Scotland’s entrepreneurial ecosystem — especially for scale-up firms — has been boosted with the launch of the Scottish Ecosystem Platform, the first comprehensive, open access platform to provide detailed information on startups, scale-ups and established private companies.
Developed through a partnership between the University of Edinburgh, the Scottish Government and Techscaler, the platform provides essential features for private market decision-making, including funding round tracking and investor profiles.
The platform is now live at https://scotland.dealroom.co
It is powered by data intelligence firm Dealroom.
The Scottish Ecosystem Platform is a free, open-access digital platform providing comprehensive data and up-to-date information on startups, scaleups, corporates, investors, accelerators, universities and more.
“The platform functions as Scotland’s entrepreneurial compass, giving startups the data and connections they need to thrive,” said the University of Edinburgh.
“It provides detailed company profiles, funding information, and market trends that help founders understand where they stand and spot new opportunities.
“Most importantly, it bridges the gap between startups seeking investment and investors looking for promising ventures, while making Scottish companies more visible to potential partners.
“The platform also strengthens the entire ecosystem by connecting entrepreneurs with each other and providing live market intelligence on funding trends, company valuations, and sector performance.
“The platform aims to address Scotland’s scale-up challenge head-on.
“While the country excels at creating startups, the transition to larger enterprises has historically proved difficult. By making it easier for international investors and talent to discover opportunities, it also gives policymakers and business leaders the data they need to make smarter decisions about where to focus resources and support.
“The platform, which was unveiled at the Invest2Scale conference in Edinburgh, offers global audiences their first comprehensive view of an ecosystem that has produced companies including BrewDog, FanDuel, and Skyscanner, and continues to demonstrate exceptional resilience and growth potential.”
Duncan Martin, Director of Entrepreneurship at the University of Edinburgh’s Bayes Centre, emphasised the platform’s transformative potential: “In our digital age, data is more than a resource; it’s the foundation of strategic growth.
“The Scottish Ecosystem Platform has been designed to transform how we access and utilise data, offering unparalleled insights into our entrepreneurial landscape. This platform is more than a tool; it’s a catalyst for unlocking Scotland’s potential in the global innovation economy.
“Access to real-time data and analysis means decisions can now be grounded in current, robust evidence rather than speculation. For entrepreneurs, this means better understanding of market gaps, enabling them to tailor innovations to meet real-world demands.”
The platform’s collaborative maintenance model allows participants to register, update, and enrich their profiles, ensuring the ecosystem data remains current and comprehensive. Startups and scaling companies are now encouraged to become active users.
Aoife Morrin, Head of Ecosystem Growth at Dealroom.co said: “Over the past decade, the Scottish ecosystem has grown tenfold, with more than 1,000 funding rounds since 2020 and over 350 university spinouts driving innovation.
“By bringing together real-time insights on startups, investors, universities and funding — both public and private — this platform gives the Scottish ecosystem the visibility it needs to connect, collaborate, and accelerate growth.
“Scotland’s world-class universities, talented founders, and vibrant clusters are now even more visible on the global stage, and Dealroom is proud to support the next chapter of this journey.”
Ana Stewart, the Scottish Government’s Chief Entrepreneur said: “The Scottish Ecosystem Platform represents what we need more of – the opportunity to highlight our business talent and solutions to the world.
“The platform will unify our scaleup activity, making Scottish companies visible to global investors while providing the data and insights we need to support them effectively.
“It will also align with the Scottish Government’s InvestScotland portal, which will be launched later this year to showcase investment opportunities to global investors.
“The platform also shows what we can achieve when public and private sectors, academia and government work together with shared purpose, will become ever-more powerful as we continue to digitise the way we gather data and analysis to work out how we can support Scotland’s entrepreneurs.
“I look forward to us refining, embedding and harnessing the platform over the coming months, making it a place where anyone, anywhere in the world, can discover opportunities to invest in Scottish innovation.”
James Trotman, VP Growth at CodeBase, the delivery partner for TechScaler, said: “Scotland’s founders are building world-class companies, but their success too often goes unseen. The Scottish Ecosystem Platform changes that—showcasing growth, traction and ambition on a global stage.
“It connects startups here with the same investors and networks as London, Berlin or San Francisco. That visibility can be the difference between chasing your first cheque and securing the backing to scale. Techscaler is proud to help power this platform.”