Three Edinburgh female entrepreneurs explain why they all received the Innovate UK Women in Innovation Award

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Three inspirational female entrepreneurs from Edinburgh have been explaining why they made the list of 50 women leading the charge in groundbreaking industries.

From paediatric healthcare to peat-free farming solutions, the Innovate UK Women in Innovation Awards will empower four trailblazing women from Scotland to scale their innovative businesses and make a meaningful impact.

Edinburgh women Danae Shell, Yola Jones and Daniela Mercado Beivide are joined on the list by Alicja Dzieciol from Livingston.

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Edinburgh female enterpeneurs Yola Jones, left, Daniela Belvide, top right, and Danae Shell were among the 50 winners of the Innovate UK Women in Innovation Awards.Edinburgh female enterpeneurs Yola Jones, left, Daniela Belvide, top right, and Danae Shell were among the 50 winners of the Innovate UK Women in Innovation Awards.
Edinburgh female enterpeneurs Yola Jones, left, Daniela Belvide, top right, and Danae Shell were among the 50 winners of the Innovate UK Women in Innovation Awards. | Four

Each will receive a £75,000 grant, personalised business coaching, and access to networking, role modelling and training opportunities.

Danae Shell, CEO of Valla in Edinburgh, is boosting the accessibility of legal services for employees. Despite almost 100,000 Employment Tribunal’s arising in the UK annually, many people are unable to afford initial case assessments from law firms, which typically cost £250-£500, creating a critical gap in access to justice.

Danae Shell, CEO of Valla in Edinburgh, is boosting the accessibility of legal services for employees.Danae Shell, CEO of Valla in Edinburgh, is boosting the accessibility of legal services for employees.
Danae Shell, CEO of Valla in Edinburgh, is boosting the accessibility of legal services for employees. | Four

Originally from Tennessee, Danae has been in the city for more than 20 years, after coming here to do a masters degree and staying as she “fell in love with the city”. She now lives in the Chesser area of Edinburgh.

Having already supported 10,000 cases, Valla’s platform is making legal services more accessible and affordable for all.

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Speaking about UK Women in Innovation Award, Danae said: “It’s so exciting to win this award. It’s such a competitive award and to be part of this group is very special. I have been trying to apply for this award for a couple of years because it’s one of the few national awards for women in tech.

“It’s the one to win, so it’s definitely been a goal of mine to win it for a long time.

“We won because we are doing something very different in the legal space, taking the learning I have had and applying it in legal and helping people to get legal support when they can’t do it any other way.

“I have been a part of the Edinburgh tech scene since I arrived in the city and I’m delighted to still be a part of it.”

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Yola Jones, from Edinburgh, co-founder of Seluna, is revolutionising paediatric healthcare with an AI-powered wearable device that diagnoses sleep apnoea from home.

With 80 per cent of cases undiagnosed, her innovation offers a more child-friendly diagnostic experience, alleviates strain on hospital resources, and advances health equity.

Yola Jones, from Edinburgh, co-founder of Seluna.Yola Jones, from Edinburgh, co-founder of Seluna.
Yola Jones, from Edinburgh, co-founder of Seluna. | Four

She said: “It was absolutely wonderful to win. It was such an honour to be recognised and it’s just great to be recognised for the work we have done.

“The application process was lengthy and we have been growing at a rapid rate, but it’s been the best journey in the world.

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“We are building a proof of concept hardware device for diagnosing sleep aponea in children, so the £75,000 grant is very important. We couldn’t have done this without Innovate UK, it’s been such a huge boost for the company.

“We hope to continue our work on this and be done by the end of the year. A massive thank you to Innovate UK for this incredible opportunity.”

Daniela Mercado Beivide, originally from Mexico but now living in Portobello, is the chief science officer at Holly Health, which merges psychology and technology for long-term weight management.

Her mindfulness-based platform, which addresses the psychological factors behind eating behaviours, already supports over 30,000 users across 200 NHS GP practices, with 86 per cent adopting healthier habits within eight weeks.

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Daniela Mercado Beivide is the chief science officer at Holly Health.Daniela Mercado Beivide is the chief science officer at Holly Health.
Daniela Mercado Beivide is the chief science officer at Holly Health. | Four

She said: “It felt amazing to win. It was a bit of a shock, just because I know there are so many talented women out there. So it’s a real honour to have won.

“I applied last year and got very close, and the feedback was very good. So I thought it would be worthwhile trying again this year.

“If any woman reading this has an innovative idea, she should go into the Innovate UK portal and apply for a grant as it’s a great step up.”

Speaking about why she won, Daniela said: “Within Holy Health I’m trying to support people through psychological underpinning of eating disorders.

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“We think people just need to eat the right things and do exercise to be healthy, but there are a lot of mental barriers to losing weight.

“We are already supporting 200 GP practices across the UK and people are getting a lot of benefit from it.”

Fellow Scottish winner Alicja Dzieciol, from Livingston, is the founder of SilviBio, which developed LatticeGro, a peat-free propagation block. It helps farmers comply with DEFRA's peat ban and improve UK food security.

Transitioning to peat-free farming is estimated to cost farmers over £239 million. LatticeGro offers a cost-effective solution, enabling compliance by 2030 without the need for expensive new equipment.

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Alicja Dzieciol, from Livingston, is the founder of SilviBio.Alicja Dzieciol, from Livingston, is the founder of SilviBio.
Alicja Dzieciol, from Livingston, is the founder of SilviBio. | www.scottishphotographer.com

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Since launching in 2016, the Innovate UK Women in Innovation Awards have invested over £11 million in 200 women innovators and has built a vibrant community of over 10,500 women business leaders.

The awards drew 1,452 applications from women business leaders, up 52 per cent on last year. This record-breaking engagement highlights the high demand for innovation support and potential to drive economic growth from women leading businesses in the UK.

Emily Nott, head of equality, diversity and inclusion at Innovate UK, said: “The Innovate UK Women in Innovation Awards spotlight the UK’s most groundbreaking women entrepreneurs. This year’s winners have shown incredible leadership and creativity.

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“We’re thrilled to support them in scaling their businesses and inspiring the next wave of women innovators. Their success stories will undoubtedly pave the way for more women to enter and thrive in the world of innovation.”

In total, £3.75 million in government funding is being awarded, with each recipient receiving 50 per cent more than previous years.

Recent data across all Innovate UK competitions shows that 1 in 3 successful grant applications are now led by women, a significant jump from 1 in 7 when Women in Innovation was first launched.

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