Five start-up businesses founded by students and recent graduates from Edinburgh University have each received about £100,000 to help develop solutions to a variety of issues such as mental health and waste management.
The companies are supported by the university’s commercialization service, Edinburgh Innovations, and have secured SMART:SCOTLAND grants awarded by Scottish Enterprise.
The recipients are:
Bennu.ai, developer of the world’s smartest bin which sorts waste automatically for a net zero circular economy
Danu Roboticsa clean tech start-up focused on advanced and dedicated technological solutions for the benefit of the environment
BioLibertycreators of a soft robotic glove and a digital therapy platform aimed at helping sufferers of hand weakness
eMoodie, a mental health digital platform which facilitates early screening
Black Goblin Audioa transformative audio design and technology company.
Lorna Baird, Student Enterprise Manager, said: “These start-ups are deserving of their significant funding awards as they are all focused on developing innovative solutions to some of the key challenges facing society.
“As an organization which is committed to helping University of Edinburgh-linked start-up businesses reach their full potential, Edinburgh Innovations is proud of its role in supporting these budding entrepreneurs.”
Jim Watson, director of business growth at Scottish Enterprise, said: “SMART: SCOTLAND grants are an effective way of encouraging Scottish businesses to innovate and helping them attract additional funding.
“The cutting-edge products and services being developed by these five companies are great examples of the pioneering work supported by SMART and the economic, environmental and societal benefits associated with the program.”