Edinburgh start-up to represent Scotland in race to be crowned ‘UK’s most exciting tech business’

An Edinburgh-based technology start-up is in the race to be crowned the UK’s top tech trailblazer.

Zelim is behind AI-enabled maritime safety and security systems that can save lives when people fall overboard at sea.

The capital venture has seen off strong competition from a raft of tech start-ups to be named Scotland’s Tech Innovator 2026 winner, as part of KPMG’s bid to crown the UK’s most exciting tech businesses.

Amy Burnett, Emerging Giants lead in Scotland at KPMG UK; Andy Tipping, co-founder at Zelim; and Alan Gilbert, chief financial officer at Zelim.

Zelim will now progress to the national UK Tech Innovator final in London in June after coming out on top following a successful pitch alongside the best tech offerings north of the Border.

UK Tech Innovator, which is now in its 13th year, aims to find the “best and brightest tech scale-ups that are lighting up the UK”.

The competition gives a platform for entrepreneurs to showcase their businesses and collectively champion the future of tech. It has celebrated some of the UK’s best pure technology and tech-enabled businesses including What3Words, VividQ and HiiROC.

Read more: Edinburgh-based firm taking the human out of search and rescue at sea

Regional winners progress to the national final, with the overall UK champion then advancing to the world stage at the KPMG Global Tech Innovator Competition later in the year, where an international panel of judges will select the global champion.

Andy Tipping from Zelim said: “2026 started off with a bang for Zelim, with major contract wins across the cruise, ferry and offshore energy sectors, as well as recently launching the world’s first type approved man overboard detection system.

“The business is really building momentum now, and winning the Scotland heat of the UK Tech Innovator award alongside such high calibre tech companies is fantastic recognition for our team. It’s testament to the hard work and dedication that has gone into reaching these milestones.

“We look forward to the UK final and hope we can bring home the win for Scotland,” he added.

Commenting on the regional heat, Vishal Chopra, Scotland senior partner at KPMG UK, said: “Scotland’s tech ecosystem continues to go from strength to strength, with ambitious businesses developing innovative solutions to global challenges, and Zelim is a fantastic example of that momentum in action.

“The team delivered a confident and compelling pitch, backed by a product with genuine potential to make a difference in maritime safety and security. Their use of AI to help save lives at sea clearly resonated with the judges and demonstrated both strong technical expertise and commercial ambition.

“We’re proud to see a Scottish business flying the flag for the nation at the UK final in London, and I know there will be plenty of people cheering Zelim on from north of the Border.”

Amy Burnett, Emerging Giants lead in Scotland at KPMG UK, said: “Every year the standard on show in UK Tech Innovator reaches new levels and it’s fantastic to see such a diverse range of exciting tech businesses emerging from across the UK.

“Businesses like Zelim are a brilliant example of the kind of innovation the programme is designed to celebrate - combining cutting-edge technology with real-world impact and global growth potential.”

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