The Pitch The Entrepreneurs

This programme contains some strong language.

In an age of austerity and recession, Scotland needs more fresh, new businesses.

In Glasgow and in Ayrshire, more than 100 budding entrepreneurs

have come together in a programme designed to nurture

and accelerate their growth.

Everything you do is intentional.

You make the damn best pitch you can!

This is a business accelerator,

the scale of which has never been seen before in Britain.

You've come into Entrepreneurial Spark. Why are you here?

I'm here to become more of a businessman.

Entrepreneurial Spark was set up by former police sergeant Jim Duffy

and his co-founder, businessman Brian McGuire.

It's a not-for-profit organisation designed solely to help

entrepreneurs through those difficult early stages

of setting up a new business.

Close your eyes. I want you to feel it.

ALL: I'm great. I'm powerful. I'm magnificent.

There is no money in the bank account yet.

And actual expenses are going on my personal credit card.

I know this will work Retailers are facing a problem.

It's a 200 billion pain in the ass.

These entrepreneurs come from all walks of life,

each with their own definition of success.

The masterplan is to build something big.

Have lots of success, buy a yacht, sail round the world,

and then start all over again.

Well, basically, what I want to do is... I want to get my hair cut.

OK, I mean, I don't have a penny.

This isn't a game show. This is real life.

This is business in the raw.

And look, we've even got our own pens.

How posh is that!

But with a third of all start-ups

failing within their first three years,

can this initiative really make a difference?

-What's your profit in year one?

-What's my profit in year one?

See, whuph, you should have that off the top of your head.

I'm focusing on you, Mark.

What the fuck are you going to do?

I'm scared!

I've been working on it for two years

to get the foundations as solid as I can.

I'm not going to fuck it up now.

All my cards are on the table. I'm all in.

And, so, yeah. This has to work.

And it will work.

The definition of entrepreneur.

Wow. There are so many definitions of entrepreneur.

For me, I have the simple definition.

If I think I am one, I am one.

The first ESpark centre, or "hatchery" as Jim calls it,

was opened in the Gorbals in early 2012.

A second hatchery in Ayrshire followed soon afterwards.

Every few months, potential candidates,

or "chicklets" as Jim calls them, are invited to the hatcheries,

where they pitch their ideas to Jim and his dedicated team of enablers.

-How can we help you in here?

-Don't know.

I'd be hoping you'd tell me that. That's brilliant.

The business idea is important,

but it's not the only criteria for entry to the hatchery.

Anybody can come up with an idea.

But can you actually turn that idea into a reality?

You know, the idea might look great, but you meet the person

and it's never going to happen.

There is limited space within each intake

and the candidates have to be whittled down to a final few.

-What do you do to switch off?

-I don't.

Definitely loved them. Loved their attitude.

You liked them because you saw the entrepreneurial grafter.

What was the story? I liked the idea on paper.

It's brilliant.

One chicklet already well into their ESpark adventure

is 44-year-old Steve Broadfoot.

Steve's a former tour manager who's travelled the world

with some of Scotland's top bands.

His time on the road, surrounded by loud music,

was the inspiration for his wearable and practical ear protection product.

What I'm doing is attaching earplugs to lanyards.

Steve was making the products by hand,

but now he's found a local manufacturer in Paisley.

What he doesn't have yet is a name.

Get your thoughts on it. Just lay out my ideas

and my thought processes just a bit more clearer than in the email.

Branding is an essential part of launching any new product

and Steve's recruited graphic designer Piers to develop

an image for his company.

I'd love to go away today and have a final three, let's say, names

we can push forward so I can get a feel

for how you see the brand being.

The kind of line that I've gone down so far, is words like ear,

hear, earshells or lugshells or something like that.

Shell, lugs, or shellugs.

Lugs, you know, are Scottish lugs

so LugPlugs works quite well.

It's very much like you are trying to name your child, basically.

With Stevie, it's as precious as naming your own child.

It's something very personal for Steve.

Frustratingly, just as Piers leaves, Steve makes up his mind.

I'm thinking just on doing LugPlugs and run with it.

I like it. To be honest, the reason why I like it is cos it's Scottish.

Scotland has traditionally been well represented in the food industry

and at ESpark there's no shortage of chicklets with food-based ideas.

There's chocolatier Jackie Wynne.

It's a passion that I have.

When people get a gift,

there's nothing more I love than when they say, "That's amazing.

"I love that chocolate," cos that's something I've made.

Then there's 43-year-old dog lover Chris Loutit.

She's developing a range of natural dog treats after discovering

what ingredients go into some of the products currently on the market.

The manufacturers use things like head, feet, feathers, wool,

cancerous tissue and tumours.

Is that the kind of things you want to be feeding your dog?

The treats are suitable for all dogs,

especially those with sensitive tummies.

I actually made 11,000 of these little cookies.

And that was a trial with 100 dogs.

I wouldn't wish to do that every week.

One ESpark foodie who's well on the way to getting his product to market

is 33-year-old Donnie Maclean.

With the help of a renowned nutritionist, Donnie has invented

the world's first nutritionally balanced pizza.

What we've done is what I call "health by stealth".

Everyone knows we should be eating a balanced diet, but we're just

making it easier by doing it with a product that they're likely to eat.

Very quickly, Donnie managed to secure deals

with two of the big four supermarkets

and outsourced manufacture to the Edinburgh pizza makers, Cosmo.

Some teething problems with up-scaling the recipe

for Asda's first big order gave Donnie cause for concern

but they managed to turn the order around.

Bit of a rollercoaster.

Five hours of hard graft amongst the team at the factory, so yeah,

we're on track and if anything it's probably better than it was before.

It's an exciting time, and a major achievement for Donnie.

Today is the first time

he'll get to see his pizzas on supermarket shelves.

Should be...just down here.

Ah, brilliant.

Say "balanced"!

It's a big section. You can see,

there's only three other brands and their budget is huge.

We've managed to do it on a shoestring, so far.

Obviously, we have to make sure we do sell so we can keep them in here.

It's definitely exciting.

A week later, it's the official launch

and Donnie has an unusual idea to help with promotion.

He's commissioned an ice sculpture to attract people's attention.

The ice sculpture is certainly pulling in the crowds,

but people don't normally buy until they try.

Pizzas that give you everything you need.

All the vitamins and minerals, high in fibre and high in protein.

Unlike other pizzas on the market, it's low in salt.

-We've replaced the salt in the bases with seaweed.

-Seaweed?

-Yeah.

I try to eat healthy as much as I can and that was nice,

so if it's healthy and nice at the same time,

it's a winning combination, isn't it?

It was delicious!

Scrummy.

Mum, can we have it for our lunch today?

"It tastes real". This is what he said..

If we like this, we'll be buying more.

Hoping I'm going to have a nice tea.

And, if it tastes nice, we'll come back and get another one.

Donnie and his colleague Katie have been working together

tirelessly over the last few months and their relationship has developed

into something more than just business.

I know it's been a long journey, I guess, to get here.

But I think the hard work's just started.

-We're not going to sit back.

-People are buying it.

-Can't put your feet up now.

-There's big plans.

Lots of work to do, but it's all positive stuff.

In Ayrshire, at the ESpark West Coast hatchery,

there's another batch of chicklets with big ideas.

35-year-old Mark Shervil makes a living as a golf pro,

giving lessons to both kids and adults.

His new company 2-do-sport,

is developing a long-term athletic programme combining the discipline

of martial arts with the notion that to become really proficient

in any given sport you should put in at least 10,000 hours of training.

His ambitious plans include launching his programme online

and the opening of a state of the art golfing academy.

He had been looking at this old hangar as a potential site,

but the renovation costs proved to be too much.

Undeterred, Mark's identified another potential location

that's part of a regeneration scheme in Irvine

and comes with some interesting funding incentives.

-What's going to be there?

-That's going to be our range.

-No way!

-You're fucking kidding!

-Yeah, that's going to be our range.

-We've got beyond that fence to the other fence.

-Wow.

-Love it, mate. Love it.

-You can see through there.

We're going to have the smash zone concept down this end.

So, I'm smashing golf balls here.

You're going to try to create the next Andy Murray for golf?

Yeah.

I'm going to work my nuts off.

I think it's got great potential.

It comes to two things. You, as the entrepreneur.

Your mindset, your determination.

You've already shown, you haven't just let this go.

You could've gone away weeks and weeks ago and said, "Fuck that".

You will see this through,

but the next big hurdle you've got is get the investment.

You don't get the investment, it's not going to happen.

Mark's already found a potential investor who's been impressed

by his energy and coaching philosophy.

Here's the plan. Here's the fit-out. Here's what it's going to cost.

Here's how I'm going to run it for the first two years,

my operating costs.

And some models of income coming in.

Here's the sponsorship and the opportunities

that are going to open up as a result of it.

And here's how I'd hope to exploit them.

And here's how I'm going to manage my life.

And once we do that, we'll be able to see the gaps.

So, when you go to your investor, you've de-risked the plan.

-You're making progress.

-Yeah, it's coming together.

That's amazing.

Mark has worked with some of the world's top golfers

but never run his own business before.

I'm a tracksuit manager.

I like getting my boots on and getting out on the pitch

and getting down and dirty. I struggled.

I looked at profit and loss accounts and all that

and it's absolutely all gobbledygook to me.

His time in ESpark has really helped to shape that side of his game.

Yo! This is 2-do-sport

and we are changing the way sport is coached and learned.

To help him grow as an entrepreneur, ESpark has given Mark

the opportunity to win a place

on an intensive entrepreneurial training course

at the world renowned Babson College near Boston.

To book his seat on the plane, Mark needs to pitch his business

to a discerning panel of senior bankers who are sponsoring the trip.

So, we piloted the programme. We'd 28 children starting.

Average spend of £35 per month.

We've now got over 200 children on the programme.

How do you differentiate and get them

to really buy into your energetic philosophy?

I set down at a table like this

and I put 62 sports down on a bit of paper.

And out of those 62 sports, there's only really a handful of primary

and secondary movement patterns.

So if we can educate those movement patterns, then once they get

to the specialisation years,

they're going to have a real strong foundation.

And the feedback that we have had, from the retention

through the colour grading system, they love that.

The kids buy into that. They're inspired by that.

What sort of facilities do you have?

Where do you do all this?

Currently? I've come from the beach this morning.

West Kilbride beach, quarter to eight this morning.

I had three boys down there, 14/15 years of age before school.

I work on the beach, I work at golf clubs,

but I'm currently looking at taking Centre One in North Ayrshire.

In Scotland, we need indoor space.

So, if we can produce a really good indoor centre that's loaded up

with really great technology and educates children in this process.

So, join us and be a game changer.

-Thank you very much.

-Good.

-Thank you, Mark.

Mark's energetic pitch seems to have impressed the panel.

He'll have to wait to find out if he's won a potentially

game-changing place at the American college.

Morning everybody. Hi. How are we all doing?

Mark was one of the first intake at the ESpark West Coast Hatchery.

Today it's the turn of a new batch of chicklets to begin

their entrepreneurial journey.

Leading the introductory session is ESpark co-founder Brian McGuire.

How do you know if your business is going to work?

How do you know if your great idea is going to fly?

One of the new companies hoping that their idea will literally fly

is Coolside.

David and Michael met at university, studying engineering.

Since graduating, they've been developing the prototype

for Powernap, their new sleep-on-the-go travel device.

This is Harry cool saw. The third part of Coolside.

We bought him about three months ago

and this is the first proper use of him we've found.

Today they're at home, working on the ISS,

or internal support system.

So this is the last one here, the previous model.

Just looking at the design.

Once the ISS is ready,

it will be placed in a specially designed padded scarf,

to make it more comfortable for the traveller.

It's a simple idea but those are often the best.

David and Michael are hoping that Powernap will prove to be

a neat alternative to the cumbersome travel pillows already available.

They've had some encouraging news.

Through contacts made at an ESpark event,

an airport retailer based in Holland is interested in stocking it.

Yeah, would just be a great stepping stone, basically.

It would allow us to really test the product on a vast audience.

These guys are based throughout Europe,

but also it would be a gateway to America.

It could be the break we need, so fingers crossed.

ESpark was set up to help the chicklets to realise their ideas

and stimulate a business renaissance in Scotland.

The Hatcheries in Glasgow and Ayrshire are a start, but Jim wants

to expand into the rest of Scotland and perhaps further afield.

In the meantime, people from other parts of the country

are having to travel.

One of the chicklets making a big commute for the ESpark experience

is 40-year-old Vicky Brock.

So, here in Inverness we have my lovely house

and my lovely garden and my lovely view.

And in Glasgow we have my lovely Travelodge.

On special occasions, I have the Premier Inn.

But Cumbernauld Travelodge or Braehead Travelodge has been

home from home for the last nine months.

Vicky is a self-confessed analytics geek

who's worked with major corporations including Google and Tesco.

Seven years ago she set up her own successful market research company.

As an entrepreneur,

I think your brain has to be wired a little bit differently.

It doesn't mean to say you can't learn it,

but I think you've got to have a slightly different attitude to risk.

Like all good business ideas,

Vicky's new venture, Clear Returns,

aims to solve a real life problem.

Product returns cost e-commerce retailers

billions of pounds every year.

Vicky's idea is to build a piece of intelligent software

that will predict which products are most likely to be returned.

It's a pain in the neck to keep buying and returning things,

especially from online.

Can we forecast returns and...? Yes, we can.

And we're getting better and better and better at doing that.

Vicky has huge ambitions and wants to build an enterprise

that tackles the problem on a global scale.

In ESpark, she's assembled a team of mathematicians,

retail gurus and software developers.

She's also taken on an intern -

21-year-old fashion and business graduate, Ellie Turner.

I think Vicky's a really, really good boss.

She knows that I'm there for the experience and I think

she's a really approachable person.

She's become a friend more than a boss.

That's another reason why start-ups are such a good place to get experience.

Because it's a kind of collaborative effort between you.

I've got to create a job to keep her in our business

because the business needs her. She's done that very clever thing

of making herself invaluable to me very quickly.

Vicky has recently been shortlisted

for a major international pitching competition,

the final of which is in New York City.

Hello. How is one? How is two?

Being first to market is critical for Vicky

so she needs to raise some money quickly.

The competition is a great opportunity

to get in front of some serious American investors.

There's a dress rehearsal, then a tour of Facebook,

then an investor private dinner.

They're the only non-US company left in the competition

so getting the pitch right is critical.

Right, OK, folks.

Hello, I'm Vicky, this is Ellie, and we want to prove to you

how Clear Returns will save e-commerce retailers billions.

One in three garments bought online is sent back.

Globally, this is a 200 billion pain in the arse

that nobody's tackling.

Returns are a pain for customers. We shoppers know that.

As these trashbags of returns show,

it leaves retailers' profits in tatters.

It's a strong start from the confident duo

but Jim has spotted a potential problem.

Big problem. You need to stop talking...like a Scot.

It's so broad. You are quite broad.

A lot of them are going to struggle with that.

Especially over a microphone system.

You're going to have talk a bit like that, put a bit of something on

or English. I think they might miss a bit.

Another team preparing for an important pitch is Coolside.

When you prepare for something properly,

and you know that you know everything,

then before you go in, you need to decide that you're going to win.

This is from, er, Sun Tzu's Art Of War, which is

like a 2,000-year-old book and it's kind of battle strategy.

We should really kind of go, "boof!"

We're here today to pitch for £28,000 of debt funding

from Youth Business Scotland.

Michael's doing the pitch today.

We tossed a coin and last night in rehearsals, he nailed it,

so looking forward to the same thing happening today.

I am a little bit nervous but I'm excited.

I'm looking forward to it and it'll be interesting to see what

they think of the marketing strategy and what they think of the product.

This is so important for us, to get this money at this stage.

And it would accelerate us by probably five months.

But, more than that, it would be a huge boost to our confidence.

Time check.

10.01. Let's go.

The old trombone lungs are coming in handy.

This is the competition. One of many.

Kind of looks like a toilet seat round your neck.

Hi, there. Nice to meet you. So, quick introduction.

I'm Michael, this is David. We're the founders of Coolside.

We make travelling comfortable. Coolside have solved a problem

that's been annoying us all for years -

how to sleep well on long-haul journeys.

From market research, we found that more than half of all travellers

struggle to sleep on planes. Unfortunately for travellers,

every travel pillow on the market is useless.

They provide very little comfort, very little support.

Luckily, Coolside have invented and patented Powernap,

the first sleeping aid on the market that solves all these issues.

So, why is Powernap so much better?

Well, it provides more comfort, more support.

It packs small and looks fashionable as well.

It's a solid pitch from Michael but the boys are concerned

about what the panel thought of their financial projections.

-I don't think it was that bad.

-I thought we did quite well.

I think you nailed the pitch. Nailed it.

They'll have to wait to find out

whether or not they've been successful.

With banks still reluctant to lend and investors demanding big chunks

of equity for their money, raising finance to get their business

off the ground is a major challenge for the chicklets.

It's an issue that Jim is working hard to address.

Getting the fund round Entrepreneurial Spark

and start-up entrepreneurs in Scotland is the last piece in the jigsaw.

Two people this week have left jobs.

They've walked out on their jobs to be an entrepreneur full time.

And having that little bit of oxygen is life or death.

So I just want to get some funding round it in a different way.

Stick a million pounds aside and give £20-30,000 grants

to high-calibre entrepreneurs who are willing to give it a go.

I want to pull that off as fast as I can.

I'm really pushing hard, pushing everybody hard.

Back in town, for Michael and David, the wait is over.

They're about to find out whether their pitch was successful.

Not getting this loan would put back the launch of their product by months.

OK. Thanks a lot for your time.

Basically, the answer is yes.

But what they want to see is exactly how much funding you need

and they just weren't really sure they got that from the cash flow.

They didn't pry too much on the numbers.

They just thought, let's sort that out separately.

-I was getting a wee bit emotional there.

-I was as well.

Bar crossing a few Ts and dotting a few Is, we just got 28 grand.

That's awesome.

-It's a great feeling.

-That's a lot of money.

-Yeah.

-Hell, yeah!

-That's going to kick-start our business.

I'm going to get absolutely smashed tonight!

It's a great result for the youthful entrepreneurs.

But low-interest loans like this one

aren't readily available to everyone.

The Manhattan Center is one of New York's most celebrated concert venues.

Over the years, it's played host to star performers

like Judy Garland, Leonard Bernstein and David Bowie.

Tomorrow, it's the turn of Clear Returns to take centre stage.

Vicky and Ellie will be pitching their socks off

in an auditorium packed with investors and potential customers

attending the Women 2.0 pitch competition.

-It's the biggest room I've ever seen!

-That is scary.

-I didn't expect it to be this big.

-I feel like I'm in a chorus line!

For 21-year-old Ellie, it's an incredible but daunting opportunity.

She'd been worried about how her Scottish accent would go down

with the American audience.

We've timed it so we've got plenty time at the end.

For me to slow down and pronounce properly.

So, I don't think it'll be a problem.

So long as I pronounce my Ts.

Then they'll come up to me at the end and say,

"I had no idea what you were saying. I didn't understand a word."

-I'll be like, well, too late now!

-It's OK, just sign here!

But first, there's a more immediate issue to deal with.

The mission tonight is to find a dress for the presentation tomorrow.

The one I had was kind of blending into the background a wee bit,

so the plan is to visit Forever 21, Macy's, Bloomingdales

and find the perfect dress.

If we're going to find it anywhere, we'll find it in New York City.

The bright lights of the big city are a reminder of how far

Ellie has come in the last few months since graduating.

It generally hasn't sunk in that this is my first job

and a month after, two months after I've started, I'm here

pitching to 1,000 people, but I try not to think about that too much!

When I first started the internship,

my idea was that I wanted to set up my own business.

Vicky's spoken to me about it

and if I was to set up my own kind of fashion label,

that she'd help me.

So, I think that would be something I'd definitely want to do.

With my exit money from Clear Returns when we make millions!

I think Vicky's masterplan is global domination.

She says that quite often, but I think it's completely possible

as long as we can prove the concept, and we know that we can.

I don't see why Vicky won't take it to global domination scale.

That would be good to be involved in it, definitely.

The next morning it's back down to business.

Clear Returns is the only non-US company left in the competition

and winning one of the cash prizes would be a real shot in the arm.

There's also the potential that somewhere in the room

there might be an investor who could help Vicky achieve

her ambition of taking the company truly global.

There is a lot at stake with this.

But we haven't put the house on the line, yet.

Doesn't mean we wouldn't.

It's the fact there is no money in the bank account yet.

And actual expenses are going on my personal credit card.

Everybody's existing kind of on air at the moment.

But, people do need to eat at some point.

I know this will work.

I really do need a pee so badly!

So, I'm going to introduce our first company.

Our first company is Clear Returns.

APPLAUSE

Retailers are facing a problem. Returned product.

It's a £200 billion pain in the ass.

And apparel retailers, they've got this worst of all.

One in three garments sold online is sent back.

Let's give you a few examples.

Katie spots the perfect dress online.

Classic, black, elbow length sleeves. She has to have it.

So she buys it. A few days later, it arrives.

But wait, it has no sleeves.

It's a bit more Kim Kardashian than Katie Holmes.

Disappointed, she sends the dress back

and bad-mouths the retailer in the process.

That is a real example from our first test with a retailer.

Our algorithm spotted that mistake caused 500 returns and cost 20,000.

-We gave them the opportunity to fix this.

-Then there's Heather.

She's very sneaky.

If she's got a big night coming up, she buys her outfit online.

She goes out, wears it, has a great time.

Then she sends it all back on Monday.

Time and time again.

Clear Returns can spot the signs of this.

Next time Heather wants to borrow one of the expensive dresses,

she might find it's out of stock, or she may simply get a very friendly

phonecall from customer services asking her if everything is OK.

There hasn't been an effective solution to this problem for e-commerce.

-Until now.

-Clear Returns is early stage, but we've got traction.

We have a sales pipeline, with retailers approaching us

from the US, Europe, Singapore and in Mexico.

And our next fantastic test customer is right here in the room.

Give us a wave, Pinks and Greens. Hey!

This is the fashion retail capital of America.

Let's start to service shoppers better

so that they can be returning to retailers for all the right reasons.

Thank you from Clear Returns, intelligently protecting profits.

APPLAUSE

Back in Glasgow, there's another chicklet with high hopes

for her tech-based idea.

When 32-year-old Leah Hutcheon lost her job as a magazine editor,

it gave her the time to develop a business idea

that had been on her mind for quite a while.

The result was Appointedd.com, an online service that makes it

easier to book appointments at salons and spas.

-Beauty salons?

-Yep.

Leah is attempting that very entrepreneurial thing

of trying to sell her product before it actually exists.

She's never done sales before, so she's getting some last-minute tips

from fellow chicklet Marie Rogers of Total Sales Solutions.

You'd better become a salesperson

because if people don't buy your product, you won't have a business.

I kind of feel like I'm waiting for a first date or something.

It's a bit, like, nerve-racking.

She's very nice.

Hello, ladies. Are you OK?

Leah's first sales meeting is with Glam Candy,

two women who've set up a make-up academy

and are potentially interested in Leah's product.

So, are you going to show us an example of that?

I'll show you the...booking portal.

Sorry, I don't know why this isn't now coming up.

It's not a good start.

The Wi-Fi isn't working,

so Leah has to do her sales pitch without a demo.

So, how many people have you got using the booking system right now?

You're my first proper appointment today. This is very exciting.

When fully operational, Leah's service will allow consumers

to browse many different salons from one site.

For the salons, it offers useful business management tools

to help connect with their customers.

That's really what we've aimed to do, is to free up your time.

You didn't set out in this business to sit there and do admin

and you'll be able to plan all of the emails that are going to go out,

exactly who they are going to, what date they're going

and get those all scheduled.

And that's only a tiny bit of what we can do.

-We can do loads more.

-Can we do that now?

Yeah!

My first proper paying customer!

This is like on my wedding day, the photographer had to say to me,

"Leah, will you stop grinning?" "I just can't!"

So, we've gone from first date to wedding day straightaway.

I'm going to become a total sales addict.

Leah has been trialling the software for a few months now

and today, she's come to meet Anna Mather at her salon in Gifford,

near Edinburgh, to see how she's been getting on with it.

I've been speaking to all of my clients about using Appointedd.

And they are so excited about being able to go online,

look at the website and book appointments.

They just think it's a brilliant idea.

I'm quite looking forward to just dumping the paper book now.

How long's it going to be before we can have the appointments

booked through the internet?

Through the internet?

Literally... No, no, it's fine. I want to say we could do it now.

Because, yeah, we could do it. It's there.

It all speaks to each other. It all works.

It depends kind of how brave you want to be.

If you want to... No, I don't think we should.

Without a background in IT, Leah has underestimated

how long it takes to build software.

She's desperate to recruit a full-time tech support person

who can manage any unexpected problems.

But she's already invested all her life savings

and doesn't have any money to pay wages.

Back across the pond, the winners of the Women 2.0 pitch competition

are due to be announced.

I'd like to thank all our live and also online judges.

For Vicky and Ellie,

getting some cash without having to give away equity

would really make a difference.

We start with the People's Choice award.

That finalist team is Chandini and Peggy for ActivityHero.

APPLAUSE

We're really excited to announce the winner of the L'Oreal Women in Digital Award.

And it goes to Citizen Made Rachel Brooks.

Sadly, none of the prizes go Vicky and Ellie's way.

But they console themselves with the thought that they've made

some really useful contacts, not least their first American client.

We didn't win, but we delivered what we came to do.

One of the things that was very interesting

was framing that whole question, do you take investment or not?

If we take a small amount of money now,

we're going to give away a heck of a lot for it.

For us, investment isn't the thing we need just now,

it's to build the customer base and prove ourselves

before we need the money, really.

It really consolidated down what this is all about.

For me, I really did realise it's about getting big.

It's about building something amazing.

It's kind of global domination.

I aspire to that and why not try and build that kind of business?

MUSIC: "Rhapsody In Blue" by George Gershwin

Steve is also struggling for money, but help is at hand

from a very willing lender, the Bank of Mum.

Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran.

The Beatles tour with Roy Orbison.

You said when you went to this, you couldn't actually hear them.

-No. You didn't hear a thing.

-That's what all this is about.

The difference is that PAs have become bigger, so everyone can hear.

But the problem is, they are so loud.

Steve has recently been diagnosed with brain cancer.

Mum Carol came out of retirement to help him

financially with his new business idea.

If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have been able to do this.

You've contributed more than anybody,

because you've basically kept me afloat for the past year.

Setting up a new business

has distracted them both from Steve's illness.

That was one way I could help.

And it was practical and it kept me focused.

Steve is undergoing regular scans to check that the cancer

is in remission.

It's Stephen Broadfoot. Right, cheers.

And although things are looking positive,

it's still a tough time for Carol.

Once you get over the initial shock, which is horrific,

it's like being in...

..another, a parallel world.

You have your life

and then there's this other one that's suddenly been introduced.

While he's doing this and I'm working and focusing on what I need to do,

it keeps this other world at bay, as if it doesn't exist.

But it is still there.

It's bury-your-head-in-the-sand stuff.

Somebody mentions it, mentions the word...

I don't want to know, I don't want to hear it.

I don't want to go where it is, I don't... I just don't.

Anybody with children knows that if your children are in pain,

you're in pain.

It's as simple as that.

And if I could swap, if I could take your pain,

then I'll take your pain.

I'll do this. Stephen is my only son.

I can't contemplate my life without him in it.

Despite his illness, Steve is making progress with his business.

He's sold his first 50 units to a drum school.

Am I in a safe position here? Should I move back?

You've seen me play before, so you're OK.

He's been to Parliament to lobby the Government for more action

on hearing protection.

It's not just music. It's anywhere there's loud noise.

You walk onto a construction site, you wear ear protection.

What I can do is ask some Parliamentary questions

about the regulations around this.

And he's making a push into the local club scene,

today visiting promoter Donald Macleod.

-All right, Donald?

-How you doing?

-Not bad. You?

-Not bad at all.

-Thanks for your time.

-No problem.

-Keeping well?

-Yes, yes.

So, what brings you in here?

You've been around the rock scene for long enough.

Yes, yes, it shows. The lines are there. Well worn.

-How's your ears?

-What was that? Eh?

Fall for that every time.

It's there. It looks fairly trendy.

Would you be interested in maybe a trial run of 50 of them?

-I can speak to you, get The Garage logo.

-Yep, OK.

I'll get the logos over to you.

Brilliant. Thanks very much.

The thing about Donald as well, it's his company.

The buck stops with him and he makes the decisions.

I'll make up some samples over the Christmas period.

So, getting on and moving forward.

It's December in Edinburgh

and the Christmas sales season has begun in earnest.

With shoppers aplenty, it's the perfect time to launch

an innovative new product in one of the many bustling markets.

And that's just what David and Michael are intending to do.

It's the first time Powernap, their new sleep-on-the-go travel device,

has been on show to the public.

Do you travel much? No?

I'll show you how good it looks.

If it looks good on me, it's going to look good on you.

With your jawline. You look good.

Are you single? You look so good.

They're trialling the price at £24.99.

Can I think about it?

We'd rather you think about it right now.

I kind of feel a lot of people are interested.

A lot go, "I'll go and ask my husband" or come back later.

After a slow start,

Michael and David have honed their sales techniques.

It's basically designed for public transport as well.

And if you fall asleep like this, it's really bad for your neck.

Really bad for your neck.

So we basically don't allow it with that product.

Would you like one then? I'll package it up for you.

Because I do suffer from neck pains,

trying that for a second seems to make a difference.

He pitched it just right. He wasn't in your face.

He was just there with a product and if you wanted to know about it,

he would talk about it.

I really liked him.

I do business myself and I thought he was really good.

I shall get you a black one then.

To achieve my first sale felt absolutely awesome.

I couldn't believe it.

To think we've made something and people have bought it.

Class. Absolutely class.

The Powernap launch is a success and over the next four days

the boys sell more than 150 units.

Back in Glasgow, at the ESpark offices,

the mood is not quite so festive.

It's been a tough few months for the Eat Balanced team.

Getting into the supermarkets was a great achievement

but staying there is proving much more of a challenge.

Hi, there. Do you work in the frozen section?

I've noticed that there's zero stock for all three lines at the store

and do you know what the problem is there?

The pizzas are selling pretty well,

but supplying to two of the big four supermarkets is a complex process.

Yep, thanks anyway. Cheers. Bye.

Inactive line.

I don't even know what that means.

Donnie and Katie are working around the clock

to try and build some brand awareness and sell more pizzas.

It's not fun. I've thrown everything I have into it.

There's no sort of fallback.

I don't have any savings left.

I have to make this work or I'm going to have to sell my flat.

In order to help people like Donnie through the bumpy first stages of their businesses,

Jim's been lobbying the Scottish Government for help.

Now they've set aside a million pounds to create

the EDGE Fund competition.

The challenge is for 100 of Scotland's most promising new companies

to pitch for a chance to make it through to the final round

and win vital financial support.

The competition's fierce and the bar's set really high.

For Donnie, Vicky and Leah, winning an award of up to £50,000

could totally transform their businesses.

And you're done.

I've hit the point where there's, you know,

no money in the business, so, yeah, it would be amazing.

Phew. Golly!

Go home and have a good cry tonight. Yeah.

It's just everything coming out.

A week later, the 20 survivors arrive in the capital

for a final round of pitching.

There are 10 ESpark chicklets left in the competition

and Donnie, Vicky and Leah have all made it through.

Getting through to this final has been amazing for my confidence.

I've had some tough times recently and this would be a massive boost.

Not just financially, but mentally.

The next bit is where we turn into a real business as opposed to a start-up.

And we actually have a future.

And I really know that I can't take anything for granted today

cos there's not enough money to go round.

Good luck, good luck, good luck. You're going to be great.

-Thanks guys.

-You're going to be great, man.

I'm scared!

On the judging panel are two of Scotland's top business people,

a senior banker and officials from Scotland's two enterprise agencies.

OK, Leah. You're away.

Hi. My name's Leah and I'm the founder of Appointedd.

Appointedd is a ground breaking business management system for salons and spas.

It connects salons with customers to drive profit.

Now, the hair and beauty industry...

It's a no-nonsense start from Leah,

but now the clock is ticking.

Our addressable market is around 6,000 salons,

and we're confident we can reach 240 of those in year one

to generate turnover of £140,000.

This increases to £560,000 in year two

and a million in year three.

We want to utilise EDGE money to market our product and to add to our team

creating at least six positions over three years.

So, support Appointedd and support a whole industry of small businesses.

ALARM BEEPS

I really wished that would happen, so it was lucky.

It's a perfectly timed pitch from Leah

but now she'll face the questions

and the panel want some clarity about her figures.

And what kind of margin does that give you?

Our margins are great on it. Obviously at the beginning,

we're spending a lot on business development and that sort of thing.

But profit-wise we're talking around 77,000 in year one,

370,000 in year two and up to 750,000 in year three.

Thank you.

I think it went as well as it could have done.

I'm delighted that the pitch was on the three-minute button,

cos it just looked so rock'n'roll.

It was just like, you finish and it goes.

So that was the sweetest sound I've ever heard.

Next up is Vicky.

Not winning any of the prizes in New York was a major disappointment,

so she's hoping to do better on home soil.

Boomerang. One in three garments sold online comes right back.

So returns...incurs costs that wipe out profit margins

and leave product out of stock when demand is at its...its peak.

E-comm... Clear Returns offers a solution.

It's a shaky start from a normally unflappable Vicky.

It went really badly! That's the worst presentation that I've done.

The questions went fine and I hope I still made a good case,

but in terms of the presentation,

I somehow lost the ability to speak a whole sentence in the right order.

Which is quite bad when you're presenting.

I don't know how this is going to go.

How it will pan out.

Back in the den, Donnie's pitch is going well.

The buyer in Tesco said this is one of the biggest innovations

they've seen in the frozen section for 20 years.

We're trying to get people questioning things.

So, you would never think that a pizza was going to be good for you.

It's always seen as a junk food.

If I did win, it would make it a lot easier to continue.

Every penny's a prisoner at the moment.

If we can get this injection, it makes a huge difference.

You cannot leave start-up businesses and really high-potential people

to chance and just hope that they'll bubble away out there.

You have to give them the ecosystem.

You have to give them the oxygen in terms of the cash to do it.

And then you have to support them after it with really good mentors.

Cos if you get them on the right path, there's absolutely nothing to stop them.

One of the entrepreneurs bubbling away out there is Steve.

He's persuaded some staff at Glasgow's busiest clubs

to try out his new LugPlugs.

So, the idea is, it's attaching earplugs to a lanyard

to make them cooler, more convenient.

So far, we've just been talking to people

and people think it's a good idea.

But it's not until you actually take it into clubs and into bars

and actually talk to people that are going to be using it.

Just like headphones, eh?

You can think what they think,

but to actually find out what they think is what it's all about.

For Steve, LugPlugs are more than a product,

they're an essential part of modern life.

A lot of people out there don't understand it.

Kids think their ears will toughen up.

If your ears are ringing, that's damage.

And the more you expose yourself to it, they don't toughen up.

It takes longer for the ringing to go.

And, eventually, it doesn't go.

At the end of the night, the bar staff are happy.

I'm glad I've got a pair of these.

I could definitely tell the noise difference.

When you wake up in the morning, your ears won't be ringing then?

And Steve's made a new contact at a security firm

with over a thousand door stewards, all of whom need ear protection.

I think it should be a good product to use.

The EDGE Fund awards ceremony has finally arrived.

For Jim, it's the culmination of months of hard work

lobbying to provide more support for entrepreneurs.

I'm going to sit at the back and I'm just going to lap it all up.

And go, "Woo, woo, woo," for the winners!

For some of his ESpark chicklets, it's a night

that could totally shape their future

but there isn't enough money for everyone.

Well, ladies and gentlemen,

we have now reached the main event of the evening.

Our first winner is...

Geraldine Abrahams from TWM Productions.

APPLAUSE

With so much at stake, emotions are running high.

The next Scottish EDGE Fund winner

provides online business management software for salons and spas.

Scottish EDGE funding will allow them to hire

a full-time member of staff to support the business on technical issues.

Could I ask Leah Hutcheon to come

and receive her award of £30,000 from Scottish EDGE Fund.

It means I'll have someone with me all of the time.

It's going to make such a difference, it really is.

Our 14th winner of the evening offers e-commerce and multi-channel retailers

the chance to preserve as much of the basket value as possible, post sale.

Please put your hands together and say well done to Vicky Brock of Clear Returns,

who's awarded £30,000 from Scottish EDGE Fund.

It's going to go on selling, getting us out there,

but first and foremost it's going on people.

Yes!

As the list of winners mount, Donnie's hopes are fading.

The final funding award of the evening

goes to a business incorporated in 2010.

Please put your hands together for our final funding winner

of this evening, Donnie Maclean of Eat Balanced,

who wins an award of £40,000 from Scottish EDGE Fund.

APPLAUSE

As soon as Gordon said "the penultimate prize"

and they started talking about another business,

I was like, "Oh, shit."

We've achieved a lot in the last year or year and a half.

-It's a real confidence boost.

-Yeah, for you especially.

A morale boost, as well as a financial boost,

so it's exactly what we were hoping for.

Well done, you.

One of the most important aspects of ESpark

is that collective environment.

A bunch of entrepreneurs together

all on a kind of similar emotional roller coaster.

There's actually a huge amount of confidence

and growing up I think that you do in that space.

There is no way on this earth that I'd have been in that final

had it have not been for ESpark.

This last year has been, without a doubt, the best year of my life.

I've got married, I've really put myself into my own business.

I'm really excited to see what comes next, I guess.

But for Jim there's no time to celebrate.

The brand new Edinburgh hatchery is opening its doors

to another eclectic mix of people and ideas.

What's it all about?

It's all about the chicklets, the start-up entrepreneurs.

My name is Melanie and my business is Onestopshowshop.com.

I'm the chief executive of... I guess chief executive of Identity.

My company is EcoWeddingsUK.

My name is Owen O'Leary and my business is O'Really.

We buy select brand whisky and we sell it around the world.

I'm in manufacturing at the moment.

I have an idea and I have a name.

I'm writing a book.

As a solo entrepreneur, it's a kind of a lonely road.

Success just seems to be so far away.

I don't know what's in it for me.

I would love to own a reasonably sized studio space.

I want to have a couple of million users.

Suddenly, a million doesn't sound that big of a deal, you know.

Can there be more?

Five years from now, I want...

..to be...

..a successful entrepreneur!

Whatever that means.

My ambition is to get down, get my boots on, get in here.

I want to see this place fill up with families.

I want see kids in here growing up with something to do.

Let them fall in love with the sport and all the life skills

and everything that brings with it. That'd be a great success for me.

One thing I said to myself was, "I'm not going to call myself

"an entrepreneur until I make a sale."

Now, we've made a sale, so I'm kind of like, maybe I am one now.

To actually maybe come up with an idea and get affirmation

from other people that, yeah, this is a good idea,

let's do something about it. At least you feel you're making a contribution.

I think everybody needs a reason to do stuff.

So, yeah, interesting year.

Hopefully, it's going to be an interesting another couple of years.

And enjoy the ride as long as I can.

Anyone thinks, oh, entrepreneurship,

they're selling, all that money and they become rich.

No. It's hard. Big jaggy periods.

Troughs and peaks to get to where they are,

but they keep going all the time.

It's about creating hungry, confident entrepreneurs

that can go out there and make it happen.

That's it.

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