Scottish EDGE Round 25: celebrating innovation and entrepreneurship

Scottish EDGE is Scotland’s leading business funding competition that keeps on growing. Round 25 was no exception. Last night (20^th May), Scottish EDGE once again showcased the incredible talent in the country’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The final took place on Friday, 9th May 2025, at the Royal Bank of Scotland Conference Centre in Edinburgh, where finalists competed for up to £150,000 in funding. Last night, we celebrated the winners of Scottish EDGE Round 25. Huge congratulations are due to all the winners!

Since its inception, the competition has awarded around £28m to more than 663 businesses, helping to generate 4,420 jobs and contributing to £787m in additional turnover and £469m of investment. Scottish EDGE is renowned for its role in supporting Scotland’s top entrepreneurs and this year’s competition was no exception, with £1.5m awarded to 35 innovative businesses.

As ever, competition this year was fierce and 44 judges across Round 25 had the difficult task of deciding the winners. Among the standout businesses this year was Unleash the Dogs, a company dedicated to promoting clean and safe dog parks. This business has created a network of well-maintained, secure parks where dogs can play and socialise off-leash. Its commitment to responsible dog ownership and community engagement has made them a favourite among dogs, dog owners and the Scottish EDGE judges, winning £100,000 in funding.

The fun and creative Goat Rodeo Goods has given a rowdy kick to kitchen spices, securing £75,000 in funding and the STV Growth EDGE award which comes with an additional £75,000 towards TV advertising.

This was a year of firsts for Scottish EDGE. One of the top awards for main category EDGE this year was an astounding £150,000, supported by Scottish Enterprise. The introduction of ‘Mission EDGE’ is awarded to businesses which concentrate on three priority areas. These ‘missions’ are to create an internationally competitive energy transition industry in Scotland, to scale the impact of Scotland’s innovation strengths into high-growth industries of the future and to drive capital investment to deliver a step change in Scotland’s productivity. Vanilla Farms was awarded this accolade for its efforts in revolutionising the premium vanilla industry. A very well-deserved award.

Another first for EDGE this year was the introduction of Regional EDGE. With the purpose of broadening the reach of Scottish EDGE, the competition is supported by strategic partners Opportunity North East (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire), Elevator (Dundee and Angus), GrowBiz (Perth and Kinross), and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, to deliver their own finals. Impressively, more than half of the businesses that applied for Regional EDGE had never done so for EDGE before, showcasing the opportunities that Regional EDGE can offer to those businesses in regions such as Aberdeen, Perth, Dundee and the Highlands to broaden the reach of Scottish EDGE business support across Scotland.

One regional winner, InGlaze, has developed a unique double-glazing system that reuses milk bottles to improve thermal efficiency, which can even be used in listed buildings. Its innovative approach ensures that historic buildings can be preserved without compromising modern energy standards. InGlaze was also awarded £65,000 of EDGE funding.

For the first time at the awards ceremony, we heard a pitch, but it wasn’t from a finalist. START is an innovative programme for Scottish schools which replicates the experience of participating in a start-up incubator. The group from St Thomas Acquinas Secondary School delivered an incredible pitch for its elegant trackable jewellery with the idea to help women suffering violence. It certainly was an insight into the next generation of entrepreneurs.

It goes without saying that the Scottish entrepreneurial ecosystem is a hub for innovative and seriously impressive tech from businesses such as Everyday People, which is using technology to create fully immersive concerts, to Green Crop Tech developing nanotechnology aimed at enhancing and promoting eco-friendly agriculture. Scottish EDGE is the competition which celebrates and drives innovation. The team at EDGE has taken innovation into its own hands, introducing its own AI chat bot ‘EDGEward’, to be on hand 24/7 to assist with any EDGE-related questions. We look forward to meeting EDGEward in the coming weeks.

Embracing the circular ethos of EDGE, we were inspired by the remarkable journey of an EDGE winner from Round 11. Kim Cameron from The Gin Bothy shared her story, from starting up to winning £70,000 in Round 11, securing an additional £1.7m in investment, and now achieving a turnover of £1.2m. Evelyn McDonald, CEO of EDGE, reminded us that the room was filled with future inspirational stories. Kim exemplified this by signing the EDGE Pledge, which encourages EDGE businesses to give 1% back to Scottish EDGE upon exit. Kim emphasised that her exit marks the start for someone else, truly capturing the essence of what EDGE represents.

Scotland’s strong and vibrant ecosystem is undoubtedly supported by its solid networks. Scottish EDGE continues to be a beacon of support for Scotland’s entrepreneurial talent, offering funding and business support. With each round, the competition grows stronger, fostering innovation and driving economic growth. As we celebrate the achievements of this year’s winners, we look forward to the next round of Scottish EDGE and the exciting new businesses it will bring to the forefront. At Harper Macleod, our mentorship scheme, a free programme for all Scottish EDGE winners, is designed to support and guide these innovative businesses on their journey to success. More information on our support packages for Scottish EDGE and all specialist category winners can be found here – The legal edge you need to succeed

Once again, huge congratulations to all the winners and those who took part in Round 25. Applications for the next round of Scottish EDGE open in August 2025.