The first project from the PwC and CodeBase partnership has been announced. SCALE: Edinburgh is a 10 week programme which will identify and work with 12 established companies in Scotland which are ready to scale, to help them gain traction, source commercial opportunities and secure additional funding.

SCALE: Edinburgh will provide a link between corporates looking to innovate and companies looking to scale, by providing access to decision makers and influencers within PwC and other large organisations.

The programme plans to create relationships for scale-ups with chief executive level decision makers and innovation leaders which can provide strategic advice and help source customers and investment.

Participants on the programme will undergo a business development curriculum, receive advice across areas like tax, research and development, legal and PwC’s areas of specialism as well as access to CodeBase’s extended community of experts and combined professional network.

Douglas Shand, Head of Innovation for PwC in Scotland, said: “Business is changing – we all know that – and the high-growth companies of tomorrow are different from the high-growth firms of the past, but there are a lot of companies that never get to achieve their ambitions because they didn’t have the right advice at the right moments.

“SCALE: Edinburgh aims to change that by bringing in multiple companies and experts from a wide range of sectors and levels.

“While we are hosting this in Edinburgh, it’s not purely about the capital. We hope to see involvement from companies and experts from Glasgow, Dundee, Stirling, Aberdeen and elsewhere.”

Stephen Coleman, CEO of CodeBase, said: “We know how well the Scottish scene is doing at the moment – it’s great to be part of something that empowers companies to navigate potential hurdles and helps them to develop their full potential.”

Nigel Howlett, UK Digital Private Business leader for PwC, said: “We’re bringing together fast-growing and ambitious scale-ups with the world’s biggest brands in a dynamic environment which allows both sides to learn from each other to build commercial opportunities”.

“With our huge network and specialist skills, PwC is ideally placed to do this and we’re helping break down the barriers that can prevent collaboration even getting off the ground, whether that’s the inexperience of startups or the complexity of big organisations.”