Latest News
Words of inspiration from a successful social entrepreneur
January 28, 2016Gregory Chauvet, owner of the Glasgow Bike Station finished 2015 on a high. He was awarded Social Entrepreneurs of the Year 2015 at the Herald Society Awards last November.
I talked to Gregory to find out more about his journey as an entrepreneur, how he felt about his fantastic achievement and what advice he would like to share with budding entrepreneurs in 2016.
Corporate Scotland is doing good - but still a long way to go
January 19, 2016Scottish businesses must be motivated by more than the financial bottom line if they are to help build a fairer and greener Scotland.
That’s the conclusion of Better Business, a ground-breaking study published today (Tuesday 19 January) into responsible business practices in Scotland.
Four Scottish social entrepreneurs end the year on a high with a share of an £80,000 award
December 18, 2015Four Scottish social entrepreneurs have shared a total of £80,000 funding after receiving awards from Firstport, Scotland’s start up social enterprise development agency.
2015 has been the year for social enterprise in Scotland
December 14, 2015The launch of the first ever census of social enterprises has demonstrated a thriving and growing business community.
Locavore launches its Big Plan – A Social Enterprise Supermarket
November 4, 2015Locavore, a social enterprise which exists to help build a more sustainable local food economy, has launched their Big Plan.
Ground-breaking study shines light on responsible business in Scotland
September 28, 2015A new study is being launched to discover if businesses are doing their bit to help create a fairer Scotland.
Firstport, in partnership with InspirAlba, is developing Vital Spark, an exciting new social enterprise initiative for Argyll and Bute. The Vital Spark programme will be working in Dunoon, Rothesay and Campbeltown to stimulate and support people from the local areas to turn their social enterprise ideas into reality.
Read our strategy document Start Small, Aim High: Firstport 4 aims in 4 years to find out about our ambitious plans.
Deputy First Minister John Swinney praised the contribution of social enterprise to the Scottish economy as the entrepreneurs chosen for innovative accelerator programme LaunchMe 2015 were revealed at a recent event in Edinburgh.
Leadership - a trial of attitudes and actions
April 8, 2015By Iain Edwards
Hands up, leadership is one of my favorite topics. It’s vast, it’s polarizing and a subject I’m deeply passionate about.
Scotland’s social enterprise development agency, Firstport, is celebrating a £200,000 funding boost from Resilient Scotland to continue its social replication programme, Ditto. The funding will enable Firstport to roll out Ditto to 13 local authority areas* and will play a vital role in creating employment by promoting a low-risk route to starting a social enterprise.
Scottish social enterprises benefit from Firstport funding
March 20, 2015Over £80,000 has been awarded to social entrepreneurs today by Firstport, Scotland’s development agency for start-up social enterprise.
Edinburgh textile business sews up new premises
February 20, 2015A social enterprise has opened for business in Craigmillar in a bid to bring contract manufacturing back to Edinburgh and create much-needed jobs.
Firstport appears on BBC News
January 20, 2015Looking at the growth of the social enterprise model featuring Firstport and socially driven courier company Delivered Next Day Personally (DNDP)
Firstport welcomes £500,000 boost for social enterprise in Scotland
January 15, 2015Scotland’s social enterprise development agency Firstport has welcomed a £500,000 investment by the Scottish Government into its programme to find and support social entrepreneurs.
Firstport awarded over £100,000 to new-start social enterprises in the last five months of 2014. From the Scottish Borders to the Highlands, 29 entrepreneurs benefitted from Start It awards distributed from Firstport’s Social Entrepreneur’s Fund.