A team led by a Highland businessman was one of the top prize winners in a competition run by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Gary Campbell, a director at Tain based Environmental Hygiene Products Ltd, led his multinational team to success last week at MIT's Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP).

The team, which included business people from the USA, Saudi Arabia and New Zealand, was put together by Gary on the first day of the EDP.  It presented the benefits of an innovative sports performance monitoring device which is currently being developed by one of the team members.

Gary Campbell said:  "We had to compete against 12 other teams made up of participants from various countries.  Over a week we had to prepare an investors presentation for a new business which was judged by both MIT professors as well as a director of one of the largest private equity investors in the USA."

"We won the 'best plan' category and came overall runner up.  The real prize though was that nine people who had never met before were able to put together the case in such a short time."

Gary was able to participate in the EDP after winning one of three places in a competition run by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).  One of the other HIE winners, Pete Kelly from C3 Amulet of Dingwall, was also in the top four finalist teams.  Jamie Smith from the Ice Factor was also a winner in the competition and attended the EDP in Boston. 

Laura Dingwall, senior development manager at HIE said:  "We are very pleased with the performance of our companies on this competitive programme and we are keen to build on this experience to support entrepreneurial development in the region.

"The trip to Boston gave the local businesses an opportunity to connect with some of the most innovative business thinking and ambitious entrepreneurs in the world and we are now considering how to extend the learning and opportunity to others in the region."

Kerry Godfrey, UHI dean of business and leisure said:  "These results are outstanding, and show to the rest of the world that we too have top class entrepreneurs.  The group was also accompanied by Carol Langston, a business lecturer from Inverness College UHI, who equally distinguished herself by placing in the final four teams.  I am extremely pleased with the results and look forward to the experience gained by Carol and the team feeding into our own planned developments for teaching enterprise and innovation in UHI.

It is really exciting to support entrepreneurial development in the region.  The link with MIT represents a starting point for UHI in building our own programmes to encourage enterprise and innovation in the Highlands and Islands."

Mike Grandinetti, a senior lecturer at MIT said of the Scottish participants: "The folks from the Highlands more than made their mark during the week and it was especially pleasing that Gary's team were so highly placed.  We look forward to more people from the Highlands and Islands participating in future EDPs"