The founders of five science and tech companies have gathered in Edinburgh to begin a journey that will see them take their Scottish innovations all the way to Silicon Valley.  

Through Scottish Enterprise’s US MarketBooster Programme the firms will enter and attempt to scale in the world’s largest market for technology products and services, with the founders embarking on a 16-week programme of immersive and intensive wrap-around support on both sides of the Atlantic.  

The first eight weeks will form a ‘discovery phase’ in Scotland, where the companies will work with US and Scottish business experts to ensure there is a strong fit between their products and the market they intend to enter. 

The second phase will see the founders spend eight weeks in the heart of Silicon Valley, working closely with industry networks and partners to build strategy, data and skills to compete for customers and investment.

The companies selected for the pilot programme include Aveni, Cloudsoft, Lasting Asset, Lupovis, and Talking Medicines, with the firms working across areas of new technology such as AI, cloud computing, cybersecurity and healthcare data analytics.

“We’ve been supported by Scottish Enterprise over the years in many useful ways and in our experience their help means you can go further, faster and bring the benefit into your business and bottom line sooner,” said Jo Halliday, one of the Founders of Talking Medicines.

“Talking Medicines has a successful presence in the US, and we see this programme as the catalyst to further US acceleration and scalability in 2025 through extension of our current market and growth of AI.

“Others in this group are entering the US market for the first time, so I’m looking forward to learning from each other and sharing the experience together.”

With the Scottish phase of the pilot now underway, the group will travel to Silicon Valley in early March and complete the programme by the end of April.   

Scottish Enterprise said that the pilot programme is part of its ‘Missions-based approach’, which aims to transform the nation’s economy by doubling the number of scaling companies in Scotland over the next ten years.    

The aim for the companies taking part is to get to US revenue 6-12 months faster than those entering the market without support, setting new standards and meeting their ambitions to grow. 

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Reuben Aitken, managing director international at Scottish Enterprise said: “To scale up, Scottish businesses need to go global. With targeted, wraparound support here in Scotland, followed by immersion in Silicon Valley, these innovative companies will have the best opportunity to grow faster.

“Scotland has a rich history of great inventions and innovative spirit. This new approach will help propel this next generation of ambitious, innovative companies forward, delivering maximum impact for both them and Scotland.”