University of Edinburgh startups monitoring ocean health, developing accessible antivenoms, and helping businesses navigate the use of AI responsibly won at Scottish EDGE 26.
SeaSat, PhytoVenomics and MantaRAI all won in the Young EDGE category. The award, supported by the Scottish Government, British Business Bank, Techscaler, Scottish Enterprise and Converge, provides funding for companies whose founders are under the age of 30.
Scottish EDGE, the bi-annual business awards competition, took place on Thursday, 4 December with a prestigious ceremony at the Royal Bank of Scotland Conference Centre. Nearly 300 startups and scaleups were judged, ranging from biotech innovators to sustainable businesses. Finalists advanced through multiple rounds of pitching and evaluation before reaching the finals of this Scotland-wide competition with a collective prize pot of £1.5 million.
SeaSat, founded by School of Engineering graduate Dr Solomon White, won £15,000. The startup uses satellite earth-observation data to monitor ocean health and vulnerability, assess biological productivity, and evaluate ecosystem development and the amount of carbon that can be sequestered in habitats. Crucially, it can predict how these indicators will respond to rising temperatures driven by global warming. Solomon recently achieved his PhD Award with the University’s joint Satellite Data in Environmental Science Centre for Doctoral Training (SENSE CDT).
PhytoVenomics, founded by School of Biological Sciences alumni, Tristan Farmer and Arvaan Mukherjee, won £10,000. They are pioneering an innovative approach that combines computational biology with sustainable algae-based manufacturing. The aim is to develop safer, more effective antivenoms that can be widely deployed, especially in low-resource regions where the burden of snakebite envenoming is greatest.
MantaRAI, founded by School of Informatics graduate Richard Palmer, also won £10,000. They're building a responsible AI enablement platform guiding organisations through AI adoption and embedding culture, risk awareness, and governance into everyday work. The platform gives visibility of shadow AI use and nudges behaviour towards best practice, helping teams reduce risk while maximising the value of their AI investments.
The winners were joined by Richard Lochhead, Minister for Business and Employment, who delivered a special congratulatory message and acknowledged the vital role entrepreneurs play in shaping Scotland’s future economy.
Evelyn McDonald, CEO of Scottish EDGE said:
Emerging from our 26th round with such a strong cohort of new winners is testament to Scotland’s ever-evolving entrepreneurial landscape. Each year, we witness remarkable ventures pushing boundaries, not only driving innovation, but shaping a more sustainable, inclusive, and forward-thinking future. It’s a privilege to champion these visionaries as they turn bold ideas into lasting impact.”
Lizzie Withington, Director of Venture Creation at Edinburgh Innovations, said:
Winning at Scottish EDGE is a remarkable achievement for any early-stage company, and our student-led ventures have excelled among highly competitive fields from across the Scottish business ecosystem. Their wins highlight not only their innovation and drive, but also the strength of entrepreneurial talent emerging from the University of Edinburgh. We’re delighted that Edinburgh Innovations has been able to support them as they turn promising ideas into impactful, scalable ventures.”
