Fintech Scotland, Techscaler in strategic partnership

Yasmin Sulaiman and Nicola Anderson

Fintech Scotland has announced a strategic partnership with Techscaler, the Scottish Government’s £42 million tech startup support programme, to drive forward Scotland’s fintech sector development.

FinTech Scotland’s affiliated scaling firms will now be able to access the benefits offered by Techscaler membership, opening the door to a network and support system of mentorship and educational courses — fostering growth for fintech innovators.

FinTech SMEs now employ more than 10,500 people across 226 enterprises in Scotland, with around 38% of fintechs having reached scale-up stage.

FinTech Scotland CEO Nicola Anderson said: This collaboration is about getting behind Scotland scaling for tech, together.

“It underscores our joint dedication to cultivating innovation and showcasing the vibrant fintech community in Scotland.

“We look forward to bringing tangible benefits to our scaling fintech SMEs, and sharing our sector expertise with Techscaler founders, to build a robust and forward-thinking fintech cluster.

Techscaler runs three main programmes — Startup First Steps, Startup Next Steps, and Reforge. 
Techscalers partnership with Reforge, the worlds leading career development platform for top-tier professionals in tech, brings access to Silicon Valley playbooks and best practices to founders in Scotland who are scaling their teams.

Yasmin Sulaiman, VP of Partnerships for CodeBase, said: Connecting the diverse parts of the tech ecosystem is a huge part of our job running Techscaler for the Scottish Government.

“When organisations like ours and FinTech Scotland come together to understand foundersneeds, were able to offer a much stronger suite of support and join up founders with the opportunities theyre looking for to grow.

“Were looking forward to growing our partnership, and helping connect our community to FinTech Scotlands expertise.

The Scottish Government’s Innovation Minister Richard Lochhead said: Our £42 million Techscaler network is already showcasing some of Scotlands most promising start-ups. 

“This partnership with FinTech Scotland is another example of how the Techscaler network is helping to galvanise our innovative, collaborative and inclusive tech community by sharing knowledge and supporting growth …

Progress like this demonstrates Scotlands ambition to become one of Europes leading start-up communities. We are setting an example and helping drive a fair and growing economy.

To mark the initiation of the partnership, Techscaler and FinTech Scotland will host a Founder Roundtable next month to gather insights from fintechs, providing founders with the opportunity to engage directly with industry leaders and peers.

The roundtable event will take place at CodeBase in Edinburgh on Wednesday, April 3, at 10.30am after Unfiltered, CodeBases monthly open networking event.

Colin Hewitt, CEO and co-founder of Float Cash Flow Forecasting, said: Being part of the CodeBase community through our journey with Float has provided us with a dynamic workspace and access to the right people which has played a pivotal role in shaping Float’s success.

“Im excited about the partnership between Techscaler and Fintech Scotland, it signals an exciting era for Scotland’s fintech ecosystem, and a positive sign of the continued evolution of this vibrant community.