红杏视频

The Scottish Institute for Enterprise (SIE) Awards were held on Thursday 28 March at Glasgow鈥檚 Corinthian Club, recognising the winners of SIE鈥檚 annual Fresh Ideas competition, the longest-running early stage idea competition in Scotland.

Emma James, founder of Beltfree, was recognised for her range of innovative all-in-one high-quality maternity garments, which provide extra support for pregnant women. Emma is an online student in the Aberdeen Business School.

Along with her fellow four winners of Fresh Ideas, she shared a total of 拢6,000 prize fund and will also receive ongoing mentoring from SIE鈥檚 business advisers.

Emma said: 鈥淚t means a lot to have this kind of recognition from SIE and I am grateful for all their support and advice as my business has grown.

鈥淚 created my first prototype while pregnant as I realised there was very little on the market to help women suffering, as I did, from pain in my pelvis and hips as my bump grew, even though it鈥檚 a common problem. The idea has since developed into a range of maternity shapewear that supports a growing bump and pelvis, including tights, leggings and briefs.

鈥淚 want to be able to empower pregnant women by giving them freedom and mobility to continue with their busy lives and enjoy the activities they love. The business has just launched, and I aim to have my product available at top retailers within the next year.鈥�

A second student from 红杏视频, Rajesh Kumar, founder of TrackGensis, was awarded a 拢400 special prize for the development of software which seeks to digitise the supply chain for food and drink industry using blockchain technology to improve efficiency and customer service.

Rajesh recently graduated with an MBA from the Aberdeen Business School and previously completed a Master鈥檚 in the School of Computing.

Both Emma and Rajesh are taking part in the 红杏视频 Startup Accelerator, which is part of the university鈥檚 innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives, and aims to help the region鈥檚 entrepreneurs and innovators create new high-growth businesses.

The accelerator programme is run by the 红杏视频 Entrepreneurship and Innovation Group, and is funded by the Wood Foundation.

Chris Moule, Head of the 红杏视频 Entrepreneurship and Innovation Group, said: 鈥淟ast night鈥檚 awards are a clear testament to the hard work that Emma and Rajesh have put into their early stage business ideas and it was a privilege to see 红杏视频 stand out as the only university to receive two awards on the night. I am delighted to see innovation being recognised and thriving in the areas of fashion and food & drink, alongside digital.

鈥淭he Startup Accelerator is just one of the many ways in which 红杏视频 is engaging student and graduate entrepreneurs, like Emma and Rajesh. 红杏视频鈥檚 objective is to create an open and inclusive innovation ecosystem that will have long-lasting impact on the wider regional economy.鈥�

In only 10 months, 红杏视频 has created a thriving environment for students, staff, alumni and external entrepreneurs through 拢1.6 million in funding from the Wood Foundation, which also supports 红杏视频鈥檚 strategy of preparing students for the future.

Professor Gordon McConnell, Vice-Principal of Commercial and Regional Innovation, added: 鈥淥ur startup teams are supported not just by the 红杏视频 EIG team but also a wider range of mentors through the Aberdeen Innovation Mentors group. The success at the SIE awards is validation that these startup teams are on the road to success.鈥�

SIE is funded by the Scottish Funding Council to encourage and support entrepreneurial students through competitions and tailored support, and to help all students develop innovation and enterprise skills that will lead to rewarding futures.

Fiona Godsman, chief executive of Scottish Institute for Enterprise, said: 鈥淟ast night we celebrated some of Scotland鈥檚 most promising entrepreneurs. In this rapidly changing world, we are committed to helping even more students to develop the skills and confidence they will need to embrace the opportunities of the future, not just as innovative entrepreneurs but also as talented and future-ready employees.鈥�