RGU Alumna Lucy Fisher wins £10k of funding from Scottish EDGE Awards
Friday 16 October 2020
Knit It, which was also part of the RGU Startup Accelerator programme, has been announced as the Creative Edge and Young Edge winner at the Scottish EDGE Awards, which is a competition aimed at identifying and supporting Scotland’s up-and-coming, innovative, high-growth entrepreneurial talent. This is the third year in a row an RGU start up has won Young Edge.
Lucy’s hopes to create a global community of knitters by revolutionising the knitting industry through Knit It and said being recognised at a national level was a real confidence boost.
“It really helps to know that the judges believe in the business and that they are impressed with our team and plans to take it forward in a strategical way,” she said.
“I am also so grateful for all the support and mentorship we received too as so far this has proven essential to help grow the idea. It's also really nice to be recognised for all the hard work we have put in, and it was such a bonus to win the Creative Edge award as this really emulates what Knit It is all about!”
The Knit It team consists of Lucy, her Mum and Grandma who share the same passion and aim of reinventing knitting for the future, inviting a new digital generation to learn and create, using modern technology and interactive tools to remove difficulty making knitting enjoyable, faster and fun.
Lucy continued: “The funding will contribute greatly to developing the technology for the Knit It Platform which we hope to launch in 2021 and will ultimately help us to realise our vision of revolutionising the knitting industry. We are currently seeking experts in the technology and creative industries to sit on our advisory board to help grow the business. And our next steps for Knit It are to launch our first product, the KnitPic Kit, in November!”
Lucy’s first product the ‘KnitPic Kit’ is bespoke service will allow you to turn your photo into a knitting pattern, receiving a kit with all you need to Knit It!
“We really hope that the personal touch means that the cushions can be knitted and gifted to loved ones and this will bring joy and put a smile on the face of both the knitter and recipient! The KnitPic kit can be purchased exclusively from our online store www.knit-it.co.uk and you can follow Knit It on social media @hello_knit_it to keep up to date for news on the product launch!”
Lucy spoke of how knitting is becoming more popular during the current Covid-19 pandemic as people are spending more time at home.
“The current pandemic, as awful as it is, has presented us with an amazing opportunity. Knitting is becoming more and more popular as people are spending more time at home, looking for creative outlets and stress relieving activities. It's something that everyone in the family can participate in and enjoy. We hope that the KnitPic Kit will be an exciting new project for knitters and that it is something they will never have tried before.”
Chris Moule, Head of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at RGU, said: “Lucy impressed the judges with her entrepreneurial spirit and her scalable venture and even presented the Edge team with hand-knitted KnitPic portraits. This double win is a great achievement for Lucy who came through our Startup Accelerator programme with a robust scaleable proposition, and the skills and confidence to take it to the next level.
“We are delighted that the Knit It team and Lucy’s leadership and commitment have been recognised in this way.”