Written by Lynn O'Byrne
UCL-supported startup raises $2.5 million to revolutionise identity verification
Startup business Outdid, supported at UCL’s entrepreneurship hub, has raised $2.5 million to redefine traditional ID verification, with its fraud-resistant technology.Outdid has developed a new kind of platform that enables companies to verify customers’ identity without having to access, process or store their private personal information. ‘Zero-knowledge proof’, the technology that underpins the platform, works by verifying information without revealing the underlying data. Read more here.
Strathclyders amongst Scottish EDGE winners
A total of 24 businesses with high-growth potential will share £1.4 million after being named as winners in the latest Scottish Edge awards. These include Inspire-supported companies Fitabeo Therapeutics Ltd, which was awarded £100k, and Silver Lion Innovations, awarded £80k. In the Young Edge category, FSB Mobility took home £10k.
RGU: Women in Business
Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, are delighted to share that their Women in Business (WIB) enterprise skills programme won the Herald Higher Education 2023 Outstanding Business Engagement Award. WIB is designed to inspire and support women with children considering starting their own venture, enabling them to overcome the barriers that women can face in business. The programme is for those living in the Aberdeenshire Council area and is funded by the Scottish Government Parental Employability Support Fund (PESF). The course started in 2021 and has gained popularity with five cohorts to date and a further two planned over 2023-2024. Read more here.
University of Westminster & Westminster Enterprise Network
With the aim of developing a new elective course at the University of Westminster teaching students how to start a side-hustle from their passions, knowledge and skills, delegates visited Saxion University of The Netherlands in early June. Colleagues at Saxion welcomed the chance to collaborate and discuss how a similar programme to their successful version at home could be made available to students at Westminster. Dr. Irene Brew-Riverson and Mrs Supin Hussain (Westminster Business School) were joined by Ms Zsofia Kunvari of the Westminster Enterprise Network and two student entrepreneurs – Hamza Qassim (VEDER) and Elizabeth Ola (TRU SKN).
Kyiv: Ideafest
On May 29, 2023 student business idea competition “Ideafest” was held at the Centre for Entrepreneurship at Kyiv National Economic University named after Vadym Hetman. The first place was shared by “GREEN PHOENIX”project, aimed at solving the problem of loss of trees during the war in Ukraine and “YUP!” application, providingsupport for the revival of tourism in Ukraine after the war. “Mood+” project, an AI-powered application that combines a social network and recommendations for choosing creative activities to fight depression, took the second place. The third place was awarded to “Lovey-Dovey” platform, that provides psychological assistance to couples and updates them about different social and cultural events.
Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) makes a real difference to disadvantaged Children and Young People in Cambridgeshire
ARU are launching a pilot called ‘ARU in the Community: A Trusted Adult Scheme (TAS)’ on 20 July 2023. TAS will run for 6 weeks where young people from Cambridgeshire will attend Campus to undertake workshops led by ARU students who have been trained as youth and support workers specifically for this civic mission initiative. Workshops include street art, music studio design, gym workouts, and PS5/Virtual Reality. Together, we endeavour to create a positive impact and promote social progress. ARU in the community – ARU