An Aberdeen entrepreneur is knitting together a team of workers after having won a £50,000 grant to support female business leaders.
Lucy Fisher was awarded cash from the UK Government-backed agency Innovate UK to further develop her interactive platform which makes learning how to knit easy.
Having learned to knit from a young age from her mum and grandma, the 27-year-old launched the Knit It app with the aim to inspire the younger generations to pick up their needles and start knitting.
The grant from Innovate UK’s Women in Innovation Awards was announced on International Women’s Day.
It comes after she picked up another £50,000 award last year, via the granting body’s Young Innovators Next Steps, an annual competition for young people with bright business ideas.
‘Now or never’ moment
The former Robert Gordon University student made the big decision in December to quit her full-time job as an architectural designer and concentrate fully on Knit It.
She now plans to recruit a specialist team of designers and technical specialists to make her knitting dream a reality.
Ms Fisher said: “All the support we’ve had just enhanced the momentum for me so much so I left my day job to go full-time. It was a now or never. It needs my full attention to get it out there and share it with the world.
“I feel so close to the brink. It’s the final steps now before the final push.”
Ms Fisher added: “We are planning on hiring knitting pattern designers, data inputters and a marketing team in anticipation of launching the platform this year.
“There’s an opportunity for community involvement as I’m looking for pattern designers to submit patterns.
“To receive the award was fantastic. It’s all about me inspiring people to knit.”
Ms Fisher was amongst this year’s 50 winners of Innovate UK’s Women in Innovation Awards who are developing novel solutions to major social, environmental and economic challenges.
As well as the money she will receive one-to-one business coaching, and a suite of networking, role modelling, and training opportunities.
Coinciding with International Women’s Day (March 8), the awards reflect the government’s ambition to give more support to women innovators and business leaders.
Strong Scottish showing
Now in its sixth year, the competition drew a record number of 920 applications from women business leaders, 10% up from last year.
Innovate UK head of equality, diversity and inclusion Emily Nott said: “Each year I am blown away by the brilliant ideas and talent we uncover through our Women in Innovation programme.
“Despite these challenging economic times, this year’s winners have shown great leadership, passion and resilience in driving their innovations forward.”
Ms Fisher was one of five winners from Scotland.
UK Government minister for Scotland Malcolm Offord said: “It’s fantastic to see such strong representation from Scottish entrepreneurs among today’s winners.
“Entrepreneurship is a powerful vehicle for growing our economy – helping to create better-paid jobs and opportunity right across the country – whilst also helping to tackle some of our biggest societal challenges.
“Many congratulations to all the winners, and I look forward to seeing these concepts develop through the support they will now receive.”
Conversation