Edinburgh start-up wins pitch of the day at Dragons’ Den-style investor conference

An Edinburgh-based start-up whose technology platform addresses data leaks has won pitch of the day at a Dragons’ Den-style tech investor conference.

Ionburst CFO Anne Lanc: 'It’s such a prestigious event and the standard of competition was incredibly high.'

The EIE21 event, being held virtually, saw company founders pitch for investment from seed level to more than £2 million.

Capital-based Ionburst’s platform addresses data leaks in the cloud for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and larger corporates at a time when hackers and ransomware are becoming more prevalent.

The firm was voted best pitch against Earth Blox, Bridgeweave, Net AI, iOPt, LiberEat, Beta Bug, Nebu-Flow, Transwap and GoBubble.

Ionburst chief financial officer Anne Lanc said: “We’re delighted to win EIE21, it’s such a prestigious event and the standard of competition was incredibly high, and now that EIE has showcased us we look forward to speaking to investors that want to help us build a global business.”

Serial entrepreneur Mike Welch, one of the keynote speakers at EIE21 who is now running one of the world’s largest online tyre retailers, Miami-headquartered Tirebuyer, said: “Scotland now has a digital friendly ecosystem, it’s a great time to be based in the country, be part of the set-up and take advantage of the opportunities available.”

EIE has supported more than 500 tech start-ups since 2008 which have collectively raised some £750m from seed through to Series A and later stage funding.

Jenny Tooth, chief executive of the UK Business Angels Association, said: “The quality of entrepreneur pitches was excellent, showcasing some very significant innovations and disruptive technologies applied across a wide range of sectors and markets.”

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