12 Clusters of Tech
Scotland
3
Introduction
4
Regional
Summary
6
Established
Leaders
8
Scaleup
Stories
10
Ones to
Watch
12
Hotspot 1:
Data
14
Hotspot 2:
Cyber
16
Hostspot 3:
Mobility as a
Service (Maas)
Contents
Introduction
This is the story of technology in the UK. Over 12 months, London Tech Week and UK
Tech Cluster Group will explore the unique ecosystems and tech trends in every region
of the UK. From space tech in the South West to cybersecurity in Northern Ireland,
12 Clusters of Tech charts the companies, sectors and case studies that make up the
entire UK tech landscape.
12 Clusters of Tech
September 2020 – August 2021
Brought to you by
12 Clusters of Tech Scotland
12 Clusters of Tech Scotland
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3
Regional
Summary
Scotland’s data, digital and technology
industries are ambitious, resilient and
dynamic. They’re leading the accelerated
commercial development of deep
technologies like 5G, artificial intelligence
(AI) and quantum computing.
The sector includes successful businesses
originally grown in Scotland which have attracted
international capital like Skyscanner, FanDuel
and Leidos as well as major foreign direct
investments, such as Hewlett Packard, Fujitsu
and IBM. Barclays, JP Morgan, Amazon, Sky and
Morgan Stanley are just a few more examples
of some of the leading companies which have
established technology centres in Scotland.
We have a rich history of innovation and
companies can attract world-class expertise
and talent whilst collaborating with our world
leading universities and innovation centres.
Our innovation labs have been designed to
encourage collaboration between companies,
academic and public sector organisations.
CENSIS is the Centre for Sensing and Imaging
Systems, and Internet of things technologies.
Located in Glasgow it helps organisations
innovate and overcome technological barriers
to achieve business transformation, generate
economic growth and reach global markets.
The Data Lab is an innovation centre which
enables industry, the public sector and world-
class researchers to develop new data science
capabilities in a collaborative environment.
With a Scotland-wide presence, the Data Lab is
focused on delivering a range of activities that
span across the areas of collaborative innovation,
skills, training and community building.
Our sector is flourishing, with over 90,000 software
developers working across a range of areas. From
application development, cyber security and data
analytics to robotic process automation and AI,
you can be assured that Scotland has the skills and
expertise to support you.
Given Scotland’s established capabilities, there is a
strong focus on addressing growing opportunities
in sensor systems and data analytics (including
downstream space data), while related areas such
as mobility as a service and fintech also present
exciting opportunities.
The sector is active across Scotland and Edinburgh
is the “Digital Capital” with the University of
Edinburgh’s School of Informatics ranking among
the best in the world and a dynamic start-up scene
attracting global venture capital. Edinburgh was also
recently named the UK’s top city for start-ups and
attracts more foreign investment than any other
tech cluster in the UK, outside London. According to
Tech Nation, it has 92% growth potential.
12 Clusters of Tech Scotland
12 Clusters of Tech Scotland
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5
Outplay
FreeAgent
Leidos
We have a long history of innovation and today Scotland
remains one of Europe’s most important business
centres; we’re the perfect blend of technological and
financial expertise.
The sector contributes £7.5bn to the Scottish
economy and is forecasted to be the second fastest
growing sector in the country until 2029. About £3.3bn
of Scotland’s international sales were generated by
tech companies, making us one of the strongest for
exports too.
Our workforce is constantly adapting and inward
investors from around the globe are coming to Scotland
to explore new and emerging opportunities with the
likes of Microsoft, JP Morgan, Amazon calling us home.
www.outplay.com
Location: Dundee
Established: 2010
www.freeagent.com
Location: Edinburgh
Established: 2007
www.leidos.com/uk
Location: Glasgow
Established: 1988
Outplay Entertainment develops
and publishes games for social
and mobile platforms. Founded in
2010 by seasoned games industry
entrepreneurs, Outplay Entertainment
are an exciting, enthusiastic and
ambitious new publisher and
developer, delivering new IP on the
most popular new platforms.
FreeAgent is one of the UK’s largest, and most popular,
online accounting services, helping thousands of
freelancers and small businesses manage their company
accounts in our unique, simple, stress-free way. We’re
going from strength to strength, and we’re on track to
fundamentally change the relationship small businesses
have with their accounts.
Leidos is a global IT, engineering and science business with a
30-year heritage supporting the Scottish public sector to improve
services and drive efficiencies through technology.
It is a strategic supplier to the UK and Scottish governments and
a leader in IT solutions to the national security, transport, logistics
and energy sectors. With its UK headquarters in Glasgow, it
employs 1,100 people in offices across the country.
“In 2011, after a lengthy search,
we made the decision to establish
Outplay’s global headquarters in
Dundee. We had considered a
number of locations in America and Europe
but the concentration of talent, world-class
education institutions, high-quality of life,
low cost of living, and fantastic support from
Scottish Development International and
Scottish Enterprise made Dundee the obvious
choice. Now, over nine years later, we’re as
happy with that decision as we’ve ever been.”
Doug Hare, CoFounder and CEO
“Scotland has always been FreeAgent’s home. Ever since we founded the company in Edinburgh back in 2007
we’ve never imagined being anywhere else. “The city has great transport infrastructure and affordable business
premises costs, which are very important for growing fintechs, as well as a host of talent from local universities
and dedicated tech training programmes.
“There’s also a plethora of smaller, exciting startups and early-stage companies emerging across the country. Tech incubators
like CodeBase and Seed Haus are nurturing new ideas and providing a platform for young fintech companies to establish
themselves, and this adds to the buzz that’s taking place within the wider tech scene. We regularly see large and small tech
companies throughout Scotland coming together to share ideas, pass on expertise and collaborate on new projects - and it’s
really exciting for us to be part of this community.”
Ed Molyneux, CEO
“Technology will play a vital role in
the economic recovery post Covid
and Leidos is working in partnership
with the Scottish Government and wider
industry to drive forward the agenda on
connectivity, infrastructure, education and skills
development. Covid created a new paradigm
where the government, businesses and citizens
have adapted to working and living in a
more agile, virtual way. We need to seize the
opportunity to transform our public services,
using technology to make them more personal,
accessible and efficient.”
Alec Harley, Portfolio Director, Scotland
Established
Leaders
LEIDOS EMPLOYS MORE THAN
38,000
PEOPLE WORLDWIDE,
REPORTING $12BN
IN REVENUE IN 2019.
Did you know?
12 Clusters of Tech Scotland
12 Clusters of Tech Scotland
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7
Incremental Group
Condatis, a SiteKit Company
www.incrementalgroup.co.uk
Location: Glasgow
Established: 2016
www.condatis.com
Location: Isle of Skye
Established: 1989
www.dayshape.com
Location: Edinburgh
Established: 2013
Officially launched in 2016, Incremental is a Microsoft Inner Circle
member, and one of the fastest-growing Dynamics partners in
the UK. Customers include Total, Aggreko, Crisis, Scottish Leather
Group and Aberdeen City Council. Incremental is dedicated to
helping government, not for profit and industry organisations
undergo digital transformation, step by step with Microsoft.
Condatis is a Sitekit company and are specialists
in external and customer identity solutions
and leaders in Microsoft Azure AD B2C and
Decentralized Identity system integration. Condatis
work with some of the largest financial services,
government agencies, and healthcare providers.
We provide the fundamental building block in any
digital transformation programme – Identity.
“Scotland has a wealth of high-calibre talent and capabilities which
make for a thriving digital economy. As a hub for digital innovation and
collaboration, we have been given the opportunity to grow our workforce
and our client-base, making a difference to businesses and their customers across
the UK and worldwide. We are immensely proud to call Scotland home.”
Chris Tate, CEO
Scaleup
Stories
“Incremental’s mission is to help organisations digitally transform one
step at a time. We can only do this if we have the exceptional people as
part of our organisation. We’re proud of our Scottish heritage but our
reason for staying here isn’t sentimental, thanks to our world leading academic
institutions, Scotland offers a quality and depth of talent that is hard to beat.”
Neil Logan, CEO
Dayshape helps professional services firms
plan, manage, and adapt. Its AI-powered
planning platform optimises engagement
planning, resource management, analytics,
and risk management. Dayshape makes it
easy, through assisted and fully automated
scheduling, to assign the right person, at the
right time, every time. Dayshape has more
than 15,000 users across ten countries.
Global customers, including two of the Big
Four accounting firms, use Dayshape to
boost profitability, improve client service, and
keep their teams happy.
“Scotland and Edinburgh were a
natural choice for us. The talent pool
from top universities and training
programmes like CodeClan, the start-up
community we joined at CodeBase, as well as
support from organisations like ScotlandIS,
have all contributed directly to our growth.
We were named Scotland’s fastest growing
tech company in 2019 by Deloitte’s Fast50.”
Andrew Bone, Co-Founder & CEO
There is a great feeling of community in
Scotland, with successful entrepreneurs who
have grown their own companies sharing
their experiences and knowledge of different
markets, their hints, tips and lessons learned.
These peer-to-peer insights are invaluable
for those making their way in the sector.
Scotland also benefits from an exceptional
network of informed angel investors, and
a range of early stage funding such as
SMART awards and Scottish Edge grants.
Professional advisors are increasingly
knowledgeable about the growing tech
sector, understanding the potential value of
start-ups and their worth to the economy.
Dayshape
12 Clusters of Tech Scotland
12 Clusters of Tech Scotland
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9
Intelligent Growth Solutions
Space Intelligence
Bellrock Technology Ltd
Scotland is closing the gap on the leading
technology nations and delivering the facilities our
innovative businesses require, within an increasingly
sophisticated start-up ecosystem. From new
business support and advice services, experienced
mentors and investors, a highly talented workforce
and access to financial capital, the infrastructure is
now in place to ensure Scotland can capitalise on
the innovation we have been rightly famous for.
Scotland is home to a great range of technology
incubators including CodeBase and Elevator, and
accelerators like SeedHaus and CivTech, provide not
only premises, but real expertise and experience
from like-minded entrepreneurs, expert specialist
advice and access to funding.
www.intelligentgrowthsolutions.com
Location: Dundee
Established: 2013
www.space-intelligence.com
Location: Edinburgh
Established: 2017
www.bellrock.tech
Location: Glasgow
Established: 2012
IGS makes platforms that deliver ideal climates
for plants and people, based upon a culture of
continuous innovation, brilliant, simple design and a
refusal to accept conventional technical thinking.
Space Intelligence turns satellite
data into actionable information,
helping governments, companies
and NGOs worldwide make better
environmental decisions.
They provide unique maps of
habitats, carbon storage and
restoration opportunities, in order
to enable the monitoring, protection
and enhancement of our natural
environment, and the development
of Nature Based Solution
investments.
Based on a foundation of world-class
science, we formed the company in
response to the growing number of
requests for satellite data analysis.
“IGS is not only proud to call
Scotland home but delighted
that we’re so lucky to be able
to. With our great Universities and
Colleges, engineering tradition, centres
of technology innovation excellence
and world class crop science IGS is
able to tap into a wealth of talent and
expertise. The Scots have always seen
the world as our oyster: indeed my own
grandfather made his career success
in Singapore 100 years ago. We are
confident that modern-day Scotland
combined with our great food & drink
traditions make this the ideal base for a
scaling agritech business.”
David Farquhar, CEO
“Scotland is the natural home for Space Intelligence for many
reasons. The country has a heritage of innovation, and today a
strong focus on supporting the Space Sector. WIth new satellite
launch facilities being developed, and new developments in
space data processing facilities being developed at the University
of Edinburgh, the country is now nearing end - to - end capacity in small
satellite development. Meanwhile, a network of universities is producing high-
skilled technical talent that we need to grow the company. The University of
Edinburgh’s Data Driven Innovation Programme in particular sets out a plan to
create the Space Data Capital of Europe by 2030, and we want to be absolutely
central to that ambition. Moreover, there is a highly-supportive ecosystem
of start-ups and scale-ups, plus facilities such as incubators and accelerators,
which means that there is extensive network of founders and support services
available, which you need to call upon when growing a tech company.”
Dr Murray Collins, CEO
Ones to
Watch
Bellrock Technology Ltd. is a high-tech software company.
We have developed Lumen®, the world’s most advanced
predictive analytics deployment platform. Lumen instantly
turns trained data science models into live predictive analytics.
Its patented technology removes traditional integration and
deployment challenges, making results immediately available.
“We call Scotland home for many reasons. Firstly, we are a spin out of
Glasgow’s University of Strathclyde. The talent pool around Scotland,
especially in the software sector is incredible, both senior level and
graduates. The infrastructure is an important consideration for our global
growth plans, Glasgow airport is 15 minutes from the city centre. There is a lot of
government support for young companies. Finally, we wanted to work and live in a
vibrant, lively, contemporary city.”
Adam Brown, CEO
BELLROCK TECHNOLOGY
IS LISTED IN THE
CROWN COMMERCIAL
SERVICES (CCS)
G-CLOUD 12 FRAMEWORK
AS A SUPPLIER, PROVIDING
ITS FULL RANGE OF
DATA SOLUTIONS TO
SUPPORT GOVERNMENT
ORGANISATIONS IN THEIR
USE OF DATA ANALYTICS.
Did you know?
12 Clusters of Tech Scotland
12 Clusters of Tech Scotland
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11
Simul8
Deepminer
Ecometrica
With Scotland’s thriving data sector set
to be worth £20 billion over the next five
years, many of Scotland’s data-centric
small and medium enterprises can be
found developing the latest platforms
and solutions for financial, health and
manufacturing sectors. Data is the engine
behind all IoT and AI solutions and is
the focus of the Edinburgh-based Data-
Driven Innovation initiative, which aims to
position Edinburgh as the data capital of
Europe. There are specialist geospatial and
downstream data companies emerging as
part of Scotland’s emerging Space industry,
already worth £140m per annum.
www.simul8.com
Location: Glasgow
Established: 1994
www.deepminer.co.uk
Location: Aberdeen
Established: 2002
www.ecometrica.com
Location: Edinburgh
Established: 2007
Simul8 Corp. develops, market and support
simulation software to help analyze and
improve business processes. Simul8 offers a
unique, evidence-based approach to decision
making - by using a virtual representation to
test the impact of business changes, you can
find the best approach before implementation.
The business world is enormous, today business leaders need to
stay on top of a world that is rapidly moving and evolving. Traditional
search is consumer focused, relies on tagging, hashtags, and SEO,
all of which can be influenced and the results received may not be
business related or timely. Deepminer uses pioneering, AI disrupting
search and understanding the web and social media to deliver up-to-
date business and social media news and information in an easy to
understand platform.
“Simul8 was born out of a
tech hub in Glasgow and
we’re proud to still call
Glasgow home today. Although we’ve
grown and now 60% of our business
comes from outside the UK, we love
having our HQ here because quite
simply Scotland is an amazing place to
be an international business. The tech
sector is thriving, we have access to
an amazing and supportive ecosystem
across Scotland that encourages
innovation, collaboration, networking
and knowledge sharing with our
peers and is successfully developing a
brilliant talent pool for the future.”
Frances Sneddon, CEO
“Being in Aberdeen has given us access to
great talent who have been instrumental
in helping us build our disruptive
search engine. We’re pushing the boundaries
of Natural Language Processing and computer
science, delivering results in near real time. The
research being done by our team will push this
even further. It is an exciting time to be based in
Scotland with such a focus on data and cutting
edge technology.”
Duncan Hart, CEO
Ecometrica is an end-to-end environmental
software-as-a-service that helps businesses and
governments identify risks and opportunities. It
turns the vast and growing streams of observation
data from space, air, and land into actionable
insights for business, government, and society. The
company’s innovative and intelligent technology
distills the technical expertise into simple web-
based tools that anyone can understand and use.
By bringing together sustainability, environment,
risk, and business insights with geospatial
intelligence and mapping applications, the award-
winning Ecometrica Platform allows businesses,
governments, and organizations to make smarter
decisions and build long-term value.
DEEPMINER WAS
FOUNDED IN 2017,
AND WON THE
CIVTECH 2.0
CHALLENGE TO HARNESS
ENTREPRENEURIAL TECH
INNOVATION TO SOLVE
IDENTIFIED PUBLIC
SECTOR CHALLENGES,
CREATING BETTER
PUBLIC SERVICES AND
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
OPPORTUNITIES.
Did you know?
Hotspot 1
Data
12 Clusters of Tech Scotland
12 Clusters of Tech Scotland
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13
Cyan Forensics
Adarma
7 Elements
We’re a pioneer in the cyber industry, with one
of the most advanced cyber security education
programmes in the world - the first Ethical
Hacking degree in the world was offered at
Abertay University, and over 70% of Scotland’s
universities now offering cyber security courses.
We have an abundance of highly innovative
cyber security companies. with more than 200
cyber security companies either headquartered,
or with a presence here.
Scotland’s cyber cluster is ideally placed, not only
to drive the industry forward, but to assist and
provide cyber support to any business requiring
cutting-edge, robust cyber security services.
www.cyanforensics.com
Location: Edinburgh
Established: 2016
www.adarma.com
Location: Glasgow
Established: 2009
www.7elements.co.uk
Location: Linlithgow
Established: 2010
A spin-out from Edinburgh Napier, Cyan was founded in 2016 by
entrepreneur Ian Stevenson and police digital forensic analyst Bruce
Ramsay. Cyan Forensics’ tech, described by the Home Office as game-
changing, has made impact nationally and internationally to drastically
reduce time needed to gain digital forensic evidence to prosecute
suspected paedophiles and terrorists. Cyan has now developed Cyan
Protect to shield social media, cloud and messaging apps, and works
closely with policy makers to impact real change in online harms.
Adarma offers a range of products and
services to address threat management, data
security, and analytics challenges, Monitoring
and Analytics Managed SOC Services Threat
Assessment and Management Workflow
& SOAR Enhanced Protection Vulnerability
Management Risk.
“Scotland is home to an impressive cyber community. From universities
preparing new talent entering the industry to technology leaders and
innovators, all supporting the fight against cybercrime as well as many
Enterprise organisations that need support to defend themselves against the
increasingly volatile cyber threat landscape, several of whom, Adarma are proud
to count as customers. Adarma was born in Scotland, our headquarters are in
Scotland, and we are proud to be part of the Scottish cyber community.”
David Calder, Managing Director at Adarma
7 Elements a CREST accredited, independent IT security testing
company providing expertise in technical information assurance
through security testing, incident response and consultancy.
Offering completely impartial advice, the highly experienced
team guides clients through the process, tailoring their service
to exact requirements, offering the best and most flexible
engagement for businesses.
“The tech sector within Scotland
has a long history of supporting
start-ups through to well established
(including globally leading) companies. As
a Scottish based, CREST-accredited, cyber
security consultancy, and now in our tenth
year, we have directly benefitted from the
strong community engagement, collaboration
and support that are corner stones of how
the sector cooperates, regardless of size or
specialism. This has without doubt enabled 7
Elements to grow from a start-up to a leading
UK consultancy.”
Sarah Bullen, Managing Director
““Cyan was born in academic research in Scotland and is built from the
fantastic talent pool from universities here. Edinburgh is a great place
to live and work, which makes it a great place to recruit, and (normally)
it has great transport links to the rest of the UK, Europe and the USA. The
entrepreneurial community here contributes to available skills too, and events
like EIE help attract investment.”
Ian Stevenson, CEO
ADARMA WAS NAMED
IN THE FINANCIAL TIMES
1000 EUROPE'S
FASTEST GROWING
COMPANIES REPORT
IN 2019 AND 2020,
GROWING FROM A
START-UP IN 2009 TO
OVER 250 STAFF IN 2020.
Did you know?
Hotspot 2
Cyber
12 Clusters of Tech Scotland
12 Clusters of Tech Scotland
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Urban Tide
MaaS is viewed as a dominant force in the future
of travel. Driven by technological advances and
changes in people’s needs and values, MaaS
brings all means of travel, transport providers
and payment options together into one single
service, giving customers instant/seamless
access to all transport modes, from trains
and trams to buses and bikes. It also offers
significant opportunities in other aspects of
smart cities and smart mobility, enabling the
harnessing of data from sensors and imaging
systems to improve for example air quality
and citizen security. With Climate Change
presenting new challenges, MaaS is leading the
development of zero carbon travel and greener
alternatives for our future.
www.urbantide.com
Location: Glasgow
Established: 2014
Our world urgently needs to respond to climate
change and growing inequality. Data is a vital
ingredient for solving these global challenges, yet
organisations don’t maximise its value as data is
difficult to process, integrate, and organisations
lack the digital skills and AI technology. At
UrbanTide, our mission is to create a sustainable
world with AI.
““Edinburgh is striving to be the data
capital of Europe; that’s why we based
UrbanTide here and joined The Bayes
Centre in 2018, which is the University of
Edinburgh’s innovation hub for Data Science
and Artificial Intelligence, this provides us
with a fantastic facility amongst like-minded
companies and academics supporting our
journey to make a sustainable world with AI.”
Simon Tricker, CEO
Third Platform Technologies
Miconex
www.thirdplatformtechnologies.com
Location: Edinburgh
Established: 2019
www.mi-cnx.com
Location: Perth
Established: 2010
Third Platform Technologies are an IoT solutions
aggregator, consultancy and managed service
provider that focuses on the entire ecosystem
of the IoT, starting with the ‘why?’. We envision
a world where objects around us are intelligent
and connected, transforming how we interact
with information and technology - we utilise IoT
technologies and data analytics to make our
customers’ lives simpler and more effective by
delivering enhanced data insights that provide
competitive edge.
Miconex work with towns and cities across the UK and have pioneered
the use of both local currencies and payment-linked loyalty solutions in
this sector.
We launched the Perth gift card back in 2015 and there are now 30+
live town and city gift cards across the UK. In 2018 we developed
and launched Mi Rewards which automatically rewards customers for
shopping locally, travelling by bus or walking/cycling in the city.
“Miconex have used our home city of Perth
as a testing ground for new development.
Working with the local business
community to co-design our technology and then
linking in to Scotland’s support frameworks to help
spread the word and expand first nationally and
then internationally.”
Colin Munro, CEO
Hotspot 3
Mobility as a Service (MaaS)
12 Clusters of Tech Scotland
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17
September
North East
December
Yorkshire & the Humber
May
East of England
June
London
July
South East
August
South West
February
Wales
November
Northern Ireland
March
West Midlands
January
North West
April
East Midlands
October
Scotland
2020 – 2021
12 months.
12 Clusters.
The whole of UK tech.
12 Clusters of Tech Scotland
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