AccelerateHER Award winners secure international investment trips

Six Scottish-based female entrepreneurs rounded off International Woman’s Day by securing an opportunity to promote their businesses to members of the global investment community.

The female-led businesses uFraction8; CogniHealth; TeqNox; Cascade Water Products; IntelliDigest and Sustainably were all named as winners in the Growth Category at this year’s AccelerateHER Awards.

The successful entrants were unveiled at the Investing Women Ambition and Growth conference, held in Edinburgh last night.

The winners can now look forward to a place on market building trip to Dubai in April or to California in September where they will meet international investors.

Falkirk-based uFraction8, a business which makes scalable filtration systems for the bi-technology sector, was applauded by the awards judges for producing an impressive disruptive product which addresses a significant problem within the industry. Edinburgh firm CogniHealth, an online dementia caring solution, was praised for addressing an increasingly growing health issue using technical savvy and establishing strong partnerships. Another Edinburgh winner, anaerobic food waste digestion system manufacturer, Intelli-Digest, was praised for producing a product which meets a real need in tackling environmental legislation requirements.

Cascade Water Products, an Arbroath-based manufacturer of domestic micro greywater re-use systems, was praised for its product and its business strategy. Meanwhile Glasgow firm Sustainably, developers of a hassle-free socially responsible payment solution, was selected on the basis of developing a solution with a direct social impact, enabling individuals to support causes close to their hearts. Fellow Glasgow-based business TeqNox, designers of body protection for equestrian sports, also made the grade for its great product with strong potential for diversification across several other applications.

Now in its third year, the AccelerateHER Awards competition, sponsored by Skyscanner, is open to businesswomen whose companies demonstrate strong growth potential. The competition provides an ideal platform for participants to attract investment into their businesses.

Jackie Waring, CEO of Investing Women, which runs the awards programme, said: “Thanks to the generous support of our partners, I’m delighted that we were able the double the number of Growth category awards to six this year. I would like to congratulate all our winners who are dynamic females, driving forward great businesses with real investment potential. The platform AccelerateHER provides, both within the local marketplace and through the international connections it offers, presents a huge opportunity for all these entrepreneurs.

“We were delighted with the response to this year’s awards where we had a record 190 entries. We are seeing an immensely positive impact from the AccelerateHER Awards, with the winners from the first two years securing more than £3.75m of investment since getting involved.”