Wayra Demo Day Success

The Wayra Demo Day took place on Wednesday 11th December 2019 at the stunning Mansfield Traquair in Edinburgh.

The event marked the end of the Wayra and The University of Edinburgh's AI & Blockchain Accelerator programme for Cohort 2, who participated from June – December 2019 and was a huge success with approximately 120 people attending the day.

The event provided the opportunity to witness the growth of the second cohort and network with VCs, partners and more. The programme was launched to support high-growth potential pre-incorporated and incorporated start-ups that help drive GDP growth, job creation and new investment in innovation primarily within Scotland but also across the wider UK.

Operating on the frontiers of AI and Blockchain development, participating businesses have been supported by Wayra UK (Telefónica's Open Innovation hub), one of the world’s largest telecommunications companies; the University of Edinburgh, home to the largest centres for computing science and informatics in Europe; Scottish Enterprise, Scotland's national economic development agency; and Cisco, the worldwide leader in IT and networking.

Demo Day is all about showcasing our  supported businesses, their technologies and their progress over the last 6 months - but most importantly it highlights  the market and investment potential  of their AI & Blockchain solutions.

This cohort combined has seen revenue increased by 63.5 %   while on this Accelerator - with £5.5 Million of revenue predicted for 2020. There have been 14 pilots delivered  and  31 new employees have been hired. I am  also particularly pleased that I have had 4  female founders as part of this cohort. I look forward to seeing all of their progress in the years ahead and also to welcoming the next Cohort 3 early next year

The day itself started with a welcome from the Accelerator Manager, Charlotte Waugh, before providing a selection of short pitches from the cohort, Investor Panel Q&A and a keynote speech- plus short talks from Sponsors and Partners. Speakers on the day included:

• Anthea Greco, Head of Partnerships & Investment, Wayra
• Ritchie Sommerville, Head of Strategy University of Edinburgh DDI Programme Office.
• Mr Dinis Guarda, Author of the ‘4th Financial Revolution’ (Keynote Speaker)
• David Smith, Director of National Opportunities at Scottish Enterprise.
• Tom Kneen, Head of Academic, Research & Technology Partnerships, CTO Office.

Pitches from Edinburgh Cohort 2 were provided by:

• Travamigos
• Oodls
• SageCity
• NetOp
• Trade in Space
• Trace
• IntelliDigest
• Trippo
• Ocyan

The evening closed with a networking reception to allow attendees to mingle and discuss the presentations from throughout the day.

Want to get involved?

Wayra applications are now open for the 2020 programme. Applications can be submitted online (www.wayra.co.uk) from 3rd December to 15th January.