🔋 Innovatium, ScribePro, SWURF raise, Cleantech series A event, AI Festival organiser
Here's your Campfire for the 21st of July, 2025.
💼 Coming this month: HR & Employment Law for Startup Founders: Whether you're at the beginning of your start-up journey or up and running, having an understanding of employment law and your business' HR needs is crucial. Olivia Greener, solicitor in Shepherd & Wedderburn’s employment team, and Scott Baxter, founder and director of Emploi HR Consultancy will be covering what you need to know to make sure you're set up for success as your business grows. 30 July, 18:30, Edinburgh. RSVP here.
How to speak VC
As an investor, I listened to or reviewed hundreds of companies' pitches. Some were compelling, others easier to dismiss. Some were clear, others bamboozling.
Now, I’m helping companies to fundraise. And I realise that companies and investors speak different dialects, and much is lost in translation.
I take three lessons from this.
First, be clear.
YC’s Michael Seibel says companies ‘stand out by being concise and easy to understand’, and I agree. As an investor, I lacked time and didn’t like repeatedly asking basic questions. So I spent time with companies that concisely told me what they did and how they made money, and I avoided the rest.
Companies, it can be hard to communicate clearly, but it’s worth doing. Tell investors the basics as clearly as you can - no buzzwords, no excess words. Investors, tell companies what you’re thinking - even if it’s as simple as ‘I don’t understand what you do’.
Second, know what you’ve got.
I've met with companies that seem ordinary, but who reveal - after much questioning - that they have something really special. Do you have a world-leading dataset? Phenomenal growth with low customer acquisition costs? Tell investors! If you don’t know what to tell investors, read Hamilton Helmer’s ‘Seven Powers’. It may help you identify what unique cards you hold and how to play them, and - if not - it should at least help you translate into investor-ese.
Third, be ambitious and practical.
As an investor, I mostly spoke with Silicon Valley companies, and got cynical about huge visions with little practical detail about how to address them. Now that I work with British businesses, I'm amazed by their shyness about having a bigger vision at all.
To be clear, I think most businesses should not be VC scale. But companies - if you’re doing something scalable that you believe in and want to grow - be ambitious and tell your investors! And investors, maybe bashful British companies can be undervalued, and it’s worth the effort to tease the ambition out.
Bridget Harris spent ∼7 years as an investor at Baillie Gifford, where she mostly focussed on rapidly growing private companies. She provides ad-hoc support to founders via the Techscaler mentorship programme.
🌊 Updates
🔋 East Kilbride-based Innovatium Group (advanced liquid air energy storage systems) raised £3m from the Scottish National Investment Bank and Hitachi Industrial Equipment Solutions (HIES). It’s main technology, PRISMA, uses “off-peak electricity to cool and liquefy compressed air – and then converts that liquid energy back into compressed air to generate power when needed.” IN DGT
🏉 Glasgow-based ScribePro (medical records platform for sports clinicians) raised 'a six figure sum’ from ex-footballer Steven Naismith. ScribePro is currently used by 11 national associations across football, rugby, and cricket, including the Scottish Football Association and Scottish Rugby Union. Internationally, nine national football associations use the platform - including the Netherlands, Croatia, Denmark, the Republic of Ireland, and Northern Ireland, with American Football on the way.
💻 Edinburgh-based Swurf (platform connecting remote workers with underused hospitality spaces to work) announced that £1.8m worth of revenue has been generates by host partners and they’ve raised ‘a six figure sum’ from Scottish Enterprise, Gareth Williams, and other private investors. SFN DGT
🚀 Edinburgh-based Bright Ascension (Space operations and mission control software), raised £2.3m from Capital for Colleagues, Scottish Enterprise, Harrock Capital Partners, and T J Morris Investments. Sandy Damm has also replaced Peter Mendham as CEO, with the latter moving to CTO. DGT
⚔️ Edinburgh-founded FanDuel is now fully owned by Flutter, after it acquired the remaining 5% from Boyd Gaming for £1.3bn, valuing the property at $31bn. TS
☀️ Building in Cleantech and looking at Series A? Clean Growth Fund is running a pitch & investor event on September 9th and is inviting companies to apply. More info here.
🔒 If you’re looking for IP & security reviews, there’s a new UK gov scheme to help fund them. More info here. DGT
👩🎤 Ready for the festivals? A former Fringe performer, Sean Errey has co-launched an AI-powered show planner called FringeFlow.Ai. After inputting your preferences, it generates suggestions and an itinerary along with walking directions. DGT
📣 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.
🤖 Amir Panahi, an AI Consultant has launched a service designed for consultants from all sectors, to address potentially falling behind in this AI revolution we find ourselves in. If you or someone you know is up all night wondering how to get ahead of competitors, then get in touch.
🏡 Greenflip, a climate-tech startup helping make homes cheaper to run and better for the planet, is looking for a Machine Learning / AI Engineer. You'll work with satellite imagery, property data, and energy consumption data to build models that spot homes with strong potential for energy upgrades. It's a chance to apply AI to real-world climate impact. Apply here
🦾 Makerspace, Coworking, Hardware lab: thebeyond, a thriving hub of innovation: Whether you’re a founder, builder, creative, or part of a growing team - there’s a membership option that fits the way you work. 🌟 Big ideas need the right space. Come see what’s possible in thebeyond
💼 Work with TopHatch: Senior Frontend Engineer (Remote, UK/Finland) Looking for a place where you can bring your whole self to work and make a real impact? TopHatch, a remote-first company behind the award-winning app Concepts, is hiring a Senior Frontend Engineer (Contract, £60–£70/hr) based in the UK or Finland to work with modern web technologies in a supportive, people-first environment. Apply here.
✈️ TravelPerk, a hyper-growth SaaS company revolutionising business travel, is hiring a Senior Software Engineer in Edinburgh. You'll work with modern tech (Python/Django, React), shape product architecture, and join a fast-paced, award-winning team trusted by brands like Wise and Red Bull. Apply 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!
“ChatGPT Doesn’t Have Insurance”
You’re looking to build your company, not get bogged down in HR processes and compliance. If a policy template works, then great, job done? Not so fast. “We have great templates and guidance on Start to Scale [free for Campfire readers btw], and these resources are a really helpful starting point for your business. But it’s still important to contact our employment lawyers and experts at an early stage, so that we can work with you as your start-up grows and help you manage any potential employee hiccups that might arise” says Olivia Greener, EmploymentSolicitor at Shepherd and Wedderburn, “Often we’re a bit of a panic purchase, and employers contact us when things have already started to go wrong – but it really is a case of the earlier and the more proactively you reach out to us, the better”.
Scott Baxter, Founder and Director of Emploi HR Consultancy adds, “If you receive a legal challenge from an employee, the costs can be enormous. ChatGPT is not insured to give you the advice for how to approach it. In business you need to take reasonable and rational risks, but it doesn’t make sense to when it points completely against your favour.”
Learn how you can develop awareness of issues before they escalate so you can proactively ensure you’re not only compliant, but enabling a productive work environment: July 30, Edinburgh: Growing your business: HR and employment law for startup founders. Register here.
📅 Events
🎯 22/07, 18:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Founders Meetup Edinburgh - July 2025: Tactical fireside chats with experienced entrepreneurs and speed networking with other founders, potential cofounders, and investors! MORE INFO
🥐 24/07, 10:00 🗺️ Glasgow: Glasgow - People, Planet, Pastry: Meet others interested in sustainability in your community, share local stories and ideas, and accelerate local climate action. MORE INFO
🌍 24/07, 17:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: Traveltech Meet up: Whether you're a startup founder, developer, marketer, or simply working in travel and technology, this is a chance to connect with others in the sector. MORE INFO
🍺 24/07, 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
🦀 24/07, 18:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: July talks: A Crab, a Pufferfish and a State-of-the-art Chess AI: Applying OpenBSD’s Secure Software Design Pattern in Rust and Exploring a State-of-the-art Chess AI built with Rust. MORE INFO
🤝 25/07, 09:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Founder Friday Coworking: Join us for a day of networking and inspiration! this is your chance to connect with fellow founders, share ideas, and maybe even spark your next big project. MORE INFO
⛓ 25/07, 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
💡 29/07, 10:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Co-Work Club Edinburgh: Tired of the home office grind but not ready for the daily commute? Say goodbye to crowded coffee shops and the endless search for a quiet Zoom spot. We've got the solution: Welcome to Co-Work Club @ Kimpton Hotel, Edinburgh. MORE INFO
👟 30/07, 16:00 🗺️ Glasgow: July Startup Run Club: Whether you’re a runner, a walker, or just in it for the coffee and conversation - this is a relaxed way to step away from the desk and get outside. We’ll meet for a gentle loop, followed by drinks and chats to unwind from the working day alongside fellow founders and innovators. MORE INFO
💻 30/07, 17:30 🗺️ Aberdeen: Code-Free AI: Building Smarter Agents with Zapier: Discover how to harness AI and automation—no coding required. Learn how founders, creatives, and small teams use Zapier to build intelligent workflows that save time and scale impact. Featuring real-world demos, expert insights, and practical takeaways, this event is perfect for anyone ready to explore AI-powered productivity tools. Don’t miss this opportunity to level up your automation game! MORE INFO
🟢🌱 30/07, 18:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: Growing your business: HR and employment law for startup founders: Whether you're at the beginning of your start-up journey or up and running, having an understanding of employment law and your business' HR needs is crucial. MORE INFO
📍 31/07, 10:00 🗺️ Aberdeen: Barclays Eagle Labs at One Tech Hub Drop in Clinic Jul 2025: Drop in and let’s have an open discussion about your business goals and ambition and learn more about how your ecosystem manager here at Eagle Labs can support you and your business here at One Tech Hub. MORE INFO
🤝🏼 05/08, 09:30 🗺️ Glasgow: Female Founders Co-Working Club - August: Stay inspired, motivated and connected throughout 2025 with the Female Founder Co-Working Club at Glasgow Eagle Labs! MORE INFO
🤝 05/08, 17:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: Tech Meetup Edinburgh - August 2025: The Tech Meetup is a monthly excuse for the tech community around Scotland to network, learn and share new ideas! Enjoy informative tech presentations from your peers, hear about exciting community projects and create new connections. MORE INFO
📍 06/08, 09:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Edinburgh Decentralized Finance Summit: Welcome to a celebration of Decentralized Finance, tokenization and digital asset innovation! Blockchain Scotland is proud to announce Scotland's first Decentralized Finance Summit. MORE INFO
Think someone would like this issue? Forward it to them! Check out previous issues by subscribing.
That’s all for this week - have a great one!
Team 🔥 Campfire