Huawei Technologies, the University of Edinburgh’s School of Informatics (who founded EIE in 2008), startup recruitment agency TalentSpark, intellectual property specialist Murgitroyd, commercial law firm MBM and national angel investor association LINC Scotland have all confirmed their sponsorship. 

EIE, which is run by the University of Edinburgh’s Bayes Centre in partnership with the DDI (Data-Driven Innovation) initiative and supported by Scottish Enterprise, is a year-round programme highlighted by a day of pitching to investors from across the globe.

Steve Ewing, director of Entrepreneurship at Bayes Centre and EIE21 lead, said: “EIE would not achieve such high standards without the support of our sponsors from the corporate sector and we have a strong mix of international, UK and Scotland-based companies this year who have technology and innovation in their DNA.”

Victor Zhang, director of Huawei Edinburgh Research Centre, added: “We’re delighted to sponsor EIE for a third year to help underline the strength of innovation and how it can improve people’s lives. We look forward to engaging with other like-minded innovative technology companies and crucially, connecting with local people.”

Neil Norman, senior tax partner at Chiene + Tait, added: “We jumped at the opportunity to support EIE21 this year, as a firm we’ve attended EIE through the years, know the team well, and have always been impressed by the quality of the companies pitching, the range of investors in attendance and the input of the wider advisory community.”

EIE has supported over 500 tech startups since 2008 who have collectively raised around £750 million from seed through to Series A and later stage funding - with Current Health, FanDuel, Celtic Renewables, Amiqus, Two Big Ears, Speech Graphics, pureLiFi and mLed among EIE alumnus companies.

The sector categories for EIE21 are: AI and Data Science; Energy, Climate and Cleantech; Digital Health and Medtech; Fintech and Cybersecurity; Smart Cities and Mobility; Robotics and Autonomy; Internet of Things, and; Creative Design and Media Tech. In 2021, EIE also has a ‘Wildcard’ category for the first time.

The full list of companies selected for EIE21 is: AiM; Bendi; Beta Bugs; BLK Global; Boxergy, Bridgeweave; Crack Map; Earth Blox; Danu Robotics; Data Innovation.AI; Decblue; DTIME; GoBubble; iLoF; Intelligent Reality; Ionburst; iOPt; Libereat; Looper; Nebu-Flow; Net AI; NIQS Technology; Nomad Energy; Oceanium; OnGen; Open Banking Reporting; REOptimize Systems; theo Health: Transwap Technologies; UrbanTide, and; Voicekey.