🌾 Clyde Hydrogen's Raise, GF Wheat, LegalTech Report, Flexible Working Bill
Plus some community reaction to the Logan/Herd discussion.
Here's your Campfire for the 15th of April, 2024.
💼 This issue of Campfire is sponsored by Geovation Scotland. If you’re building in land, property, and location technologies, make sure you read more about what Geovation Scotland can offer below.
Commentary from the Community: Logan/Herd Discussion
Last week, a LinkedIn conversation generated significant interest throughout different founder communities in Scotland. Chris Herd, founder of Firstbase posted about his frustration with the Scottish Government's response when he asked for help to promote an event featuring US VCs interested in coming to Scotland to meet companies.
In his post, he lambasted the government's emailed response, which involved directing him to startup organisations, as well as questioning the effectiveness of Techscaler. "The Scottish Government needs help from people who have built large businesses from £0 to at least tens of millions of £ in revenue", adding that a big problem is "a bunch of people LARP'ing as entrepreneurs giving them advice."
Mark Logan, the Chief Entrepreneurship Officer for the Scottish Government, who's report in 2020 led to the establishment of Techscaler, responded, inviting him to get in touch if he is serious, "Tell me your specific ask, what you need, and when A16Z are willing to come." He also questioned Chris's method for airing his grievances on LinkedIn, asking "are you brand-building on Linked-In, Scotland's latest Clicks-for-Kicks, Shock-Jock, where any collateral damage is considered fair game, if it gets you some likes?" before saying that people who say Scotland sucks are tiring and lazy. "They can't be bothered rolling up their sleeves and really engaging. And they get likes on Linked In, so they must be helping, right?"
The original post and response sparked debate and discussion in different founder groups. We offered founders a way to share their views anonymously. Here's a taste of what they had to say:
"Mark might be right but this is acutely poor leadership in his position. He works for the government and is responding to someone criticising the government. PR crises happen, people punch up at you. That’s life. You handle it. “Good vibes only” is not helpful. Clearly a lot of people were saying that the ecosystem is not working for them, and felt comfortable venting that. It’s incomprehensible to me that the entrepreneur-in-chief wants to shut that down – half our issue is that we’re stuck in a positive loop."
"I think both individuals have valid arguments. Logan is likely doing the best thing he can for the Scottish ecosystem with the resources available to him, and he’s not had much time to see all this come to fruition. It’d be more fair to review in 2-4 years.
Herd is also right in saying that £50m from techscaler is a drop in the ocean compared to funding elsewhere. There definitely are bad actors in the Scottish ecosystem, but he’s not really from what I see offering a better solution. One visit from decent VC’s will not suddenly change the ecosystem overnight."
"It's concerning that Mark took to social media to attack the person making criticism rather than offering any kind of response to the critique levelled at the government."
"Scottish Government/Mark Logan's dismissive attitude towards Silicon Valley is troubling, displaying arrogance. Additionally, the inflated success statistics endorsed by Tech Scaler/Government are misleading, considering that these investments would probably have been obtained independently."
"Chris is being ridiculous about the reply to his email. WTF does he actually expect? It is self-entitled nonsense to expect anything better than the answer he got. But more importantly, what the actual does a government response have to making this happen or not happen? You either do it or not do it - you do not need the blessing of ScotGov to do anything, unless of course its actually about funding/money/ego..."
"Mark lays down the gauntlet in a response seething with contempt calling critics of the Scottish ecosystem lazy. He signs off "respectfully" - it's anything but."
"Let's have honest conversations and not just fight, we can do much better"
"Chris is... right about LARPing. There are of course some great folks around who can offer good, tactical advice. Who can offer emotional support around founder conflicts. Folks who can help with mindset. People who will do intros to investors etc. But, there is a lack of talented and serious people around. Who has actually from scratch built a SAAS to £1m, £10m, £100m? Who has built something with traction and gotten 20 or 100 paying customers?"
"Feels to me that the two of them are talking past each other. Chris is pointing out a lot of real problems. Mark is being overly defensive and says we need to work together to get better. Both are right. The LARPing comment is hilariously accurate though."
"Founders - stop waiting for government, stop waiting for the right advisor, stop moaning and ignore all this drama. Get on with building products people love."
🌊 Updates
⚡ Glasgow-based hydrogen energy startup Clyde Hydrogen raised £1 million+ in pre-seed funding supported by Zinc, the University of Glasgow and several strategic angel investors. FS SCN SS DGT
🚀 Innovation community group Knowvate Hub’s ‘Community Resource Hub’ (a digital resource platform for minority startup founders) will launch in Glasgow on April 19th. DGT FS
🥖 Bring on the batons! Edinburgh-based startup Prozymi Biolabs is working on a new technology that could create gluten-safe food products, such as bread, while retaining the taste and texture of the real thing through a new enzyme technology that degrades gliadin – the protein in gluten responsible for provoking an immune system response and celiac disease. SS STVN
🎬 Working on video podcasts? Inverness-based Alitu (podcast editing platform) now supports video within their podcasting platform. Users can now record high quality video and audio and have it available for easy editing. AL
🌌 Representatives of companies from across Scotland’s space sector travelled to Denmark for Space Scotland Nordics Summit. Participants included: AstroAgency (Edinburgh), Craft Prospect (Glasgow), Eolas Insight (Glasgow), ESA Space Solutions (Netherlands), Fraunhofer CAP (Glasgow), Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) (London), Highlands and Islands Enterprise (Inverness), Orbex (Forres), Omanos Analytics (Glasgow), SaxaVord (Unst), Skyrora (Edinburgh), South of Scotland Enterprise (Dumfries), Stellar Space (Netherlands), Thistle Rocketry (Galashiels), and Weather Stream (Edinburgh). SS
🍎 Scottish early-stage fintech startups participated in a trade mission to New York and took part in the annual Tartan Week celebrations. Companies included: Tindeco (Edinburgh), Grand Bequest (Glasgow) and Broker Insights (Dundee). FS
⚖️ Building in Legaltech? The LawtechUK Ecosystem Tracker Report, supported by the Ministry of Justice, gives an overview of the lawtech landscape in the UK. In Scotland it identifies 13 active lawtech companies contributing to the sector. The report forecasts substantial growth, projecting an annual investment influx of £2.2 billion by 2026. From 37 companies in 2002, the UK's lawtech ecosystem has expanded to 356 companies in 2023. DGT
👔 Info for founders: The new Flexible Working Bill has come into force. The main changes from before include allowing workers to ask for flexible working from day one of their employment (previously six months). Currently 74% of employees report already having some degree of flexibility. DGT
🗺️ "It's helped us progress this as a business instead of a side hobby"
By Robert Gelb, in partnership with Geovation Scotland
Geovation Scotland is a collaboration between Registers of Scotland and Ordnance Survey, that exists to encourage land, property, and location innovation in Scotland. Its accelerator programme supports and empowers early-stage founders to bring new location data and property services to market.
I spoke to two accelerator Alumni, Olivia Dovernor from Student Bubble and Mark Smith from Marked to find out more about what they got out of their experience and the impact it had on their business.
If you think the Geovation Scotland accelerator programme could help your company, apply for the upcoming accelerator (applications close May 6th!)
Why Geovation Scotland?
Olivia had been working on her idea for a student-focused property marketplace during her time as a student. For her, the Geovation Scotland accelerator offered formal business training, financial knowledge about how to start a company, and expertise to get up to speed with marketing and sales. "When I got on the programme, I was at a point with the business where I had proven the concept and I knew that I was onto something, I had a team of people with me, but it was in the execution where I was looking to fill some gaps."
Mark was at a slightly earlier stage of development for his bike navigation company.
"We were very much at the ideation stage when we joined. My background is in transport engineering, so I know a lot about active travel and the policy behind getting people cycling. I had an idea but the actual 'how', especially with using technology, was lacking."
When he came across Geovation Scotland's Accelerator, it seemed to fill those gaps, "Theirs was mapping focused, which was key for us and what we're doing, so I was excited to apply."
How is the programme structured?
One of the more unique aspects of the programme is how it's designed. "It's architected around the founders," Olivia says, "I joined with two other people, one of whom was six months ahead of me and the other was six months behind me. So, while we all have quite different companies and all at different stages, we all were able to take away learnings relevant to our stage and issues."
"It offers both inter-cohort learning but also deeper availability to experts relevant to your business," Mark adds, "In other incubators you might have, say 30 people on a call to talk about IP or pricing strategy which is great to learn about, but after you might be thinking 'how can I apply it to my business?' In Geovation Scotland's accelerator, we get that, plus workshops that help us understand how to apply that learning to our unique businesses."
The combination of co-learning with access to experts is how Geovation Scotland enables cohort members to get the most out of the programme. "They see what gaps you have and then help you fill them," Mark says, "You have one-on-one access to their tech team, sales, pricing strategy, and marketing experts, and you can engage as much or as little as you need."
Accountability is also a key aspect of the programme and is tied into the core financial component. "It really helped us focus on making progress, knowing that we had to hit certain milestones to unlock more of the programme funding," Mark adds.
What's been the impact on you and your business?
Olivia acknowledges how the programme funding makes a meaningful difference to early-stage companies, "When a company is starting, a cash injection is needed for things like proofs of concept, but establishing a business that's protected is difficult, so with the £15,000, we were able to put the intellectual property behind the company. We were able to get trademarks, legals, and set things up quite formally."
While learning, access to expertise, and obviously some cash is tangibly helpful, the core reason to engage with a programme like the Geovation Scotland accelerator is to make a real impact on your business.
"I feel like a lot of the time, young founders can get a bit confused as to what and where and how to act," Olivia says, "but having experts there to ask questions or to even connect you is the most important. That network has been the thing that definitely has made the biggest difference to me."
Mark remembers a point where it all came together for him: "Once you do the Geovation Scotland Demo Day, you can see the difference. I think people are always surprised by themselves at Demo Day about how young the company truly is, but how mature they help you come across, which goes a long way with investors or potential partners."
Providing the tools and understanding how to use them to execute is key to any programme.
When Mark thinks about impact he concludes, "It's helped us progress this as a business instead of a side hobby."
The importance of community
Olivia points to the cohort as a key element to why the accelerator is so successful, "The founders in general are very supportive of each other, because you know what a risk it is to take on a company instead of join one." Mark adds, "After work, cohort members and even some of the GS staff would sometimes head to the pub, where we'd rarely talk about business, which I think is a great sign that you're actually building connections."
"They've made the community a really welcoming place," Mark says.
Olivia makes another important point, "Whether you're applying for the accelerator or not, join the community anyway, because the community is as powerful as the accelerator is. I've met so many experts and potential partners there. Communities like these are things that enhance businesses and companies based on how much you engage and that I feel is great. Plus, they do breakfasts sometimes!
Applications are open now and close May 6, 2024. For more information about what kind of companies Geovation Scotland can support on the accelerator read this blog, follow Geovation Scotland on LinkedIn, and find the application here.
📅 Events
17/4, 12:30 🗺️ Stromness: TechScaler: Office Hours- Stromness: Are you based in Orkney? Are you working in tech, interested in technology, or have an idea for a startup? Are you part of the business community? If you would like to know more about what we do at CodeBase and how we could support work going on in Orkney through the Techscaler programme, book a slot for a one-to-one conversation with Mark Sutherland, Head of Highlands and Islands Regional Engagement at CodeBase. MORE INFO
🎯 17/04, 19:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: 'Reverse' Pitch Party: Startup Accelerator Showcase & Mixer by Startup Grind x Geovation Scotland: When you're building your startup, how do you know which accelerator is right for the problems you're facing, and the knowledge you need? To demystify what's on offer, we're teaming up with Geovation Scotland for an evening of 'reverse pitching' where we'll hear from some of Scotland's top accelerators, followed by an exclusive fireside chat with Janani Prabhakaran of Unbaggaged! MORE INFO
💡 18/04, 12:00 🗺️ Striling: Tech Idea Factory: Idea Fest: This event is designed to inspire innovation and collaborative thinking within the tech community. Tech Idea Factory: Idea Fest is a platform where tech enthusiasts converge to ideate, collaborate, and transform innovative visions into actionable strategies. MORE INFO
🏳️🌈 18/04, 13:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Lunch & Learn: LGBTQ+ Visibility in the Workplace: Join us for an engaging workshop exploring LGBTQ+ visibility in the workplace, in partnership with Scottish Trans and the Equality Network. Delve into discussions on workplace rights and strategies for enhancing visibility and networking opportunities. MORE INFO
🤝 18/04, 17:00 🗺️ Dundee: Meet the Investors - Raising to Scale in a Challenging Environment: Join us for an evening of community networking and the opportunity to hear directly from investors, lenders and other ecosystem builders. MORE INFO
🥾 20/04, 10:00 🗺️ Midlothian: Sustainability Netwalking: Join other sustainability leaders and pioneers to enjoy being out in nature and have inspiring conversations with your peers. Share your experience, grow your network, revitalise yourself. MORE INFO
🔌 23/04, 12:00 🗺️ Dunfermline: Unplugged Dunfermline: This event aims to bring together entrepreneurs, techies, creatives, students, investors, and other regional stakeholders to network and share ideas. MORE INFO
🧰 23/04, 10:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: In-Person IPHatchathon® UK 2024: Join our FREE in-person IPHatchathon®, a 3-hour 1-on-1 mentoring workshop where our seasoned mentors will validate your business model and offer actionable advice on how you could integrate readily available patents/ technologies we have to offer. MORE INFO
🔌 24/04, 12:00 🗺️ Galashiels: Unplugged @ Hometown Hub, Stow: In partnership with Hometown Hub, this event is for anyone looking to learn more about what Techscaler is and what it has to offer the tech sector in the Borders. This event aims to bring together entrepreneurs, techies, creatives, students, investors, and other regional stakeholders to network and share ideas. MORE INFO
🗣 24/04, 12:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: Presentation Club: Join us for a supportive and friendly afternoon of public speaking practice for people in the tech startup world. MORE INFO
🔌 24/04, 16:00 🗺️ Aboyne: Unplugged Aboyne: This event aims to bring together entrepreneurs, techies, creatives, students, investors, and other regional stakeholders to network and share ideas. MORE INFO
💬 24/00, 18:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: Entrepreneurs Social Club (ESC) - April 2024: Welcome to our monthly Entrepreneurs Social Club (ESC) gathering! Skip the talks, presentations and lectures - in favour of going straight to the bar, where real connections are made. MORE INFO
🤝 25/04, 09:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: Bridging Communities - The Extended Edition: A one-day event to bridge communities, spark connections and inspire action. Co-designed discussions, creative workshops, insightful stories, and more. MORE INFO
🗽 25/04, 09:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: Breaking the US: Office Hours: Best practices on approaching the US market and what tools and connections are available to support you. MORE INFO
🗽 25/04, 10:30 🗺️ Aberdeen: Approaching the US Market with City of Mentor: Best practices on approaching the US market and what tools and connections are available to support you. MORE INFO
🌍 25/04, 12:30 🗺️ Stirling: World of Work: Organisation Culture and Values for Founders: This half-day, in-person, interactive workshop in Codebase Stirling will be co-facilitated by James and Jane from the World of Work Project. Like all of their workshops, this session will be highly interactive and will include relevant theories, practical applications and top-tips. MORE INFO
🚀 25/04, 12:30 🗺️ Online: Virtual Speed Networking: An online speed networking event where you can get to know others in the tech community across Scotland. We’ll have some questions ready for you to get the conversations going and keep things moving so you get the chance to speak to as many people as possible. MORE INFO
🌐 25/04, 17:00 🗺️ Stirling: The Social at CodeBase Stirling: Open to everyone, this is an in-person celebration to connect and catch up with the CodeBase and Central Scotland community. MORE INFO
👔 25/04, 17:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: Save the Date: Navigating Your Next Career Leap in Product: Roadmap to Job Search Success: Navigate with Precision, Land with Confidence!"A Product job search work shop to help you shape your CV & approach to the market, uncover interview secrets and proven strategies for you to approach the job market in 2024! MORE INFO
📊 25/04, 18:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Edinburgh Data Science and AI inaugural meetup: Everyone is encouraged to attend from across the Data Science realm whether you work in a small startup or a large corporate, if you are researching state of the art multimodal vision-language models in academia or just getting to grips with linear regression! MORE INFO
🍽️ 25/04, 18:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Founders Dinners: Where founders & execs of product startups relax together and connect with peers over food and drinks. MORE INFO
🛠️ 27/04, 10:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: NoCode Build Day!: Join us for nocode.scot's first Saturday build day! Because finding the time to build stuff during the week isn't always possible. This is a time to dust off that side project, kick start that new business, or just play around building something for fun. MORE INFO
🎯 27/04, 11:00 🗺️ Inverness: Inverness Pitch Club: A supportive and welcoming environment which gives you the opportunity to practise your pitching skills and gain confidence in talking about your business. We’re here to help from the ground up! Whether you’re simply talking about your business or idea at networking events, or you’re going to be pitching at a competition to capture the attention of investors. Let’s get confident about communication. MORE INFO
🖼️ 30/04, 17:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: Big Picture AI Safety: "Good" Futures and Dangers en Route by The Melting Pot: Part of The Melting Pot's Spring - Summer AI & Social Innovation events series. The event will provide a general context of where we are in AI development, what the latest advances are and work toward some big questions that concern social innovators: what are the key threats behind the use of AI? What are the distinctive characteristics of Scotland's AI landscape? And above all, how would look a "good" future for us in our complex relationship with AI and what can you do about it? MORE INFO
👥 30/04, 18:00 🗺️ Dundee: Dundee Data Meetup: Welcome to the monthly recurring Dundee Data Meetup, a vibrant community-driven event that brings together curious learners, data enthusiasts and professionals to explore the captivating world of data and its applications. MORE INFO
🎯 Series: EIE2024: EIE24 is an exclusive, invitation-only event. Due to high demand, not all those expressing interest in attending EIE24 will be guaranteed a place. To ensure you don’t miss the opportunity for a front-row seat at Scotland’s premium tech-ecosystem event, sign up today:
📌 30/04, 19:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: EIE2024 - Investor2Investor Evening: Experience a night of global connections and networking at the spectacular Edinburgh Castle. MORE INFO
📌 01/05, 08:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: EIE2024 - Showcase Day: At EIE24 you will network with international investors, founders, and industry experts. MORE INFO
📌 01/05, 19:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: EIE2024 - Gala Dinner: EIE24 will end with a fantastic networking dinner in a unique and memorable setting. MORE INFO
🥂 15/05, 18:00 🗺️ Glasgow: Tech Week Drinks: Drinks with Cooper Parry, Foresight Group, Harper Macleod & Virgin Money. Email kirstyi@cooperparry.com to register to attend. MORE INFO
🎯 Deadlines
🗺️ 6 May 2024: Geovation Scotland Accelerator. Application here.
🇬🇧 Upcoming Innovate UK deadlines:
UK-Switzerland CR&D Round 2 Applications close 1 May
UK - Germany Bilateral: Collaborative R&D Round 3 Applications close 3 June
Are we missing your event or deadline? 👉 Submit it here!
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That’s all for this week - have a great one!
Team 🔥 Campfire