Inspire Launch Grow Awards
The annual celebration of entrepreneurship at the University of Edinburgh.
The Oscars of entrepreneurship at the University of Edinburgh: the Inspire Launch Grow Awards – is back for 2024 and is offering double the prize fund!
Inspire Launch Grow is about recognising innovation, creativity, and successes as well as the resilience, ambition, and accomplishments of entrepreneurs from the University of Edinburgh.
Accelerate your startup with the Inspire Launch Grow Awards with support, pitching advice and cash prizes to help take your startup to the next level. With three main categories to help kickstart your early-stage startup, nurture your social enterprise or accelerate your established startup. Enter now and be in with a chance of winning a share of the £48,000 prize fund.
2024 Inspire Launch Grow finalists
Inspire - Emerging Innovation Award Finalists
Student name | Startup name | School |
David Bourne | SimPat Innovations | Current student from Edinburgh Medical School |
Joe Bradley | QuantiPoly | Current student from School of Physics and Astronomy |
Rosie Tooby | 2B Jumps | Alumni from Moray House School of Education & Sport |
Sebastiaan Schalkwijk | Solarsub | Current student from the School of Engineering |
Sol White | SeaSat | Current student from the School of Engineering |
Launch - Impact Award Finalists
Student name | Startup name | School |
Aliyu Dala | Raygonal | Alumni from the School of Engineering |
Brittany Newfer | Sunsave Solutions | Alumni from the School of Social and Political Science |
Laura Higham | Vet Sustain CIC | Current student from the Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Systems |
Lizzie Smith | Gradatim | Alumni from the School of Social Sciences |
Grow - Growth Innovation Award Finalists
Student name | Startup name | School |
Amin Rigi | Eyesight Electronics | Current student from the Institute of Integrated Mirco and Nano Systems |
Conrad Kissling | Taste Don't Waste | Alumni from the Business School |
Elijah Hoole | RoadGauge | Alumni from the School of Informatics |
Ifeanyichukwu Ezinmadu | SymphoMe | Alumni from Edinburgh College of Art |
Competition categories
Category | Description | Prizes | Application process |
Main ILG - Inspire - Emerging Innovation Award |
For technology-based businesses, social enterprises and ideas with outstanding commercial potential who are at an early stage. The finalists have been judged to have a novel, interesting or unique idea, along with their business model. Emerging innovations will be currently in development but will have a promise for high growth as well as scalability and the potential to create jobs and have an impact on the local economy. In this category, judges are looking for strong customer validation and those who are at the start of their entrepreneurial journey. The enterprises should not have generated more than £100,000 in any form of funding. |
One winner will receive £10,000 and finalists will receive £500. Plus all finalists will get the choice of either a photography package or custom pitch deck. |
Complete the application form by the deadline. Give a 10 minute pitch to a panel of judges. |
Main ILG - Impact - Impact Award |
Designed for enterprises focused on change for the common good. Judges will be looking for those with the potential to benefit communities or the environment. The winning enterprise will be led by its social mission and be able to measure its impact. However, it should not stop there. Finalists must demonstrate a financially sustainable business model. This category invites those whose mission is to make the world a better place. |
One winner will receive £10,000 and finalists will receive £500. Plus all finalists will get the choice of either a photography package or custom pitch deck. |
Complete the application form by the deadline. Give a 10 minute pitch to a panel of judges. |
Main ILG - Grow - Growth Innovation Award |
This award is for technology-based businesses and social enterprises, with a strong market fit and investment potential. The initial concept, feasibility testing and market validation must be established and a product or prototype must have been developed. |
One winner will receive £10,000 and finalists will receive £500. Plus all finalists will get the choice of either a photography package or custom pitch deck. |
Complete the application form by the deadline. Give a 10 minute pitch to a panel of judges. |
Emerging Female Entrepreneur |
This award will be open by nomination – the nominator can be a friend, peer, employee or business adviser. Nominations are open for all students and recent graduates (two years) from the University of Edinburgh who identify as female, including trans-women. You can be nominated even as a past Inspire Launch Grow winner. |
One winner will receive £10,000 |
Complete the application form by the deadline. |
Moving Mountains - Creative Enterprise of the Year |
Are you a freelancer, a creative small business, an Etsy seller, or maybe you have a stall at a market? If so, we want to hear about you and your business and how your creativity helped you along the way. |
One winner will receive £1,000 | Share your story by the deadline. |
Moving Mountains - Best Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Initiative |
How does your business lead the way in creating an inclusive, fulfilling work environment that represents the wider society and is a truly welcoming place for marginalized groups? Our judges would love to hear about you! |
One winner will receive £1,000 |
Share your story by the deadline. |
Now closed for applications.
- Find out more and apply for Moving Mountains
- Find out more and nominate Emerging Female Entrepreneur
Digital Badging
All winners and finalists will receive a digital badge for recognition for this amazing achievement. This badge will be supplied by the University of Edinburgh and Edinburgh Innovations, revolutionizes how student achievements are acknowledge beyond traditional academic qualifications. These badges visually represent students' accomplishments in diverse learning contexts, including courses, projects and extracurricular activities. The initiative aims to recongize a broad spectrum of achievements, fostering lifelong learning and enhancing employability.
Who can enter?
- Inspire Launch Grow is open to all student and recent graduates (two years post graduation) from the University of Edinburgh.
- To apply you must complete the application form before 10am on 25th March 2024 GMT
- Please note you will not be able to save your progress on the application form
- If you are alumni and do not have the UUN credentials, you can still submit your application
- Unsuccessful applicants will receive feedback on their application
- If you have any questions, please contact Christina at Christina.Starko@ei.ed.ac.uk
Application process
Finalists for main Inspire Launch Grow Awards (Emerging Innovation Award, Impact Award and the Growth Innovation Award) will need to pitch to a panel of judges on 25th April 2024. This will be a closed pitch with no audience and held online. Finalists will then give a one minute pitch on stage at the Inspire Launch Grow Awards and winners announced at the event on 6th June.
The Emerging Female Entrepreneur Award and the Moving Mountains Micro Awards will be application only, winners announced before the event and then winners sharing their stories at the Inspire Launch Grow Awards on 6th June.
This is not a pitching competition, and you will not be judged on your pitching skills. However, you will need to successfully communicate your startup and answer questions from the judges.
A panel of expert judges from external organisations and businesses will listen to and evaluate your proposal.
Each category will have its own judging panel made up of those with the most relevant experience. This can include one Edinburgh Innovations employee, a previous Inspire Launch Grow winner or finalist, and one business expert. Previously, our judges have come from: Mercia Technology, Scottish National Heritage, Princes Trust Youth Business Scotland, Scottish EDGE and Archangel Investors.
This will be a closed ten-minute pitch (with no audience) and an additional ten minutes for questions from the judges. We do offer pitching workshops to help you prepare for the pitch.
A pitching workshop will take place on 15th May at the Student Enterprise Hub, to help you prepare. This is for all finalists and winners in all categories.
Judging process
All applications will be reviewed by the shortlisting panel, made up of the Enterprise Services team. They reserve the right to move you to a different category than the one you applied for if they believe this would benefit you. In some cases, a business adviser may nominate an entrant for Inspire Launch Grow if they are already working with the team. Please also note that each category will have different judging criteria – the criteria for ILG 2024 can be seen below:
This award is the culmination of many brilliant members of the Edinburgh Innovations team guiding me along this journey, and I want to express my deepest gratitude and appreciation to every one of them. The support this award provides also opens the door for some very exciting work over the next few months, and I am beyond excited to get started.
- 25th March at 10am (GMT) - all categories close
- 28th March - finalists will be notified
- 3rd April - finalists Q&A session at 5.30pm-6.30pm
- 4th April - pitching workshop - optional event at the Student Enterprise Hub - open to all (main ILG, Emerging Female Entrepreneur and Moving Mountains Awards)
- 9th, 11th or 19th April - If you have chosen a photography package as part of your prize, it will take place during this week
- 25th April - finalists pitch for the win (main ILG categories only) - held online
- 15th May - one-minute mandatory pitching workshop 4pm-6pm with photoshoot 6pm-7pm
- 5th June - dress rehearsal - 5pm-7pm
- 6th June - Awards Ceremony 12.30pm - 10pm
Awards Ceremony
The Oscars of entrepreneurship at the University of Edinburgh will, of course, conclude with an awards ceremony! The winners will be announced at this prestigious event on 6th June, 3pm - 6pm at a new venue: the Pleasance Theatre, Pleasance Courtyard. It is expected that all finalists will be there in-person.
This is our annual celebration of enterprise and a chance for Inspire Launch Grow finalists and winners to pitch and talk about their business with the wider enterprise ecosystem. We aim to make this event a celebration of our students and alumni entrepreneurial success while giving attendees the opportunity to connect and form new partnerships and collaborations. Invitees include University of Edinburgh entrepreneurs, alumni, entrepreneurial organisations, business people, partners, investors and University colleagues. Drinks and catering will be provided. The after-party will take place at the Student Enterprise Hub with a BBQ and more drinks available.
Inspire Launch Grow - the University of Edinburgh Entrepreneur of the Year - this award will be nominated by the Edinburgh Innovations team and the winner will be invited to become the Inspire Launch Grow Awards keynote speaker.
No better inspiration for tech companies starting off now than to hear from someone who has been there and done it.
2023
- Emerging Innovation Award - SynSense - Florentina Winkelmann and Maggie Hicks - School of Biological Sciences
- Impact Award - Ujamaa Spice - Rist Van de Weyer - School of Biological Sciences
- Innovation Award - EVA Biosystems - Alex Speakman - School of Engineering
2022
- Emerging Innovation Award - Cexal - Matteo Cese - School of Social and Political Science
- Impact Award - Shasha Network - Farai Munjoma - Business School
- Innovation Award - Bennu.ai - Jonathan Feldstein - School of Informatics
2021
- Emerging Innovation Award - NextChain - Armin Ghofrani - School of Informatics and Gauthier Collas - Business School
- Impact Award - BioLiberty - Ross O'Hanlon and Rowan Armstrong - School of Engineering
- Innovation Award - Wildsense - Thibault Sorret - Deanery of Biomedical Sciences
Why not try...
Business Ideas Competition
Win a share of £1,000 just for telling us about your idea. Do you have an idea for a business, social enterprise, charity or freelancing proposition? Tell us about it and you could win money to work on your idea. Running a couple of times a semester. Find out more and enter now.
Startup Summer Accelerator
Join our accelerator programme for more structured support and to receive £3,000 in funding to work on your idea over the summer. With mentors, investors and others in the startup community to help you along the way. You can enter ILG and Startup Summer Accelerator and the application forms are the exact same to make it easier to apply! Find out more and apply now.