Name

Huw Evans

Bio

In his series, The Innovation Blog, Huw looks at how Scots are showing their entrepreneurial side. He says: "This blog will be positive about innovation. There will be no place for doom and gloom. The naysayers and peddlers of anti-ideas can read other blogs. This blog is about supporting those that want to innovate and to take that step into the unknown and build something great."

If you want to tell us about an innovative company or product, contact Huw by email here putting innovation in the subject line

test

  • Innovation in established companies

    Many of these companies have been covered in previous articles. Scotland also has many large, well-established companies that employ a substantial number of people.  Are large companies good places to innovate?

    The differences between large and small companies are well documented. Large companies tend to focus on efficiency, scale and operational excellence.  Companies that are focussed on operational excellence tend to strive for a defect-free performance.

    By: 
  • The Innovation Blog: Funding, the life blood of any new business

    Applying for such funding takes time and knowledge to understand which options are suitable and what conditions they come with.

    Sources of funding can be grouped into four broad categories: self-funding, traditional loans from banks and angel investors, government funding and crowd funding.

    By: 
  • The Innovation Blog: how to accelerate your business for free

    If I told you that Scotland had not one, but two FREE business accelerators, would you believe me?

    Well, we do. 

    One is based in Glasgow and the other is seven miles west of Kilmarnock, just north of Dundonald.  Both are part of Entrepreneurial Spark, a not-for-profit company that is focussed on enabling entrepreneurs. 

    Entrepreneurial Spark has received support from philanthropists Willie Haughey OBE and Sir Tom Hunter and has gained backing from Scottish councils.

    By: 
  • The Innovation Blog: employees need time and space for their own ideas

    It's rewarding in itself, and because you want to see your project be a success, you will go the extra mile to ensure that it is a success.

    Companies need to tap into the innovation talents of their employees by allowing them to innovate.

    Many companies are well known for the innovation cultures: Google, 3M, IBM and Lockheed Martin all have formalised programs to support their employees work on their own projects.

    By: 
  • The Innovation Blog: Made in Scotland

    They were all invented in Scotland.

    Ross Dickinson is the inventor of the Kibosh which provides a temporary repair for leaking pipes.  He had the idea when called out to yet another house that had been flooded because of a burst pipe which had caused a great deal of damage and distress.

    The Kibosh is placed around the burst pipe and a tight seal is achieved by locking the handle into place.  Having a few Kibosh at home could eliminate plumber call-out charges and they are designed to be used for up to a week until a permanent repair can be made.

    By: 
  • The Innovation Blog: Skyscanner

    It was such a frustrating experience having to search multiple airline and travel agent websites just to find the best flight.

    What Gareth Williams wanted was a single website that could search every commercial flight in the world. No such website existed so he and his friends built it.

    Skyscanner.net got what they wanted. Gareth and his company innovated. And the success of their company today is built, in part, on their award-winning website which is the number one flight search engine in Europe.

    By: 

Headshot image

Name

Huw Evans

Job Title

Business commentator

Social bar