Aberdeen and the Northeast have long been a major contributor to the Scottish economy. Though smaller than Central Belt regions like Glasgow and Edinburgh, its strengths in energy and agriculture make it an integral part of the economy.

But the region is now redefining itself, building on its core areas and embracing new ones. For example, with Scotland looking to transition to a net-zero economy, Aberdeen is uniquely placed to take its position as Europe’s oil and gas hub and apply its expertise to renewables.

Beyond this, the region provides a fertile ecosystem for tech companies operating in the region. Earnings are over 9% higher than the Scottish average, helping the area attract highly skilled talent.

It is also home to several further education institutions, such as Aberdeen University and Robert Gordon University.

On top of this, its established industries provide easy access to customers, investment, and revenue, helping startups find their footing.

It is no wonder that Aberdeen and the Northeast is home to a burgeoning and innovative tech sector. Across a wide range of areas, including energy and related services, food and drink, AI, and digital, the region is expanding its reputation as one the UK’s major tech hubs.

A Knight Frank report from January named Aberdeen as the UK’s ninth most innovative city outside London, recognising its innovation infrastructure, high quality of life and its emerging startup community.

DIGIT last took stock of Aberdeen’s tech industry in 2020 – now, we’ve compiled a list of 9 innovative tech companies from the city and the Northeast.

RAB-Microfluidics

Based in Aberdeen, R&D company RAB-Microfluidics uses cutting-edge technology to help solve oil analysis problems.

The company offers a ‘laboratory on a chip’, which allows people to perform on-site analysis of oil samples from heavy machinery such as pumps and generators. This replaces the traditional method, which ships samples to onshore laboratories, taking far longer.

Starting as a spinout from the University of Aberdeen, the company is headed by CEO Rotimi Alabi, a PhD graduate from the university.

Early this year, the company secured £1.24 million of investment in a funding round led by Eos Advisory, along with Newable Ventures, Scottish Enterprise and existing investors

With this fresh investment, the company said that it now aims to expand its team and embark on a new phase of growth.

LiberEat

LiberEat offers an app designed to help people with special dietary requirements to manage their lives.

It provides bespoke menus, supermarket grocery options and recipes, allowing users to filter these by their requirements.

In addition, it also has allergen safety information, protecting those with potentially life-threatening allergies. And its business service helps restaurants and takeaways boost their food quality assurance.

Founded by CEO Barry Leaper and Louise Cahill, the company was recognised when it won the inaugural Impact Summit competition. Not only did it scoop the top prize of over £20k, but it received a place on the FutureX Silicon Valley Scale programme.

EBar

EBar Initiatives was created to reduce waiting time for pub-goers looking to get a drink.

Its mobile self-service drink dispensing kiosks, the company claims, can serve two pints in 20 seconds, up to three times faster than traditional methods. Furthermore, they can integrate with payment methods for a more streamlined service.

Founded in 2016 by graduates of Aberdeen’s Robert Gordon University Sam Pettipher and Nick Beeson, the company secured £300,000 of funding in 2018 to develop its automated dispensing technology. Another funding round followed in 2021, bringing in an additional £670,000.

In addition, EBar was recognised as a winner of the 2017 Scottish EDGE winner.

Trojan Energy

Based in Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, Trojan Energy is encouraging the adoption of electric vehicles by helping street-parked vehicles charge.

With EV charging points typically being large and cumbersome, it can be difficult to install them to provide electricity to street parked vehicles. This forms a major barrier for EV uptake, particularly in urban areas.

To do so, the company offers ‘flat and flush’ EV charging points, which are level with the pavement. A ‘lance’ connected to the charging cable is then inserted into the point to provide power to the EV.

Trojan Energy has seen considerable investments since it was founded in 2016. In 2020, it received £4.1 million in funding in 2020, with another £2.2m coming in 2021.

TL Tech

Based in Rothienorman in Aberdeenshire, TL Tech develops smart home solutions.

Founded in 2016 by husband-and-wife team Thomas and Caroline Laurenson, TL Tech was born from the realisation that building an affordable home smart system was too often difficult and expensive.

With a focus on accessibility, the company designs, installs and maintains smart systems, combining hardware with their custom software to create a bespoke offering. It focuses on using the power of smart technology to help care for people, especially the socially vulnerable.

The company works with partners to assist the elderly and is developing an IoT platform to help carers and their families.

IFB

Aberdeen-based IFB is a digital services provider specialising in connectivity, security, data management and ensuring its customers’ uptime.

Founded in 1995 by chairman John Michie, the company underwent a partial management buyout in 2019 when CEO Graeme Gordon and non-executive director Jane Stewart made an investment in it.

In the last two years, IFB has developed new services designed to support the shift to hybrid working, including mobile 5G broadband and new cybersecurity tools.

IFB’s expansion plans for 2022 received a boost after hybrid cloud company Brightsolid invested £500,000 in it. Through the partnership, the company will gain access to additional data centre hosting, high-speed internet, and additional support for office and home working.

With this deal, IFB aims to bolster its services to ensure its customers experience the maximum uptime and productivity.

Sentinel Subsea

Sentinel Subsea offers an environmentally friendly and passive method of monitoring suspended and decommissioned subsea oil and gas assets.

Since conducting successful field trials, the company is looking to develop its product, which offers its customers cost savings and reduced emissions.

This is on top of making it safer to monitor ageing infrastructure and extend its lifespan.

The company was recognised at the Scottish EDGE competition in 2019, when it received £75,000 of funding.

It later secured a six-figure investment from Alba Equity and Scottish Enterprise, helping the business grow further.

The TechForce

Cybersecurity specialist The TechForce offers a comprehensive range of solutions, including security awareness training, vulnerability and compliance management, and detection and response. 

Listed in the competitive G-Cloud 12 framework, its services can be accessed by all UK public sector bodies and organisations seeking support.

In 2020, it partnered with one of the top global AI-powered cybersecurity defence companies, Darktrace. This saw The TechForce deploy Darktrace’s technology on its platform, providing additional defences for its customers.

Since then, it has enjoyed considerable growth, announcing in 2021 that it had secured contracts worth up to £370,000 in previous months.

Nova Biotics

Biotech company NovaBiotics develops immune-based therapies to fight difficult to treat diseases that currently unmet medical needs.

Founded in 2004 by Dr Deborah O’Neil, in addition to its base in Aberdeen, it has sites in Dublin and Boston.

May 2019 saw NovaBiotics receive £1.8 million in in grant funding from Innovate UK, helping advance its antifungal drug candidate, Novamycin.

Since then, it has continued its work, publishing data, performing trials for its various treatments and receiving patents on its formulas.

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