The Scotland Start-Up Awards, held at the SWG3 Studio Warehouse in Glasgow, saw 24 different fledgling businesses recognised.
This year, more than half of the awards were won by women-owned businesses, including the Startup of the Year for Scotland, VR Hive. Additionally, VR Hive walked away with two other awards, Creative Startup of the Year and Innovative Startup of the Year.
The company offers immersive learning experiences combined with health and wellbeing resources, an animated AI coach and automated assessments.
Anne Widdop, the founder and chief executive at VR Hive, said: “We are driven by a mission to harness the power of AI and immersive learning to create a better future for all, and these awards are a testament to our work towards this goal.
“We will continue pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, and we are honoured to receive this recognition to validate our efforts.“
The StartUp Awards were established in 2022 to highlight the success of start-ups across 10 UK nations and regions.
The Scotland awards are sponsored by First Port for Social Entrepreneurs and Glasgow City Council, as well as national sponsors Starling Bank, Blackfinch Group, British Business Bank, BT, Creative Ideaz, Dream Factory, GS1 UK, Jeeves, Join Talent, Mountside Ventures, OVH Cloud, the Purposeful Project and ScoreApp.
Professor Dylan Jones-Evans, creator of the awards, said the events have celebrated the best new firms in the UK and recognised the amazing entrepreneurial talent across the nation.
“In the second year of the Scotland Startup Awards, we have seen yet again the incredible contribution of new businesses to job creation, innovation, and prosperity across the whole of this entrepreneurial nation.
“It’s been an honour and a pleasure to read the stories of the finalists from across Scotland who have spotted the opportunity and taken the risk to launch their own venture, especially at a time when the economy is still fragile after the pandemic.”