Merry Christmas, from our quaranteam to yours

EDGE-Christmas-2020.jpg

We’ve pondered over our end of year reflection and whether or not we should even do one.

The usual, cheery holiday greeting and recalling of accomplishments could strike a somewhat dissonant chord after such a distressing time from which we have yet to emerge. The “2020 vision” aspirations now seem like a distant memory of a bygone time. Yes, 2020 has been tough and for some devastatingly so.
 
But, to enter into 2021 without first acknowledging our collective achievements in the face of such adversity would be to do a disservice to those who supported us throughout that time, and to those who we, in turn, helped to achieve great things.
 
So, please, join us in looking back over some of the highlights of the year that was, 2020:

  • After pausing Round 16 for a few months to dedicate our resources to support our existing businesses during the pandemic, we returned to welcome a record-breaking number of entrants

  • We held our first completely virtual Live Final, during which 24 multisector finalists pitched to a collective panel of 10 expert judges over two intense but incredible days

  • Continuing our theme of virtual firsts, those who successfully pitched their way to a share of the round’s £1m prize pot were awarded at our inaugural Virtual Awards Ceremony, with keynotes from Professor Sir Chris Evans, Sir Tom Hunter, Poonam Gupta OBE, Alison Rose and more

  • We also had the pleasure of introducing the new STV Growth EDGE Award, supported by STV and the IBioIC EDGE Award, supported by the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre.

  • Testament to the resilience of the Scottish entrepreneur, we were thrilled to receive our 100th EDGE Pledge – Scottish EDGE’s pay-it-forward initiative allowing past winners to commit a minimum of 1% of a future exit back into the competition. The last batch of signers also completed the sweep of Round 14 winners, the only round from which every winner has pledged.

  • And finally, a personal highlight for the team came in the form of EKOS report findings, commissioned by the Hunter Foundation, which revealed that among other things, Scottish EDGE has helped generate 860 additional jobs and added around £70m in value to the Scottish economy over the past five years.


We know 2021 won’t be all smooth sailing and there are challenges ahead, but if 2020 has taught us anything it’s that Scotland’s start-up scene has a resilience second to none, and a sense of comradery that’s as far-reaching as it is strong.

But for now, on behalf of Scottish EDGE and our funding organisations - the Royal Bank of Scotland, the Hunter Foundation, Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise and our private and public sector donors, we wish you a very Merry Christmas, from our quaranteam to yours.

Round 16Jack Proctor