💰 LendingCrowd growth, WiT awards, AI for Insulin Injection Sites, Exit Tax, and Scale-up conundrums
Here's your Campfire for the 17th of November, 2025.
💼 Johnston Carmichael are a leading accountancy and business advisory firm, with offices throughout Scotland, in Newcastle and London. A partner owned firm for over 85 years, they have grown to offer core and specialist services to business of all sizes.
With specialist sector teams, they are fast becoming one of the most trusted advisers for entrepreneurs, founders and businesses that are successfully scaling.
Talk to the team today to discuss what growth stage your business is at.
🌊 Updates
🚀 Edinburgh-based LendingCrowd ranked 9th in Deloitte’s 2025 Fast 50 after reporting 2,792% three-year revenue growth. Only three Scottish companies made the UK-wide list this year (the other two being Clarus Networks and Utopi, “underscoring continued challenges for Scotland’s tech sector despite recent record investment”. DGT
👸🏼Winners of the Scotland Women in Tech Awards 2025 have been announced, highlighting “emerging founders, early-career talent, and diversity initiatives across Scotland’s tech community”. Tracey Aitken, co-founder of HairTracker, a digital client-record app for salon professionals, won Career Changer of the Year. DGT SBN
💰 Reports suggest Chancellor Rachel Reeves is considering a 20% “exit tax” that some say will epecially target entrepreneurs who move abroad. More than 1,200 founders and business leaders have signed an open letter via the Startup Coalition warning that the measure could harm the UK’s competitiveness and discourage scale-up growth. DGT
💉 University of Edinburgh graduate Abhishek Bohare has won national recognition for BetaSync, an AI-powered smart injection device designed to help Type 1 diabetes patients find the safest insulin injection site. The device, which “aims to reduce tissue damage, simplify site rotation, and minimise medical waste”, was awarded the StartUp runners-up prize at the ESBF Champion of Champions Competition in London. FS
📈 A new report from Shane Corstorphine has outlined 15 priorities to tackle Scotland’s long-standing “scaling-up conundrum.” The study highlights that Scotland has around 1,500 “scale-ups”, but only 85 generating more than £50m in annual revenue (the definition of a scale-up isn’t always an agreed-upon term), a gap Corstorphine says is “holding back the country’s economic potential.” Full report here. TS SFN UKTN
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📅 Events
💼 18/11, 09:30, 🗺️ Edinburgh: Small Business Workshop: Sustainability Join this high impact workshop where you’ll discover ways in which you can run a more resilient, sustainable, and profitable business. MORE INFO
🎓 18-19/11 🗺️ Aberdeen: From Hypothesis to Horizon: Shaping Scotland’s DeepTech Future Join Professor Mark Logan OBE FRSE, former Chief Entrepreneurial Adviser to the The Scottish Government and Professor of Technology Entrepreneurship at the University of Glasgow for an inspiring session on transforming cutting-edge research into global innovation.
👉 18/11, 14:00: RGU MORE INFO
👉 19/11, 11:00: University of Aberdeen MORE INFO
🚀 18/11, 18:00, 🗺️ Edinburgh: Founders Meetup Edinburgh Join startup founders, entrepreneurs, and investors for fireside chats, networking, and community building with the UK Startup Hub. MORE INFO
💼 18/11, 08:30, 🗺️ Edinburgh: Business Networking Event: E-commerce Customer Retention & Loyalty, bringing together startup founders, entrepreneurs, and professionals to connect and discuss marketing and advertising. MORE INFO
🎉 19/11, 17:30, 🗺️ Edinburgh: ProductTank Edinburgh: End of Year Retro and Celebration Join product managers, designers, and industry pros at Skyscanner HQ for an evening of reflection, networking, and celebration of another year of ProductTank meetups. MORE INFO
🍺 20/11, 19:15 🗺️ Edinburgh: People, Planet, Pint™ Sustainability Meetup: A relaxed evening for locals to connect, chat sustainability, and share ideas over a pint. MORE INFO
🌍 20/11, 17:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: TravelTech Meetup (Evening Session) Hosted at CreateFuture, this relaxed networking night features a panel discussion, drinks, and conversations on the future of travel and tech. MORE INFO
💻 20/11, 09:00 🗺️ Online: Scale Your Service Business With Tech: A CodeBase workshop for service-based founders on using technology to grow and scale efficiently. MORE INFO
🖥️ 20/11, 09:00 🗺️ Perth: Perth Tech Mornings: Networking with the local tech and business community. MORE INFO
💡 20/11, 17:00, 🗺️ Edinburgh: Startup Huddle: Edinburgh connect with local entrepreneurs to network, exchange ideas, and share expertise at Bright Red Triangle’s Canalside Office. MORE INFO
🏢 20/11, 10:30 🗺️ Perth: Perth Coworking Day Join CodeBase for a free coworking day at with local tech and business community for a day of collaboration and connection. MORE INFO
💼 25/11, 17:00, 🗺️ Glasgow: Business Networking Event: E-commerce Customer Retention & Loyalty join startup founders and entrepreneurs in Merchant City for an informal evening of networking and discussion. MORE INFO
🧭 26/11, 10:00 🗺️ Online: Techscaler x ScotlandIS Webinar: Learn how early-stage Techscaler members can access ScotlandIS support, free for the first year. MORE INFO
🛡️ 26/11, 18:00, 🗺️ Edinburgh: Network One: Cybersecurity Startups & Professionals Meetup a relaxed evening at Cold Town House for cybersecurity pros, ethical hackers, and startup founders to connect and share insights. MORE INFO
☕ 26/11, 9:00, 🗺️ Edinburgh: Quarterly Networking Breakfast, connecting local founders and professionals over coffee, breakfast, and light networking activities. MORE INFO
💼 27/11, 10:30 🗺️ Glasgow: Co-Work Club Glasgow This coworking day invites remote workers to escape the home office and connect with others in a relaxed, social workspace. MORE INFO
🤖 27/11, 09:30, 🗺️ Glasgow: AI Breakfast Club: Deep Tech from an Investor’s Perspective Explore how investors evaluate deep tech startups and connect with leaders from Glasgow’s AI and tech ecosystem. MORE INFO
🧪 27/11, 13:00, 🗺️ Edinburgh: Scottish Testing Group 2025 Meet Up An afternoon of thought provoking talks by industry experts, collaborative discussions on current topics in QE and networking opportunities. MORE INFO
🌍 27/11, 17:30, 🗺️ Edinburgh: Traveltech Meetup This month’s session brings together travel, tech, and innovation professionals for an evening of inspiration, conversation, and networking. MORE INFO
💻 27/11, 08:30, 🗺️ Edinburgh: DIGIT Expo 2025 Explore Scotland’s biggest tech exhibition to get up close with the new disruptive products and services that are shaping future businesses. MORE INFO
🏢 27/11, 09:45 🗺️ Edinburgh: Scottish EDGE Round 26 Live Final: Round 26 of the UK’s BIGGEST small business funding competition will take place on 27th November at RBS Conference Centre with the latest batch of finalists pitching for up to £150,000 in funding. The event will feature two simultaneous pitching sessions, an exhibitor and networking atrium, 1:1 advice sessions, and keynote talks. MORE INFO
☕ 28/11, 7:00 🗺️ Dundee: Coffee Morning @ Flour Mill A casual networking event by Dundee Founders Collective. Share blockers, swap advice, and connect over free coffee from Flour Mill. MORE INFO
☕ 28/11, 9:00, 🗺️ Edinburgh: Founder Friday Coworking This all-day coworking session brings founders together for focused work, coffee, and conversation. MORE INFO
🏢 28/11, 8:30, 🗺️ Edinburgh: Coworking Open Day Drop in anytime for a free day of coworking, tours, and community connection in their shared workspace. MORE INFO
🧩 02/12, 17:30, 🗺️ Edinburgh: Tech Meetup Edinburgh 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
🎄 04/12, 19:30, 🗺️ Glasgow: Tech MeetUp - Christmas Party Our December event will be a chance for everyone in the Glasgow Tech Community to come along and enjoy some downtime with like minded people to end the year of events in style. MORE INFO
🎄 04/12, 19:00, 🗺️ Edinburgh: Christmas Drinks Enjoy a glass (or two) of mulled wine, connect with fellow Swurfers, and get into the holiday spirit. It’s the perfect mix of networking, laughter, and a little Christmas magic. MORE INFO
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Team 🔥 Campfire
Hey, great read as always. The AI insulin device sounds amasing! Regarding the exit tax, what do you see as its biggest implications for Uk scale-ups? Your insights are always so valuable.