I have a fascination with the startup scene. There! I said it. London was a great place to get involved, and I could often be found at Google Campus, or innovation accelerator The Bakery, or that awesome coworking space inside a Gail’s bakery!

I had the absolute best time working for equity crowdfunding platform Seedrs, and loved working on the New Generation awards for The Veuve Clicquot Women in Business Awards. The I worked on the awards, Jude Ower was the runner-up, and what a woman. This is Jude talking about why she set up her company, Playmob:

I had been in the games industry for 10 years, mainly focused on games for education and training. I had begun to move more into social impact games and charities were getting in touch to ask if I could build a game that could raise awareness of their cause, and generate donations too.

Since my move to Edinburgh, I haven’t been so involved in the startup environment, but this is where my research begins. I’ll pick my fascination back up. You don’t have to look very hard to discover that this beautiful city is a thriving hotbed of entrepreneurial spirit.

Jim Galloway, head of enterprise and innovation at the city council, said:

Edinburgh was the original seat of enlightenment in the 18th century. David Hume, Adam Smith, Robert Burns walked the streets of Edinburgh, they bumped into each other, and into the common people as well. This is still part of what Edinburgh is today. We are now the seat of the enlightenment point two.

And this is a fact that people keep coming back to. Edinburgh has always been at the centre of advanced thinking, pushing boundaries. And in this tech revolution, this legacy continues. There is no shortage of coworking spaces, tech hubs, meetups, conferences and chats with entrepreneurial types.

The passion, buzz and drive that entrepreneurs and small business owners have can’t be beaten. If you want to surround yourself with positive people, this is the place to play. The sense of community, and communal learning, is incredible. People helping people, sharing knowledge, sharing contacts, giving each other a leg up. And expecting nothing in return.

So here goes. Some fun and thoughts on the Edinburgh startup scene. Buckle up kids!