Scottish tech sector is booming
Scotland’s tech sector is booming, and thanks to the Scottish Government’s unwavering support, entrepreneurs are thriving.
The success of Techscaler, our flagship business accelerator programme, is a testament to this commitment. In just two years, start-ups in the programme have raised over £118 million in investment, fueling innovation in fields such as medical technology, artificial intelligence and space.
Under the SNP Scotland has positioned itself as one of the best places in the world to launch and scale a tech business. Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes highlighted this in her recent speech, celebrating the near-doubling of companies involved in Techscaler, from 502 to 978, and an even greater increase in entrepreneurs benefiting from world-class mentoring, training, and investor connections. Scotland isn’t just growing its tech ecosystem domestically but also internationally, with pop-up hubs in Singapore and San Francisco helping businesses expand into global markets.
But while the SNP is backing data, research, and innovation, Labour is turning its back on Scotland’s tech future. Nowhere is this clearer than in their failure to support the Exascale supercomputer project in Edinburgh. This cutting-edge facility, capable of performing a staggering one quintillion calculations per second, would place Scotland at the forefront of global computing power. Yet Labour, with its short-sighted budget cuts, sees no value in investing in Scotland’s digital future.
The SNP believes in ambition, innovation, and opportunity. We’ll continue to back Scotland’s tech sector, ensuring that businesses and entrepreneurs have the tools they need to succeed on the world stage.
Angus Robertson is SNP MSP for Edinburgh Central and Constitution, External Affairs and Culture Secretary