction to Innovation: Introduction to the tools & techniques you need to start or move to the next stage of your innovation journey. MORE INFO
🌟 04/10, 10:00 🗺️ Online: Recruitment Excellence: Strategies for Success: Learn about strategies for recruiting and retaining the best talent — join this masterclass webinar hosted by Taylor Clarke. MORE INFO
🩺 04/10, 15:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Edinburgh Medtech Forum: Join us for the first Edinburgh Medtech Forum where we bring together healthcare, medtech and healthtech professionals from around Edinburgh. MORE INFO
🤓 04/10, 18:00 🗺️ Glasgow: Tech Meetup October: How I build a full-stack application using Tensorflow and Firebase by Lewis Shearer and Why your monolithic application doesn't need moving to microservices by Arran Edwards. MORE INFO
🤝 07/10, 14:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Founders meetup: We are a group of founders who meet up once a month to talk about the ups and downs of your startups in a casual setting. MORE INFO
🇮🇳 10/10, 10:00 🗺️ Online: India Ecommerce Opportunity : Fastest Route To Market For Scottish Business: Join this webinar to learn about the opportunities for your business in the India e-commerce sector. MORE INFO
💦 10/10, 09:30 🗺️ Newton St Boswells: South of Scotland Hydrogen Workshop: The main themes will include: the opportunities and challenges in green hydrogen production and product development. MORE INFO
⛓️ 10/10, 17:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Monthly Scottish Blockchain Meetup: "The Use of AI in Trading Cryptocurrencies: Opportunities and Challenges" by Maysara Hammouda, Co-Founder and CTO of Predictiva and "Be your own bank with MELD" by Endo Rivers. MORE INFO
🌐 11/10, 09:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: SEWF23 Community Hub: Over the two days you will have the opportunity to participate both online connecting with a global audience and in person, hearing from local Scottish based entrepreneurs. The focus of the two days will be 'Collective Action, Sustainable Change'. MORE INFO
🏄♀️ 11/10, 13:00 🗺️ Stranraer: Women's Enterprise Event: open to all women in business, enterprises and those just starting to consider their enterprise journey! A friendly welcome awaits where you will hear from local women in business and get a chance to widen your business network of support. MORE INFO
🚌 12/10, 16:00 🗺️ Aberdeen: Future Tourism - How will Tech transform the Travel Industry? Envisioning the future of travel and bringing innovative ideas to life. Learn about the current state and emerging trends in travel, hospitality and tourism courtesy of Joshua-Ryan Saha, Director, TravelTech Scotland.. MORE INFO
🏄♀️ 17/10, 13:00 🗺️ Peebles: Women's Enterprise Event: open to all women in business, enterprises and those just starting to consider their enterprise journey! A friendly welcome awaits where you will hear from local women in business and get a chance to widen your business network of support. MORE INFO
🎯 Deadlines
🇬🇧 Upcoming Innovate UK deadlines:
SSPP: Liquid food and beverages in refillable packaging Applications close 25 October
Collaborative AI Solutions to improve productivity in key sectors Applications close 8 November
MyWorld Collaborative Research and Development: Round 2 Applications close 23 November
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