ECCI start-up alumni win big at Scottish Edge net zero pitch at COP26
Scottish Edge, the funding competition for high growth potential businesses, has awarded three businesses which demonstrate “environmental sustainability excellence” a total of £200,000.
Two of the winners - Faisal Ghani of Solariskit and Alicja Dzieciol of SilviBio - progressed through ECCI's renowned EIT Climate-KIC Accelerator programme between 2017 and 2020.
They were selected as winners in the new Royal Bank of Scotland-supported net zero Edge award category.
The biggest winner at the final was Faisal Ghani, who was awarded £100,000 for his solar technology business SolarisKit, with Alicja Dzieciol of SilviBio and Jonathan Feldstein, from Bennu.AI each picking up £50,000.
The pitches were delivered on stage in front of members of the public who had applied for green zone COP26 tickets, alongside invited guests from the business and start-up support community, as well as to a live streamed global audience.
Finalists had the opportunity to pitch onstage to a high-profile judging panel consisting of NatWest Group chief executive Alison Rose, serial entrepreneur and philanthropist Sir Tom Hunter, and Eleanor Shaw of the Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship at Strathclyde University Business School.
ECCI EIT Climate-KIC Accelerator
Launched in Scotland at ECCI in 2017, the EIT Climate-KIC Accelerator offered early stage entrepreneurs a three-step development programme with access to funding, business coaching with experienced professionals, a range of masterclasses and free workspace at ECCI’s vibrant Edinburgh hub.
Through our renowned EIT Climate-KIC Accelerator programmes, from 2017-2020, ECCI supported 43 innovative climate start-ups to create 115 jobs, earn over £8m investment and £6.5m in grants and awards, create £1.44m turnover and 42 new products and services.
ECCI's new partnership with Royal Bank of Scotland
A new partnership designed to empower Scottish companies and help them become climate change leaders has been launched by ECCI, the University of Edinburgh and Royal Bank of Scotland.
The £1m programme, supported by the bank’s 300 Fund, will see experts from ECCI and Royal Bank’s business banking specialists work together to help firms identify the opportunities a net zero economy can create while helping them become more sustainable operations in the process.
Being funded by Royal Bank – a principal partner at this year’s COP26 – the partnership is focused on the Small to Medium Size Enterprise (SME) community and aims to assist more than 500 businesses.