Scottish start-ups go global

Twelve Scottish business founders are being given the opportunity to showcase their products and attract international investment in one of the world’s biggest tech economies.

As part of a three-week programme in Singapore, developed in collaboration with the Singapore Government and beginning later this month, they will operate out of BLOCK71, which houses more than 1,000 of the city’s start-ups. They will also attend Singapore Week of Innovation & Technology – the biggest start-up event in Asia.

The visit is part of plans to give start-up companies taking part in the Scottish Government’s Techscaler programme - run by tech Incubator Codebase - new opportunities to grow, develop and tap into new potential customer bases and international investment.

Techscaler participants heading to Singapore include:

• Beena Sharma, Co-Founder of CCU International which develops next-generation carbon capture technology
• Ross O'Hanlon, whose company Bioliberty develops assistive robotics and rehabilitative technologies – including a robotic glove which strengthens grip
• Aakanksha Sadekar of Soulful Tech Solutions Ltd, which has developed Tracker.Health to enhance elderly wellbeing by advanced remote health monitoring solutions.

Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes visited Codebase’s offices in Edinburgh, to meet some of the entrepreneurs who will be travelling to Singapore later this month. She also met participants who have just returned from a similar programme in California’s Silicon Valley.

The Deputy First Minister said:

“Innovation is the life-blood of a thriving and vibrant economy. Supporting Scotland’s entrepreneurs and start-up companies is crucial to economic success, while also helping us develop solutions to global challenges, from healthcare to climate change.

“Techscaler is the only state-funded entrepreneurial programme of its kind in Europe and our recently launched Programme for Government set out our intention to maximise its impact. For start-ups to succeed at an international level, it is important that they develop global connections and build strong relationships with international investors – and also learn from successful businesses which have scaled-up internationally.   

“Helping Scottish business founders access world-renowned tech economies such as Silicon Valley and Singapore is a hugely exciting development in the Techscaler programme. I was delighted to hear from those taking part how they expect to benefit from the experience.”

Co-founder at CCU International Beena Sharma said:

“CCU International are incredibly excited to be selected for this unique opportunity to participate in the Techscaler programme’s pop-up hub in Singapore. Singapore’s dynamic innovation ecosystem is a prime location for us to build connections, learn from global industry leaders, and explore potential partnerships that will help us scale our business internationally.”

The Singapore Techscaler programme is being funded by Scottish Enterprise’s international arm, Scottish Development International, and will run from 21 October to 8 November.

Global Head of Trade at Scottish Development International Julie Morrison said:

“Gaining early access to overseas markets can be a defining stage in a company’s growth journey, so we were keen to help expose another cohort of Scottish tech entrepreneurs to international experiences and opportunities.

"We believe this programme will help these promising start-ups dial up their ambitions while strengthening existing relations between Scotland and Singapore.”

Background

A cohort of 12 entrepreneurs took part in the Silicon Valley programme from 26 August to 13 September. It followed a successful pilot programme earlier in the year.

The Scottish Government is investing £42 million in the Techscaler programme. It now has more than 2,500 members and has supported more than 500 companies in its first year of operation – Success for startups - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Scottish Enterprise launched an updated and fully digitised version of its Scottish Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Guide during the visit to Codebase. The guide features a comprehensive list of support available to founders and young companies, spanning incubators, accelerator programmes, physical business spaces, and funding and investor organisations: www.scottish-enterprise.com/ecosystemguide