Here’s your Campfire for Monday, 21st September
🚀 Turing Fest 2026: 22nd & 23rd of September
This year, Day One of Turing Fest is split across two tracks: Startups & Investors.
Startups (Biscuit Factory, Edinburgh): “A day dedicated to founders and operators where high signal keynotes meet deep dive roundtables, founder firesides and hours of networking with peers and industry experts.”
Investors (Edinburgh Futures Institute): “An investor-only day where market intel, deal flow and new opportunities are uncovered. Expect tactical keynotes, peer-to-peer roundtables and some serious networking.”
Then everyone will come together for Day Two at the Biscuit Factory:
“Where founders, operators and investors come together. The ultimate mix of high level keynotes, in-depth roundtable conversations and 1:1 meetings with key decision makers.”
👉 Check out all the announced speakers here
Turing Fest not only includes the scheduled talks, but also features several side events, ranging from a 5k run to startup dinners. Check them out here.
See the full agenda here, and grab your tickets here!
📣 Asks, Offers, Updates, & Deadlines
CivTech Round 12 is now open and has launched with six new Challenges and £5.7 million of investment available to help innovative businesses develop solutions to real public sector problems. Successful teams will work directly with public sector organisations, receive funded support through the CivTech Accelerator, retain 100% of their intellectual property, and have the opportunity to secure further commercial contracts. Challenges this round focus on areas including health, housing, child protection, substance use support and digital public services. Applications close at 12 noon on Tuesday 20 October 2026. Find out more and apply here
🛠️ Makerteers applications open A fully funded six-month programme for people in Glasgow and Edinburgh developing physical products with “ambitions to scale”. Running from October to March, Makerteers will support cohorts of 20 makers in each city through “practical workshops, specialist support, expert surgeries, peer learning and resources”. Launch events take place in Glasgow on 17 September and Edinburgh on 24 September, with applications closing at 12 noon on 1 October 2026. 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 or share something with Campfire? Get in touch!
📅 Events
⛓️ 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
🚀 22/09, 16:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Bootstrappers meetup (prototype) Meet fellow founders building without investors to share the ups and downs of startup life, swap ideas, hear what’s working and make new connections in a relaxed, pitch-free meetup. MORE INFO
🔐 22/09, 18:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: September Meetup – Software Security in the Age of AI Explore software security in the age of AI, from coding assistants and supply-chain risks to authentication mistakes and real-world failures, plus an introduction to Software Bills of Materials. MORE INFO
☕ 22/09, 08:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: The Business Connection Networking Breakfast Start the day with breakfast and informal networking at Loudons Fountainbridge, meeting fellow business owners and professionals and making new connections in a relaxed setting. MORE INFO
🏃 22/09, 17:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Traveltech Meet Up – Sports, Wellness & TravelTech: The Future of Active Travel Explore how technology is shaping sports travel, wellness tourism and active holidays, with discussion on AI, personalisation, major sporting events and opportunities for innovation. MORE INFO
🔐 22/09, 17:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: ScotlandIS Cyber Cluster Fireside Chat Join business leaders, cyber specialists and policymakers to explore why cyber resilience belongs in the boardroom, with practical discussion around governance, accountability and leadership. 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
🔗 23/09, 18:00 🗺️ Perth: BOSSLADY - Behind The Scenes - Linktree Pop-Up Join Perthshire Businesswomen’s Network for a practical session on building your own Linktree, bringing your business links, socials and booking pages together in one place. 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
🤝 24/09, 17:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: ProductTank Edinburgh Networking + Social Meet Edinburgh’s product community for a relaxed evening of drinks, conversation and networking, with plenty of time to catch up with familiar faces and meet new people. MORE INFO
🛠️ 24/09, 18:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Makerteers Edinburgh Launch Event Meet the team behind Makerteers and learn about its fully funded six-month programme supporting makers and physical product entrepreneurs with workshops, specialist support, tools and connections. MORE INFO
☕ 24/09, 09:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Leith Business Networking - September Connect with fellow business owners and professionals in Leith over coffee, with an informal hour to share ideas, make new connections and grow your local network. MORE INFO
📊 24/09, 16:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: Five Slides Only: Innovating in Financial Services Hear quick-fire talks from data and AI professionals exploring innovation in financial services, followed by networking with speakers, peers and Scotland’s data community. MORE INFO
🔈 28/09, 18:00 Edinburgh: creative soundLAB: Music Audio Sound Sync Showcase Networking Event We are shining a spotlight on the new ‘LoopSequence’ platform showcasing awesome animations, immersive audio textures and fresh music loops. Come network with Edinburgh’s creative sectors. MORE INFO
📣 29/09, 18:00 🗺️ Fife: The Marketing Meetup IRL: Fife Meet fellow marketers for a relaxed evening at Louie Brown’s in Dalgety Bay, with informal conversation, knowledge sharing and a chance to connect with Fife’s marketing community. MORE INFO
👩💻 29/09, 18:15 🗺️ Glasgow: Ladies of Code: September Meetup Connect with women working in and interested in tech for an evening of networking, knowledge sharing and collaboration at the University of Glasgow. MORE INFO
📊 29/09, 18:00 🗺️ Dundee: Dundee Data Meetup: September 2026 Join Dundee’s community of data practitioners, students and curious learners for an evening of talks, discussion and connections around data and how it shapes our world. MORE INFO
🤝 30/09, 08:00 🗺️ Dundee: East Scotland Business Networking Event Meet fellow professionals for a relaxed morning of networking, sharing ideas and building connections, with a focus on supporting one another and creating new business opportunities. MORE INFO
⛓️ 30/09, 18:00 🗺️ Glasgow: Blockchain and Business Networking | Elevating Your Potential - Glasgow Meet entrepreneurs, investors, engineers, analysts and others interested in blockchain and business for an evening of networking and new connections at Bunker Bar. MORE INFO
🤝 30/09, 17:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: Catalysing Connections September Gathering Meet people developing ideas, building communities and creating positive change at this quarterly gathering focused on making connections and sharing ideas at The Melting Pot. MORE INFO
🎨 30/09, 10:30 🗺️ Fife: Creative Fife Networking - September 2026 meet up Meet fellow creative business owners from across Fife for an informal morning of coffee, cake and conversation, with a focus on genuine connections rather than elevator pitches. 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
☕ 06/10, 09:00 🗺️ Inverness: Unfiltered Inverness Connect with Inverness’s tech community over coffee, cake and informal conversation at this relaxed morning meetup from CodeBase and Techscaler. MORE INFO
☕ 07/10, 08:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: Unfiltered Edinburgh Start the day with coffee, cake and informal conversation with Edinburgh’s tech community at this relaxed morning meetup from CodeBase and Techscaler. MORE INFO
🤝 07/10, 18:30 🗺️ Fife: The Real Talk Business Lounge - Fife Join a small networking evening for entrepreneurs focused on honest conversations about business growth, challenges and opportunities, with space to make meaningful connections with other business owners. MORE INFO
☕ 07/10, 09:00 🗺️ Aberdeen: Unfiltered Aberdeen Connect with Aberdeen’s tech community over coffee, cake and informal conversation at this relaxed morning meetup from CodeBase and Techscaler. MORE INFO
☕ 08/10, 09:00 🗺️ Glasgow: Unfiltered Glasgow Connect with Glasgow’s tech community over coffee, cake and informal conversation at this relaxed morning meetup from CodeBase and Techscaler. MORE INFO
🤖 09/10, 08:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: AI Breakfast Club: Edinburgh Join founders, investors and tech leaders for breakfast, networking and a panel exploring Edinburgh’s AI ecosystem, emerging opportunities and what it takes to build globally competitive AI businesses. MORE INFO
👩💻 20/10, 18:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Women in Tech Edinburgh - OutGeekWomen Connect with women working across tech, including software engineering, data science, product, project management and UI/UX, for an evening of networking and conversation at The Melting Pot. MORE INFO
🚀 20/10, 18:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Founders Meetup Edinburgh – October 2026 Connect with founders, potential co-founders and investors for speed networking, community shoutouts and a tactical fireside chat exploring the practicalities of building and growing a startup. 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