Start up Scale up

The UNA Watch design allows users to repair, replace and upgrade components instead of discarding entire devices.

Scottish start-up behind ‘Lego-like’ smartwatch secures £300,000 boost
“Consumer tech is an incredibly saturated space, so when somebody puts something in front of you that’s genuinely different, it leaps out” – Ed Stevenson, SFC C...

Audience members at a Converge programme event. Picture: Converge

Converge: Record £400,000 prize pot for Scottish academic enterprise programme

Susan Nightingale, director, UK network, devolved nations at the British Business Bank.

‘Strength and resilience’ - How Scotland’s equity market is fighting back

Infix founder and CEO Dr Matthew Freer and David Bowerman. Picture by Stewart Attwood

Hospital waiting times in Scotland could be cut thanks to Glasgow firm’s AI tech

Sustainability-focused fintech company ESG360° provides businesses with the tools and insights needed to navigate the complexities of environmental, social and governance (ESG) compliance.

Fast-growing fintech firm chooses ‘ideal location’ Glasgow to add 30 jobs

Members of the Tricapital Angels team: Susan Arnold (membership services manager), Moray Martin (CEO), Kath Kinder (chief investment officer) and Lynne Cadehead (COO).

Angel syndicate’s record year provides backing for 500 Scottish jobs

Since 2014, the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC) has played a key role in the growth of Scotland’s industrial biotechnology sector.

Scottish biotechnology centre achieves 300 member milestone ahead of major event

David Durlacher, chief executive of Julius Baer International.

‘Boots on the ground’ - Julius Baer International's push into Glasgow

The data shows a total of 1,663 new tech businesses were incorporated in Scotland in 2024, up from 1,553 the previous year.

New stats prove Scotland punching above its weight with 1,663 tech start-ups

Alistair Cameron, chief executive of Kelso-based Scotmas Group.

Why this Scottish firm's water tech matters - £2.2m for global expansion

Stellar Omada managing director and founder Colin Frame. Picture by Stewart Attwood

Digital education to talent - how Stellar Omada is driving Scottish tech boom

Darren Auld, Lisa Thomson and Paul Duffy of ClearSky Logic, which is headquartered in Edinburgh with an additional operation in Glasgow.

'Special ops' Scottish tech firm unveils top hire and growth plans for 2025

Founded in 1992, Archangels is a business angel syndicate investing in early-stage Scottish life sciences and technology companies. Pictured are Niki McKenzie, David Ovens, Dan McKiddie, Sarah Hardy and Shaolei McKie.

Edinburgh's Archangels helps propel Scottish start-ups with £27.3m investments

The FSB said entrepreneurship provides many people with a path to financial freedom and independence.

New Year plea to get 500,000 more Brits to become their own boss

Mark Beaumont, partner at Eos; Jessica Birt, CEO and co-founder; Dr Matthew Dale, CSO and co-founder, Professor David Venables, chair of board; Professor Susan Rosser, chair of scientific advisory board. Picture by Stewart Attwood / Canva

How Edinburgh pioneer behind 'holy grail' gene therapy technology raised £3m

More than two dozen businesses were created every day in Glasgow during the first half of 2024

Top spots for new companies in 2024 revealed and one city stands out

Innovec was launched in 2009 by its chief executive Iain Wham, using his redundancy pay-off from a manufacturing company.

Fast-growing IT firm eyes push into Edinburgh amid data and AI explosion

Nicky Deasy (investment director), Ross McDermid (Biotangents), Fiona Marshall (Biotangents), and Jill Arnold (Eos). Picture by Stewart Attwood

Scottish firm’s testing tech set to ‘revolutionise dairy farming industry’

The Investment Fund for Scotland was launched in autumn 2023.

Dog-friendly cafe and luxury skincare firm among 26 Scottish SMEs sharing £10m

The Funding Accelerator programme is designed for start-ups looking to raise their first or second rounds of equity investment, in the £100,000 to £1 million range.

How more funding and more women could get Scotland's start-ups back on track

Novosound CEO and co-founder Dave Hughes (pictured centre) with the firm's ultrasound blood pressure monitor. Picture by Stewart Attwood

Wearable blood pressure monitors could be revolutionised by Scots tech firm

The HUID start-up is creating compostable packaging, using onion waste – nature’s own form of packaging.

How a Scottish onion eco start-up aims to tackle the plastic waste crisis

Meet the ‘living pillow’ robot that Scots tech firm says can help end loneliness

Puma Private Equity said its team in Scotland will be led by investment director Ben Leslie. Picture: Igor Emmerich

Private equity firm moves into Edinburgh with pledge to boost scale-up economy

Karen Meechan, the ScotlandIS chief executive, pictured at the ScotSoft conference in 2023. Picture: Greg Macvean

Scotland’s digital tech leader on how to grow a £7.5 billion industry

The large co-working space within 'thebeyond' hub at Skypark, Glasgow. Picture: Stewart Attwood

Huge new Scottish tech hub dubbed largest 'smart things' centre in Europe

Paul Duffy, chief commercial officer at ClearSky Logic, explained where the ‘special ops’ approach comes in.

'Special ops' tech firm doubles staff numbers - and AI interest is soaring

Exclusive Pandemic, Brexit and bright future - NatWest boss on Scottish business

Andrew Wood and Euan Cameron, co-founders, Willo. Picture by Elaine Livingstone

Scots video interview platform gets ‘statement of faith’ global backing

Amy Burnett, KPMG private enterprise senior manager in Scotland.

Scottish firms ‘solving real world problems’ net £85 million of investment

Edinburgh-based start-up Metacarpal was founded by University of Strathclyde product design engineering graduate Fergal Mackie.

Edinburgh start-up’s bionic hand promises ‘life-changing’ benefits for amputees

Susan Stewart (The Open University), Yasmin Sulaiman (CodeBase) and Jane Grant (The Open University).

Codebase seals tie-up to reach would-be entrepreneurs anywhere in Scotland

Royal Bank of Scotland's Glasgow accelerator is home to many early-stage ventures. Picture: Stewart Attwood

Number of 'lifeblood' job-creating 'start-ups' in Scotland jumps by 21,700

The 'gargantuan' plant making batteries as big as shipping containers

Alistair Banham has been chief executive of PureLiFi since 2016. Picture: Malcolm Cochrane

How an Edinburgh firm's revolutionary light-based rival to wi-fi is going global

Utility supply, which encompasses the likes of offshore wind, was the leading sector for Scotland’s FDI, with 40 projects secured last year.

What Scotland must do to retain its foreign investor appeal after record 2023

Amy Burnett, head of KPMG Private Enterprise Access: 'The judges had a tough time selecting a winner.'

Edinburgh-based start-up crowned Scotland’s ‘most exciting tech business’

Aspect celebrates employee ownership as growth continues.

Why employee ownership is booming as another Scottish firm jumps onboard

The RBS headquarters and conference complex at Gogarburn, Edinburgh, which forms part of NatWest Group. Picture: Ian Georgeson

NatWest makes plea to entrepreneurs as it gears up for record accelerator intake

Sir Tom Hunter: 'Scottish Edge is a proven, world class model of delivering finance to potential high growth early stage businesses and that has been independently verified.'

These are the areas to benefit from £5m of Government support for start-ups

The tech industry is growing at one and a half times the overall economy.

Scotland's tech sector: Industry leaders outline their hopes and challenges

Sarah Newbould (British Business Bank), Anne Muir (Eos), Arran Dewar (SIS Ventures), Dr Rebecca Cleary (Nami Surgical), Nico Fenu (Nami Surgical) and Victoria McLaren (Maven). Picture by Stewart Attwood

Glasgow ultrasound pioneer targets multi-billion robotic surgery market

Dave Kelly is the chief executive of Edinburgh-headquartered software testing firm 2i. Picture: Ian Georgeson Photography

Edinburgh software testing firm aims for £50m after eight-figure funding

Almost nine in ten entrepreneurs north of the Border have experienced barriers to accessing finance while trying to get their ventures off the ground.

Scots entrepreneurs face funding gap with a third turning to family for cash

An underground network of mycorrhizal fungi – known as the wood-wide web – connects the roots of trees and other plants in a forest in a mutually beneficial arrangement that allows nutrients and water to be exchanged, benefiting growth, development and resilience

Mushroom cloud: How fungi bombs can help reforest the earth

Vivek Sivarajan, director at Elanic Clinic: 'FSE Group and the Investment Fund for Scotland have provided a welcome boost to help with our expansion project.'

Glasgow cosmetic surgery group among firms to tap into £150m growth fund

Gareth Williams is the co-founder and former chief executive of Skyscanner, the Edinburgh travel search site that was acquired by Chinese giant Ctrip Group in 2016. Picture: Chris Watt/Visual Media

Skyscanner co-founder to mentor intern as part of prestigious scholarship scheme

Oban-based marine scientist Jessica Giannotti, who runs the local Crùbag textile studio, set up SeaDyes on the back of a research project she worked on with the Scottish Association for Marine Science which involved extracting pigments from seaweed

Eco dyes made from seaweed – available in every colour but always green

The UK attracts more financial technology - fintech - investment than the rest of Europe combined.

Funding, scaling up, diversity: The challenges facing UK fintech businesses

The investment will be seen as a significant vote of confidence in Glasgow-based Clyde Hydrogen and its ground-breaking technology.

Pioneering start-up secures £1m funding to revolutionise hydrogen energy sector

Founded by Omar Etherington-Brown, OJE Studios offers a range of services including film and music production and photography, with a focus on promoting community engagement and local collaborations.

Edinburgh film venture gets funds boost as start-up scheme hails £10m milestone

Coaches parked at the venture's Dundee hub.

Electric coach pioneer Ember charges up with £11 million funding boost

IBioIC has supported more than 260 start-ups, small businesses and established companies to bring bio-based processes and products to market.

Decade of innovation support injects £35 million into Scotland’s bio-economy

School pupils from Winchburgh Academy with headteacher Jonny Mitchell and ITZA CEO Anthony Bouchier. Picture by Stewart Attwood

Edinburgh venture secures £2m funding to grow digital learning hub in Scotland

Left to right: Alex Macdougall of Unbagged, Alex Gordon-Furse of Playmaker, Olga Maksimova of Lovat Compliance, at the Techscaler San Francisco Hub.

Scottish Government pushes button on Silicon Valley hub to showcase start-ups

There were some 900,000 new companies incorporated across the UK in 2023, making it a record year.

Scotland enjoys 'start-up boom' as company incorporations jump

The Foras SXSW Austin cohort pictured in Edinburgh last week.

14-strong cohort of Scottish tech start-ups to build transatlantic connections

A CGI of ScrubMarine's prototype robot.

Start-up behind ship-cleaning robotic tech gets on board at Heriot-Watt Uni

OEG's renewables business accounted for half of group revenues in 2023 just three years after being set up.

Renewables milestone as Aberdeenshire's OEG hails ‘transformational year’

Investor Moray Martin of Tricapital with Bob Corsie and Brian McCrindle of Trademylux. Picture: Ian Georgeson

£300k funding boost for start-up looking to shake up artwork resale market

Anne Muir (Eos), Albert Nicholl (Carcinotech), Ishani Malhotra (Carcinotech), Sarah Newbould (British Business Bank) and David Milroy (Maven). Picture by Stewart Attwood

Biotech 'breaking new ground in oncology' raises £4.2m in fight against cancer

Mike Clarke, partner at YFM Equity Partners: 'We’re expecting this year to be really busy.'

Scotland grabs top spot for entrepreneurship but barriers to growth remain

Nicola Anderson, chief executive of FinTech Scotland, said the country was beginning to realise its fintech potential.

Scotland sees fintech job numbers jump by quarter in two years with more to come

Paul Callaghan of the Scottish National Investment Bank, Clare Wareing of Cumulus Oncology and Andrew McNeill, Eos Advisory.

Cumulus gets £9m boost in mission to develop next generation of cancer therapies

Gregor Aikman (STAC), Ricky Bell (Glasgow City Council) and Paul Wilson (STAC). Picture by Stewart Attwood

Glasgow aims to be Europe’s largest smart tech innovation hub

Nick Murray. Carolina Melendez and Dec McLaughlin of Foras.

Scots start-ups to strengthen global links with mission to £90bn Texan tech hub

Paul Munn was one of the founders of Par Equity in 2008. Picture: Ditte Solgaard Dunn, First Light Photography

Seeking 'some return to normality' - Par Equity's Paul Munn eyes the year ahead

Dr Calum Ross is a research associate in Heriot-Watt’s school of engineering and physical sciences.

Heriot-Watt researcher nets £1m in bid to scale up next-gen optical fibre tech

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Scotland has failed to meet its latest target for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, the latest official figures show. Picture: John Giles/PA Wire

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Pro-independence protesters with Scottish Saltire flags (top) march for Scottish independence. Picture: Andy Buchanan/AFP via Getty Images

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