Fuze Ceremonies, a rapidly-growing events company which organises humanist wedding and naming ceremonies, has been named the winner of a competition to find Scotland’s most promising start-up business.
The Scottish wedding market is worth in excess of £80 million per annum with recent changes in legislation sparking a huge growth in demand for humanist weddings.
Figures released last month by the General Register for Scotland show an increase in humanist wedding ceremonies of 20% over the last 12 months from 2486 in 2011 to 3052 in 2012. An overall increase from less than 100 humanist ceremonies conducted in 2005.
With a team based throughout Scotland, Fuze Ceremonies offers a range of fixed price, all-inclusive ceremony packages including legal Humanist marriages (Scotland), naming days, non-legal Humanist marriages, same-sex affirmations (UK) and re-affirmations of vows.
As overall winner of the Enterprise Challenge 2013 Fuze will benefit from a comprehensive package of free business development services, including six months’ rent-free office space at the Atrium Business Centre in Glasgow, plus access to expertise covering legal and financial matters, investment and fundraising, PR and marketing, recruitment, staff development, IT and online trading.
Morag Adams, MD of Fuze Ceremonies, says: “We are delighted to have won the LESL Enterprise Challenge. It’s been a tough first year, but we’ve made a great start to a business that is continuing to grow and innovate. Winning is not only about the prize but the recognition by others and the belief that they have in our business has given us all a real boost.
“Our new premises at the Atrium, together with the mentoring and expertise we’ll receive from LESL’s advisors, will undoubtedly help underpin our plans for rapid expansion, initially in Scotland, then throughout the UK.”
Three further Scottish start-ups were named as runners-up in the Enterprise Challenge:
- Glasgow-based Plantedd is an online marketplace where the UK’s independent horticulture nurseries can sell their plants;
- Corporate Chiropody, based in Glasgow, provides on-site staff chiropody services to Scottish organisations, including the Scottish Government, BBC, STV, Dell and Scottish Power;
- Blantyre-based MJJ HVAC has developed and patented a revolutionary turbine component which requires no electricity to run and can be used to replace conventional electric motors.
Each runner up will receive a tailored package of business mentoring and support services including, in the case of both Plantedd and MJJ HVAC, six months rent-free office space at the Alba Innovation Centre in Livingston.
The Enterprise Challenge 2013, a competition to find Scotland’s next big start up, was launched by LESL to celebrate 25 years of supporting business growth in Scotland.
Open to any start up or young business that has the capacity for rapid growth, the focus is not necessarily on a new or innovative technology but on the best business model and prospects for success.
Ronnie Smith, CEO of LESL, says: “LESL’s whole reason for being is to support exciting young Scottish businesses, assisting them to achieve their business goals and strengthen Scotland’s economy. By providing access to mentoring and expertise tailored to their individual needs, I know that we can help these four start-ups to deliver on their potential as world-class companies. ”
The challenge was officially launched by Fergus Ewing MSP, Minister for Energy, Enterprise & Tourism, on 1 May 2013 at the Alba Innovation Centre in Livingston, Scottish Enterprise’s incubator for early stage technology companies.
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