University startups meet with investors at expo

Twenty-one companies recently formed at the University of Edinburgh are meeting with potential investors today at the university’s Enterprise Expo 2009.

The Enterprise Expo will showcase business ventures that emerged from the university’s labs and research groups in 2008. That figure is the highest number of firms created in one year by a Scottish university.

Exhibitors at this year’s expo include Rev Drive, a company that has developed a revolutionary bicycle gearbox

“This is a difficult time for all companies, but especially for those in an early stage or in the process of starting up,” said Grant Wheeler of Edinburgh Research and Innovation (ERI), the university’s research and commercialisation arm. “However, if new firms can establish a foothold, there are some unparalleled opportunities for them because of the recession.”

“Staff and student entrepreneurs, and those joining the Edinburgh Pre-Incubator Scheme, recognise that the university provides an ideal launch-pad for high growth companies,” added Derek Waddell, managing director of ERI. “They also recognise that the services and facilities offered by the university are especially valuable in a difficult economic climate. That is one of the main reasons why 2009 promises to be even more fruitful than 2008.”