Techscaler network reaches the Borders

The Techscaler network has widened its reach following a partnership with Borders organisation Hometown Hub.

Entrepreneurs will now be able to access services, including mentoring and expert advice, at Jedburgh, Eyemouth, St Boswells, Lauder, and Stow.

Innovation Minister Richard Lochhead said: “Growing businesses are fundamental to a thriving Scotland and the Scottish Government is committed to helping businesses unleash their enormous potential for innovation.

“We want to cultivate a world-leading entrepreneurial ecosystem and our Programme for Government (PfG) 2023/24 sets out a very clear vision and tangible actions."

Released in September, the PfG revealed a £15m fund to support entrepreneurs across the country.

“Techscalers have made Scotland one of the most tech start-up friendly places in the world. The creation of this network of hubs across the South of Scotland will help break down even more barriers and ensure the entrepreneurs of today, and tomorrow, get the support they need,” Lochhead added.

Hometown Hubs operations manager Craig McBeath said: “This is an exciting partnership for Hometown Hub and it ties in perfectly with our commitment to supporting local businesses, promoting growth and encouraging entrepreneurship. We can’t wait to see what interesting innovations come from our area with the support of the Techscaler programme.”

The Techscaler scheme was launched in 2022 after former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon awarded tech incubator Codebase a £42m fund to establish seven hubs to scale up tech start-ups across Scotland.

Since its introduction, the programme has helped around 400 businesses with the last hub to open in Dumfries and Galloway over the coming months.

The remzining sites are located in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling, Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness.

Jane Morrison-Ross, chief executive of South of Scotland Enterprise (SoSE), said: “The new Techscaler South of Scotland network complements SoSE’s existing work to develop an entrepreneurial roadmap for the region, as well as our start-up, scale-up and scale-deep approach."

The scale-up project was a key recommendation of chief entrepreneur Mark Logan’s Scottish Tech Ecosystem Review – which former finance secretary Kate Forbes commissioned in 2020 to suggest how the sector could boost the economy after Covid-19.