Since 2016, Opportunity North East has developed and delivered action and secured investment of £150 million with partners in north east Scotland’s growth sectors of digital tech, energy, food, drink and agriculture, life sciences and tourism.
ONE held its Entrepreneurship Driving Transformation annual event on 26 August 2024. Over 100 entrepreneurs, founders, innovators, business and industry leaders, and funding and delivery partners joined ONE at ONE BioHub to continue the conversation about realising their shared ambitions for the region.
ONE chair Sir Ian Wood KT GBE set out the vision of private sector leadership, action, and co-investment that delivers for the region’s growth sectors.
ONE CEO Jennifer Craw shared the impact of the ONE model and its partnership working over the past year and looked to future delivery to 2030 and beyond to ensure that founders and business leaders thrive in the entrepreneurial ecosystem ONE is building, achieve their ambitions and create an economy with innovation-driven enterprises leading international growth.
Speaking at the Entrepreneurship Driving Transformation event, ONE CEO Jennifer Craw said: “What we achieve we achieve through effective partnerships. Thank you for all your contribution to date and ONE looks forward to working with you to achieve even more.”
Calum Macdonald and Sir Ian Wood opened the ONE annual event. "We are applying our unique model of harnessing regional strengths, applying experience and expertise in growing businesses, sourcing private and public funding and resources to co-invest and drive transformational change," said Sir Ian.
Perspectives on progress
Entrepreneurs, founders, mentors and partners working with ONE provided perspectives on the progress achieved and the impact on them and their businesses.
Austin Hay of ADC Energy, Fiona Rudkin of mycoBiologics, Scott Fraser from Angus & Oink, and Little Brown Dog Spirits' Andrew Smith shared insights on how disciplined entrepreneurship supports them to scale their businesses.
Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy Kate Forbes MSP stressed the significance of the ONE model to driving entrepreneurial growth and national economic transformation in her conversation with Times Radio broadcaster Calum Macdonald, who hosted the event.
Leap AI founders Ben Stuart and Ben Bamford and their mentors Deirdre Michie OBE, Mike Fleming and Rob Burnett discussed their experiences of the North East Venture Mentoring Pilot, led by ONE with partners Energy Transition Zone Ltd, Net Zero Technology Centre, University of Aberdeen, Robert Gordon University and Scottish Enterprise.
The focus by ONE and partners on growth sectors, entrepreneurship and innovation is making a huge difference to our economy and prospects. The achievements we’ve marked today have been achieved together. Each of us plays our part. Stay engaged and stay focused, and we can achieve a lot more.
The private-public partnership approach works. Since we started operating in 2016, ONE has secured £150 million of investment in the region for growth sectors on a co-investment basis and continues to develop as the regional entrepreneurial ecosystem builder, combining economic development with entrepreneurship and innovation.
ONE impact journey
The unique ONE private-public partnership model is making change happen. This is a critical part of the region’s powerful economic narrative and vision with the private sector leading a consistent commitment to action with public, private and philanthropic partners in ambitious, innovative and outward-looking industry sectors.
Founders' stories
ONE continues to strengthen and build the entrepreneurial ecosystem with partners. Inspiring ambition and equipping founders and business leaders with the insights, knowledge, skills, tools, mentoring, and peer support to create and scale innovation-led businesses. Some of the founders who participated in the entrepreneurship development programme at MIT earlier this year have achieved significant milestones. They shared reflections on the transformative impact of disciplined entrepreneurship on their businesses.
"Looking to 2030, our goal is to have founders and business leaders thrive in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, to achieve their ambitions and create an economy with innovation-driven enterprises driving international growth," said Jennifer Craw.
Looking to 2030 and beyond
ONE is committed to maximising the opportunities across the growth sectors, working with partners to secure new resources, funding, and investment to drive economic diversification and growth.
"You’ve seen how the region has benefitted from ONE action and investment, leveraging funding and resources, putting in place the infrastructure and support to accelerate growth opportunities, only possible because of the extraordinary £64 million commitment to ONE from the Wood Foundation," said Jennifer Craw.
"What we achieve is through effective partnerships and ONE looks forward to working with you to achieve even more. Your part in this is to be ambitious and confident, be positive and continue to work with ONE as a founder or business leader, as a mentor, as a delivery partner, as a co-funder or co-investor. Thank you for your contribution to date. Together, we are ONE, and ONE makes the difference to grow and transform the region."
Closing the event, Sir Ian Wood said: “I’m very encouraged by what we’ve seen and heard today. The focus by ONE and partners on growth sectors, entrepreneurship and innovation is making a huge difference to our economy and prospects. There’s a lot more to do, and there’s a clear appetite in this room to extend and expand action, investment and delivery to achieve our shared ambitions.”
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Opportunity North East Ltd
11 Queens Gardens
Aberdeen
AB15 4YD