Scottish EDGE South East winners with SOSE and Scottish EDGE representatives

South East entrepreneurs win big at Regional EDGE awards

Five ambitious, high-growth businesses poised to strengthen Scotland’s economy are celebrating after being named joint winners of the Regional EDGE South East prize fund, sharing £100,000.

Following a successful pilot in 2025, Regional EDGE, the regional arm of Scottish EDGE, returned in 2026 to offer entrepreneurs from across the region the chance to pitch for a share of the £100,00 prize.

Funds were allocated through a competitive process, which involved pitching to a panel of judges, which we delivered in collaboration with Scottish EDGE.

The awards ceremony took place at Barony Castle, Peebles, with guest speaking including:

The event is the third of four such awards ceremonies taking place across Highlands and Islands, Aberdeen, South of Scotland and Tayside.

South East winners

  • Multiply Technology of Hawick and FFS International took home £10,000 for their technology that enables tech firms to rapidly identify new markets using AI, and industrial oily-water effluent recycling solutions and respectively.
  • Taking home the £15,000 prizes were Dumfries & Galloway based BlazeBalm for its bio-based membrane from upcycled waste that protects assets from wildfires without water, power or retardants, and Kelso-based Real E-Racing for its technology that links live motorsport data to videogames and broadcast media globally.
  • The top prize of £50,000 was awarded to Innerleithen-based Gowaan Bike Club CIC for its inclusive cycling community focused on making biking fun, welcoming and confidence-building for riders of all ages.

As the regional top prize winner, Gowaan Bike Club will go on to compete against the leading businesses from the three other regions for an additional £50,000 through the Royal Bank of Scotland–supported Winner of Winners (WOW) award.

The final will take place in April.

The award is part of Royal Bank of Scotland’s recently announced £1million, three-year investment in Scottish EDGE.

As well as financial support, winners will also benefit from becoming EDGE Alumni, granting them access to a network of contacts and business acumen from Scotland’s biggest business funding competition.

Scottish Government committed to support the Regional EDGE competition for a further three years after the successful pilot.

Jane Morrison-Ross, Chief Executive of South of Scotland Enterprise, said:

“Regional EDGE is a powerful platform for showcasing the innovation thriving across Scotland’s regions. For the South of Scotland, this support is essential - it strengthens our entrepreneurial ecosystem and backs the high‑growth start‑ups shaping our future.

 “The final has been a fantastic display of the bold ideas and ambition driving our region forward, highlighting the immense potential we have across the South.

“We are proud to work in partnership with Scottish EDGE to help create the conditions for businesses to scale, attract investment and realise their full potential.”

Evelyn McDonald, CEO of Scottish EDGE said:

“Regional EDGE is fast becoming an important part of supporting ambitious entrepreneurs across Scotland. By taking our competitive pitch format to different parts of the country, we’re able to back businesses with the potential to grow, create jobs and strengthen the economy.

This round’s Regional EDGE South East Final has showcased the impressive strength of entrepreneurial talent across South East Scotland.

"We’re grateful to SOSE for their support in making the awards possible and for helping us continue to champion the businesses building Scotland’s future."