An Edinburgh-based AI startup has been named among the UK’s top early-stage startups in the Tech Nation ‘Rising Stars’ competition.

Kythera AI, which develops advanced tools for designing AI in 3D game engines, was selected as the Rising Stars 4.0 winner from Scotland.

The Edinburgh startup is one of just 10 winners chosen from regions across the UK.

Commenting on the award, Kythera AI Operations Coordinator, Joy Thurston, said: “Being recognised as a Rising Stars 4.0 Winner is a testament to the incredible work of everyone at Kythera AI.

“We’ve been on a mission to bring intelligent life to virtual worlds in games and beyond since 2012, and this competition has been a great way for us to share our story so far.

“This is an exciting time for Kythera AI, with a number of AAA contracts recently secured and our first round of seed investment successfully completed. We’re looking forward to the future.”

The 2022 Rising Stars competition boasts the most regionally and gender diverse set of winners in the history of the competition.

Seven out of 10 winners originate from outside London and the South East; a stat which showcases the dynamic pockets of innovation and entrepreneurship located across the UK.

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Similarly, more than half of the companies participating in Rising Stars 4.0 have a female founder or co-founder.

This improved gender representation mirrors the growing strength of female-founded businesses throughout the country, which have attracted more investment so far in 2022 than the two previous years combined.

Esme Caulfield, Competitions Lead at Tech Nation, said: “This year’s Tech Nation Rising Stars 4.0 Winners demonstrate the very best of UK tech innovation.

“This one of our most diverse cohorts yet, with the majority of winning companies having female founders or co-founders, and nearly three quarters hailing from outside of London.”

Scotland’s Tech Sector is Growing

According to Tech Nation, Kythera AI’s success demonstrates the strength and rapid growth of Scotland’s broader technology sector.

Data shows that the Scottish tech sector is now home to two ‘unicorn’ companies and received £540m in venture capital investment funding across 2021 – marking a 40% increase on the year previous.

Tech job creation is also growing rapidly with 149,000 people currently employed by tech startups and scaleups across Scotland.

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