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The entrepreneurial
announcement by Royal Bank of Scotland represents a tenfold increase
over 2025 and more than all the businesses supported in the previous ten
years.
Such is the scale of the across-the-sectors move chiming with the
opening of the bank's new flagship Edinburgh Hub later this year.
The hub will provide bright business folk with vital coaching, support
networks and access to expertise from across the bank.
At no cost to early-stage ventures, reports Scottish Financial News (SFN).
Since launching its accelerator app a year ago the bank has seen over
1500 downloads throughout Scotland consistent with its support to 1000
businesses through its physical accelerator hubs in Glasgow and
Edinburgh.
That's not all.
The bank has also announced a £1 million investment in the Scottish EDGE
Awards to back up the funding of three awards: Young EDGE and Regional
EDGE in their respective current rounds
Also an increased Scale EDGE award of £200,000 in the next round,
representing the largest single prize offered by the competition in its
history.
The 27th EDGE Awards recently opened for applicants with the finals
scheduled for 11th June at the RBS Edinburgh Gogarburn conference
centre.
The bank is a founding partner alongside the Hunter Foundation, Scottish
Government and Scottish Enterprise, the country's economic agency.
Since 2014 winners have collectively created over 4,400 jobs and almost
£800 million in turnover.
RBS Head of Accelerator & Partnerships Darren Pirie describes his bank's
latest entrepreneurial moves as "rewarding more of Scotland's startup
success stories."
He adds that such an expanded support for regional awards "recognises
that the grit, potential and spirit characterising so many entrepreneurs
can be found in every part of the country."
Scottish EDGE CEO Evelyn McDonald says RBS has played a "pivotal role"
in helping ambitious founders across Scotland turn great ideas into
investable businesses.
"This new £1m commitment over the next three years is a significant vote
of confidence in Scotland's entrepreneurial talent and in the proven
impact that timely, early-stage funding can have."
Such a deepening of the RBS and EDGE partnership translates into acting
as the "catalyst at a critical moment" to create more innovation, more
high-quality jobs and ultimately a stronger Scottish economy.
Scottish EDGE Round 26 Main Winners |
