The ScaleUpScotland2.0 programme sees 12 scaling businesses work collaboratively with fellow CEOs and leadership teams in a bid to catalyse growth over a one-year period beginning January 2024.

During that year they attend quarterly overnight events for inspiration and action including masterclasses, focussed dinners and peer-to-peer learning.

This year’s cohort have been supported and inspired by an incredible talent pool including: Professor Sir Chris Evans, Theo Paphitis, Kim Perdikou, Carolyn Jamieson, Ruth Chandler, Kristian Tapaninaho, Willie Watt, Lisa McPherson, Mike Reid, Yvette Hopkins, Bob Keiller, Mark Logan. Mark Beaumont and Calum Paterson.

Developed after extensive analysis of the challenges facing businesses as they scale up, ScaleupScotland2.0 seeks to address the lack of strategic support available to high growth businesses and aims to grow the turnover of each business to over £100 million. 

Participant companies must be headquartered in Scotland with current revenues typically in excess of £20m, a record of strong year-on-year growth with the potential and matching ambition to achieve £100m+ revenues within the next 5 years. 

The programme is open to the CEO and executive leadership teams of up to 12 businesses, is cohort-based and places a strong emphasis on peer-to-peer learning.  

On joining the programme, THF undertakes a deep dive into each business to identify and align the team on the specific challenges and opportunities facing the entrepreneurial leader, the collective executive team, and the individual functional leaders. 

One of the existing scaleup2.0 cohort, Richard Madden of WeConnect Energy noted: “The ScaleupScotland2.0 program has been a pivotal catalyst in our business growth journey, elevating our aspirations with an unparalleled network of trusted advisors and motivational speakers, forging invaluable links with fellow CEOs, and providing a gateway into the flourishing landscape of scalable Scottish businesses.” 

Fellow existing participant, Scott Smyth​, founder & group CEO of Soben added: “StartupScotland2.0 has provided access to a new network of world leading entrepreneurs and business advisors that are already positively impacting the growth of my business. 

“In addition, I have got to work with and learn from an amazing cohort of other ambitious entrepreneurs each with a shared vision of scaling their business to £100m+” 

Recommended reading

• Competition to support UK tech startups opens
• Comment | The art of scaling up successfully for tech companies
• Hybrid Working: UK Struggles with Security Challenges

Sir Tom Hunter, founder of THF commented: “This programme is by and for entrepreneurs, a learning journey of unparalleled opportunity in my view that truly accelerates growth through knowledge and peer-to-peer support. 

 “The only way to move the economic dial in Scotland is to deliver far more scaling businesses and our portfolio of pre-scaler, scaleup core and scaleup2.0 joins the dots up to deliver some of that ambition so I’m delighted to host and sponsor 2.0.”