A SOCIAL enterprise that tackles period poverty has been crowned the winner of the Virgin StartUp Awards.

Hey Girls has been crowned Scottish Business of the Year 2018.

Over the past three months, Virgin Startup10: Scotland has been searching for Scotland’s best startup businesses for the chance to win “startup can’t buy prizes” including mentoring and support from a leading Scottish law firm.

The 10 finalists pitched to an all-star judging panel, comprising of a mix of Scottish entrepreneurs including Jackie Waring of Investing Women, chair of Scottish Enterprise Bob Keiller, Leah Hutcheon of Appointedd, Callum Stuart of Mallzee and guest Paul Wheelhouse, Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy.

Hey Girls, founded by mother Celia Hodson and her daughters, Becky and Kate, took home the top prize and will receive mentoring, marketing and PR support from Virgin StartUp as well as the all-star judging panel members.

Hey Girls is tackling period poverty in the UK via a “buy one give one” model: every time a customer buys a packet of pads for themselves, they also pay for one to be donated to someone who is struggling with these additional costs of living.

Having been a single parent, Hodson understands first-hand the financial strain of buying sanitary protection when struggling to survive on benefits and recognises that the situation for women hasn’t changed in twenty years, leaving her with the decision that something had to be done.

Hodson said: “We’re thrilled to have been crowned Virgin StartUps Scottish Business of the Year 2018.

“It’s crazy to think that we’ve achieved this success having only just launched in January.

“We hope that having access to Virgin StartUp will ultimately have direct benefits in helping the Hey Girls brand expand thanks to the additional mentoring and business advice.”

Andrew Hutchison, head of strategy at Virgin StartUp said: “Huge congratulations to all our finalists, the response we had to the Virgin StartUp 10 Scotland campaign has been fantastic.

“Our aim was to champion Scottish entrepreneurs and showcase that running your own business is achievable for anyone, regardless of age, education, upbringing or passion.

“Hey Girls really stood out for their passion, they showcased great innovation and were able to demonstrate the positive impact they were already making to a problem that is causing a real issue in the UK.”

Virgin Startup10: Scotland is being sponsored by BDO which supports businesses at all stages of the lifecycle from early stage start-ups to those looking for growth funding.

Jackie Waring, CEO of Investing Women, added: “Hey Girls demonstrated the real effect their social enterprise is already making in just a few months and I don’t doubt we’re going to see more great things from them in the future.”