Ochil Astronautics Crowned Winner of Founders Live Event
Founder, Stuart Preston, beat 3 other participants to win the coveted prize.
5th September 2025 – Ochil Astronautics has won the latest Founders Live event in Glasgow, beating 3 fellow founders to the top spot.
Up against Aladin Ali from Quantum Leap Enterprises, Elaine Brett from Sylenze and Richard Menzies from Openbook Analytics, each founder had just 99 seconds to pitch their business to a room full of spectators.
The pitches were then followed by 4 minutes of Q&A from the audience, concluding with a live vote to crown the chosen winner.
Ochil Astronautics was selected as the event’s successor, following founder, Stuart Preston’s pitch to the crowd.
As an RAF Veteran, Preston, shared his first-hand experience of life on the front-line, citing it as a core reason for starting the business.
Ochil Astronautics is on a mission to grow fresh, nutritious food in the most extreme environments – whether for soldiers, refugees, or astronauts. So, everyone has access to life-sustaining resources where they’re needed most.
As part of the prize package, Ochil Astronautics has the chance to enter the Founders Live Prime Time event – a global tournament which sees each city’s winners compete in online pitches for audience votes to win the US$10,000 grand prize.
They also receive a Boost Package, which has a host of valuable resources for new business owners.
Speaking about the win, Preston said: “It’s an incredible honour to be voted as the winner of this Founders Live event. It’s heartening to hear how interested people are in the work we’re doing. The validation of the long nights and efforts is something you don’t always consider being important - but in these early stages of the company, it is. I want to thank Michael at Founders Live for organising a great event, to the competitors, and to the attendees for taking the time to listen to my pitch.”
September’s event was the second to take place in Glasgow and the first to be hosted by city leader, Michael Ajala. The next Glasgow event is scheduled to take place on 4th December at Barclays Eagle Labs.
For more information:
Please visit: https://www.ochilastronautics.com or contact:
Laura Imrie, Marketing Consultant, marketing@ochilastronautics.com
ABOUT OCHIL ASTRONAUTICS
Ochil Astronautics is developing the technology to grow food in space giving humanity the chance to go farther and stay longer in space. The company combines the experience of almost two decades in engineering with a passion for space exploration to create smart, sustainable space solutions. The space AgTech industry will continue to grow exponentially as human space exploration expands and Ochil Astronautics aims to be one of the key developers of the technology.
ABOUT FOUNDERS LIVE
Founders Live is a global platform that connects, inspires, and amplifies early-stage entrepreneurs through livestreamed pitch events, community support, and exposure opportunities. With local events held in cities around the world, Founders Live helps startups gain visibility, engage with audiences, and compete for recognition on a global stage.
