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This is a read only version of the page. Toggle navigationAll All Web Pages Blogs Forums Idea Forums Cases Knowledge Articles Search Filter All Web Pages Blogs Forums Idea Forums Cases Knowledge Articles Search Sign in EDGE22 is now closed Up to £100k in start-up funding EDGE23 is open Round 23 is now open! DEADLINE: 2pm on 6 th March 2024 Round 23 is now closed Next application round: August 2024 APPLY HERE Get Tickets! Join our Mailing List Application Info & SupportWho We Are | Our Competitions | EDGE Pledge | Past Winners Who We Are Scottish EDGE is a competition aimed at identifying and supporting Scotland’s up-and-coming, innovative, high-growth potential entrepreneurial talent The EDGE Pledge” is a pioneering initiative around which winners can make an agreement to contribute a minimum of one percent from exits or make a donation from future revenue streams to support Scotland’s next generation of entrepreneurs. We believe that it’s important to support entrepreneurs and start-up businesses in any way we can. We also recognise that supporting businesses isn’t a one-off thing. From providing prize funding of up to £150,000 to a quick catch-up, we’re here for the long haul. Are you in? Let’s get down to business. 3,599 Applications £15m+ Awarded 395 Businesses Supported 1858 Jobs Generated £151m Additional Turnover £124m Additional Investment Application Support Open all Close all Scottish EDGE Scottish EDGE is the main competition category, and all companies that apply and meet the eligibility criteria will be entered in to and assessed for the main Scottish EDGE competition. This category also includes three special awards: STV Growth EDGE , for consumer-based product business across both Rounds 16 and 17, Higgs EDGE , for Science, Technology and Engineering focused businesses; Creative EDGE , for businesses from within Scotland’s Creative Sector; Social Enterprise EDGE , for Social Enterprise businesses; and Circular Economy EDGE , for circular focused businesses. If you have an Innovative, High-Growth Potential business then you could win up to £100,000 (£150,000 for Higgs EDGE) plus a fantastic package of support from Scottish EDGE. The application process consists of each business completing the Scottish EDGE Online Application Form (available from our website) and producing a 3-minute video presentation. Your application and video submission are then assessed by our independent panel of assessors against the following criteria: Innovation, Entrepreneurial Spirit, Business Growth Potential, Customer Focused, Utilisation of Funding and Risk Awareness. Young EDGE At Scottish EDGE, we recognise that growing your business can be particularly challenging for younger entrepreneurs. Whilst Scottish EDGE is open to all who meet the Scottish EDGE criteria, an additional special category has been designed to support Companies whose Directors are all aged 18-30 (excluding Non-Exec Directors and Investors) in the form of Young EDGE. Applicants who are eligible for the Young EDGE category will be assessed as part of the Scottish EDGE 1st Stage Assessment Process and, should they meet the scoring level required following assessment, will be invited to pitch live at the Young EDGE Final, for the chance to win one of the prizes up to £15,000 (Grant only). The assessment criteria for Young EDGE is the same as in the Scottish EDGE category. Following the conclusion of the assessment day, the judging panel will decide the top Young EDGE winner (irrespective of their Scottish EDGE assessment score) and this business will be awarded a place at a future Scottish EDGE final. Wild Card EDGE Recognising that businesses can often require support to take their product or service to market, Scottish EDGE introduced the Wild Card EDGE competition category in 2015. Open to pre-trading businesses, winning a Wild Card EDGE award results in Scottish EDGE support in the form of a grant of up to £15,000 and access to our non-financial support package, provided by leading business professionals. This is a judges’ award category and requires the collective agreement of the assessment panel that you or your company has the innovative ‘wow’ factor. Innovation is not only about your product or service; it can be about you, your approach, your team, or the design or brand which you have adopted. Following the conclusion of the assessment day, the judging panel will decide the top Wild Card EDGE winner (irrespective of their Scottish EDGE assessment score) and this business will be awarded a place at a future Scottish EDGE final. Open all Close all How to Apply Round 16 is now Closed Round 17 will open for application in December 2020 You only need to submit one application to be entered in to the Scottish EDGE, Young EDGE or Wild Card EDGE competition, where eligibility permits. All applications must be submitted using the Scottish EDGE Online Application Portal, which can be accessed from the top of the Home Page . No paper based or email applications will be accepted. Submit an Application Apply Here Assessment Criteria Whilst the competition standard and level of expectation can often increase as you progress through the stages of the Scottish EDGE competition, the assessment criteria remains consistent across the 1st Stage assessments, the Semi-Final and the Final. Young EDGE and Wild Card EDGE also have the same assessment scoring process but within Wild Card EDGE this will be interpreted slightly differently as these businesses are pre-trading. The assessment criteria across all rounds scores against the following key requirements: Innovation Entrepreneurial Spirit Business Growth Potential Customer Focus Utilisation of Funding Risk Awareness Expanded definitions of each critera can be found here . 3-min Video Pitch The video should be to the standard of that taken on a hand held mobile recording device or better – it is not necessary to pay for an external party to produce a professional video solely for this competition unless you really wish to do so. It is the content of the pitch which matters. We would encourage applicants to show their product or service in the 3 minute video as this often helps bring your offering to life for the judging panel during the assessment process. YouTube is the preferred option for uploading video content and we would encourage applicants to amend their video to the unlisted option when uploading a video to YouTube (link below). The time limit for videos is 3 minutes maximum. Any video content beyond 3 minutes will not be viewed during assessments. How to change video to Unlisted . Once the video content has been uploaded to YouTube (or another preferred format i.e. Vimeo) then you must provide the full URL link on your Scottish EDGE Application where requested. Please refer to the Scottish EDGE Competition Brochure for a more detailed breakdown. FAQ For full competition FAQs, please refer to the Scottish EDGE Competition Brochure here . Open all Close all Application Workshops A pre-recorded workshop is now available online, follow the link below to view Watch Here Sample Application View a sample application with what are considered strong answers to the application questions: View Sample Video Pitch Examples View past examples of 3-min video pitches which went on to win funding: View Examples Competition Brochure Read the 2020 Competition Brochure for in-depth guidance on your application: Download Competition Brochure Supporting Scotland’s Future Entrepreneurs The EDGE Pledge” is a pioneering initiative around which winners can make an agreement to contribute a minimum of one percent from exits or make a donation from future revenue streams to support Scotland’s next generation of entrepreneurs. View full list of EDGE Pledgers Past Winners Shown below are some of our previous winners. Click on any of the logos to see the Case Study for each winner (currently works for Trtl). 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 View all Scottish EDGE Alumni Our...