Scotland’s £42 million national Techscaler network is being expanded to support more of the country’s most promising young technology companies.
A partnership with Borders organisation Hometown Hub will give entrepreneurs access to services, including free mentoring and expert advice, from locations in Jedburgh, Eyemouth, St Boswells, Lauder and Stow.
The Techscaler programme is a key element of the Scottish Government’s drive to boost innovation, develop entrepreneurial talent and transform the economy.
In the first year about 400 young businesses have been helped to scale-up by existing hubs in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling, Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness.
A seventh hub in Dumfries and Galloway will open in the coming months.
Innovation Minister Richard Lochhead said: “Growing businesses are fundamental to a thriving Scotland and the Scottish Government is committed to helping businesses unleash their enormous potential for innovation.
“We want to cultivate a world-leading entrepreneurial ecosystem and our Programme for Government 2023/24 sets out a very clear vision and tangible actions.
“Techscalers have made Scotland one of the most tech start-up friendly places in the world. The creation of this network of hubs across the South of Scotland will help break down even more barriers and ensure the entrepreneurs of today, and tomorrow, get the support they need.”
South of Scotland Enterprise (SoSE) chief executive Jane Morrison-Ross said: “The new Techscaler South of Scotland network complements SoSE’s existing work to develop an entrepreneurial roadmap for the region, as well as our start-up, scale-up and scale-deep approach.
“We are always excited by opportunities to collaborate, extend our services and make additional expertise available to benefit tech start-ups in the South.”
Hometown Hubs Operations Manager Craig McBeath said: “This is an exciting partnership for Hometown Hub and it ties in perfectly with our commitment to supporting local businesses, promoting growth and encouraging entrepreneurship.
“We can’t wait to see what interesting innovations come from our area with the support of the Techscaler programme.”