Aberdeen tech start-up expands with Edinburgh office after oversubscribed fundraiser

Brothers Daryll (left) and Luke Morrow co-founded Udrafter. Picture: Contributed

Udrafter, short for the University Draft, closed its Seedrs round 30 days early after raising £300,000 – £65,000 more than its initial target.

This will enable the business to launch an Edinburgh office to serve clients in the Central Belt and hire three new staff.

Udrafter offers firms the chance to engage students in paid work experience on a range of projects from as little as two hours in length.

Around 170 companies in Aberdeen and the North-east of Scotland are already registered on the platform.

MD Daryll Morrow, who co-founded the firm with his brother Luke, said: “[Udrafter] allows students to gain valuable, industry-relevant experience while being paid.

"And it allows businesses to get work done while building a talent pipeline to fill future permanent graduate vacancies.”

The business is currently in the process of forming partnerships with Stirling, Heriot-Watt and Abertay universities.

Luke Morrow added: “But the beauty of the platform is that - unless the student is required to spend time in the company’s office - a business in one part of the country can match with a student in another.

“We still have the Aberdeen office and will continue to provide the same level of service and support to clients and students there, but we’re sure that businesses across Edinburgh, Glasgow and other parts of Scotland will find the same high standard of work to be just as valuable as our clients in Aberdeen.

“We’re also offering businesses the opportunity to try us out by allowing them to post a project on our site for free.”

Udrafter has previously won a £10,000 Scottish Edge Award and last month won the marketing category at the Centre for Engineering, Education and Development Scotland Awards.