ECCI's awesome foursome make #EDGE15 semis
No less than four ECCI-supported start-ups are in the semi-finals of Scottish EDGE - Scotland's longstanding competition for innovative, high-growth start-ups.
Batting off stiff competition from over 200 applicants in the main competition, current EIT Climate-KIC Accelerator participants Clean Water Designs are competing for a place in the Live Final and a chance to win up to £100,000.
In the Wild Card category, which enables much-needed cash support for early-stage businesses needing to scale quickly, fellow Accelerator start-ups Planet Heat, Seawater Solutions, and Waterwhelm made the cut from 122 applicants for a chance of pitch for up to £15,000.
ECCI Accelerator alumni East Africa Sisal, Farm-hand, Intellidigest and ClimateLauncpad 2017 finalists Bespoke Fabrics also made the final 57 hoping to win big in the finals on Tuesday 3 December.
The Climate-KIC Accelerator is ECCI’s three-stage programme for low carbon entrepreneurs and start-ups in the UK - getting entrepreneurs and start-ups investment-ready by offering the knowledge, resources, tools and coaching you needed to grow into a great business. Since launching in 2017 ECCI's Accelerator businesses have secured more than £1.75m worth of investments and won more than 50 awards.
Duncan Peter, founder Director of Clean Water Designs said:
"The support from the ECCI network has been fantastic and we are very glad to be a part of it. We've taken the first step in validating the demand for a pure water system with our beachhead market. We wouldn't have gotten to this level this quickly without our mentors at ECCI.
"We are grateful for this opportunity to learn from the Scottish EDGE competition and hopefully build a bigger network that can help accelerate the growth of our technology and company."
Founding Director of Waterwhelm Alireza Abbassi Monjezi said: "Reaching the Wild Card Finals amongst 122 applications is an important endorsement for Waterwhelm enabled by support and mentorship from the Climate KIC Accelerator at ECCI.
"The programme has significantly improved Waterwhelm’s proposition over the past four months and we look forward to building on this momentum and speed up commercialisation of our technology in order to make clean water available and affordable for all."
Founder and CEO of Seawater Solutions Yanik Adam Nyberg said: "Getting through to the Scottish EDGE finals is a huge honour and a real validation of the work we've done in ecosystems conservation over the last year!
"We're thrilled to have been supported along the way by our partner farmers around Scotland and by the Edinburgh Centre for Climate Innovation who have hosted us this year and been instrumental in connecting us with like-minded people."
ECCI’s awesome foursome
Clean Water Designs
Clean Water Designs has created a portable, low energy, high speed distillation device that purifies and remineralises water for drinking. Director and experienced entrepreneur Duncan Peters and colleague Constantine Talalaev aim to reduce the reliance on bottled water and improve on disposable, inconsistent filtration methods.
Planet Heat
Planet Heat’s products provide innovative low-carbon heating and cooling solutions, such as their new compact, easy-to-deploy, thermal energy collector for use in contaminated fluids, streams and rivers. Founder Russell Gibb represented Scotland in the Global Grand Final of ClimateLaunchpad 2018.
Seawater Solutions
Seawater Solutions works with farmers around Scotland and Vietnam to develop innovative sustainable farming techniques, using seawater, to grow salt-tolerant crops. Focusing on redeveloped coastal farmland, the start-up is on a mission to tackle climate change, loss of biodiversity, and food insecurity. Glasgow based Yanik Adam Nyberg - founder & CEO - has an MSc in Environmental Entrepreneurship from the University of Strathclyde.
Waterwhelm
Getting wastewater from remote areas to sewage plants comes at a cost and impacts on the environment. Led by Founding Director Alireza Abbassi Monjezi, Waterwhelm’s patent-pending solution is a unique, self-powered process for wastewater treatment and desalination - turning wastewater into freshwater whilst generating renewable energy and fertiliser - and ideal for use in small and remote communities.