Inspire Launch Grow Awards
Our biggest competition is ready to hear from you in 2023! Inspire Launch Grow is our annual celebration of entrepreneurship at the University of Edinburgh.
We are excited to celebrate all the innovations, creativity and successes, while also recognising the resilience, ambition and accomplishments of the entrepreneurs from the University.
Enter the Inspire Launch Grow Awards competition and be in with a chance of winning part of £20,000 prize fund plus the choice of either a photography package or a custom-made pitch deck. Now closed
Join us for the Awards on 8th June
2023 Finalists
Inspire - Emerging Innovation Award
- Joseph French – Whimsylabs
- Victor Perez Prieto – Carbon Glance
- Kamila Malysz – Excellio Labs
- Aliyu Dala – Raygonal
- Florentina Winkelmann – SynSense
Launch - Impact Award
- Wu Huang – NucBarcoder
- Ashley Stein – Alt Milk Academcy
- Felix Mekila Ngwambe – Sunsave Solutions
- Rist Van de Weyer – Ujamaa Spice
Grow – Growth Innovation Award
- Alexander Speakman – E.V.A Biosystems Limited
- Adam Harris – Myriad Wind Energy Systems
- Niall McGarth – Robocean
- Janek Kolaczyk – Clastify
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Enter the competition by the deadline of 10am Tuesday 28th March 2023 GMT.
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Finalists for the Impact Award, the Emerging Innovation Award, and the Growth Innovation Award will need to pitch to a panel of judges on 5th May 2022 between 12noon and 5pm
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Winners announced at the Inspire Launch Grow Awards, an in-person event on 8th June from 3pm-6.30pm at Potterrow – The Dome. It is expected that all finalists will be there in person.
Eligibility
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For all students and recent graduates (up to 2 years after graduation).
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To apply you must complete this form before the deadline of 10am Tuesday 28th March 2023 GMT.
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Please note you will not be able to save progress on this form.
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If you are alumni and do not have the UUN credentials, you can still submit an application.
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If you have any questions, please contact Christina at christina.starko@ei.ed.ac.uk
Finalists
We have a total prize fund of approx. £20,000 with a top prize of £5,000 for each of the three categories and £500 for runners-up. If you are successful the prize money can be used at your discretion.
All finalists will win their choice of a professional photography package or a professionally created pitch deck.
- Video: ILG 2022 winner Farai
- Previous winner of Inspire Launch Grow, Farai, discusses his win and why you should apply for the next ILG Awards.
Categories
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 2023 can be seen below:
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 £50,000 in any form of funding.
Launch - 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.
Grow - Growth Innovation Award
- This award is for teams with a strong market fit, who are at the launch stage or beyond. This award is for technology-based businesses, social enterprises, and ideas with high growth potential. The initial concept, feasibility testing and market validation must be established and a product or prototype must have been developed. The enterprises should not have generated more than £200,000 in the form of funding.
Unsuccessful applicants can receive feedback on their application and further advice by booking a meeting with a business adviser via our website.
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.
Finalists Pitches will be held in on 05 May 2022 12noon- 5pm (GMT) online.
Awards Ceremony
The winners will be announced at our prestigious Inspire Launch Grow Awards Ceremony on 8th June, 3pm - 6.30pm at Potterrow – The Dome. 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 applicants, 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. If you are not a finalist, but would like to attend Inspire Launch Grow Awards please register here.
The Inspire Launch Grow Awards are an opportunity to receive that recognition and during the event, attendees will have the opportunity to share their business ideas with our enterprise community. Read more on our 2022 finalists and winners
See more photos from the Awards night on our Facebook. Go to Facebook album