💻 CodeClan, Archangels, Chemify and vinyls printed in Scotland?
This week, we hear news from CodeClan, the British Business Bank, Archangels, willo, Leap Automation and more.
But first, a reflection on CodeClan from a former student.
Here's your Campfire for 7th of August 2023.
💼 This issue of Campfire is caffeinated by Shepherd & Wedderburn, the legal firm that's there for you every step of the way.
On Friday, CodeClan, the coding school primarily aimed at those wishing to change careers and get into tech, went into liquidation. As would be expected, the sudden news prompted many in the Scottish tech community to ask a range of questions. What happened? Why hadn't the government bailed them out? Why should the government bail them out? How could they have let things get to this stage? Responses from those who worked there hit back at the assumption that the leadership team hadn't been in discussions with the government or looking for other ways to save the company.
There were also dissections of CodeClan and its impact, with rumours and attempts to analyse the reasons for its sudden demise. Some expressed a lack of surprise and questioned its effectiveness, while others pointed to the market and CodeClan's business model, while lamenting the loss of the organisation for the ecosystem. Still others identified the strengths and a wish to look forward. Colin Hewitt, CEO of Float said, "There is a huge positive sentiment for CodeClan in the tech community and so many that have benefited from it and would like it to continue. This presents an incredible opportunity for a new iteration of a coding academy in Scotland, to take some time to learn from the challenges and go again."
But rather than rehash the various arguments, debates, and discussions going around the community, I think the most relevant perspective should come from someone who has a firsthand experience of CodeClan and its objective to retrain those looking to work in tech. I asked Olivia Wright, a former student and now full-time Backend Developer, if she'd be willing to share some reflections about CodeClan and the part it played in her career.
💻 CodeClan's Promise
The first time I heard about CodeClan was from a dev who worked with my husband. She had gone through the programme a year before and had nothing but good things to say. After that, I started noticing CodeClan grads everywhere. Many of my social circles were and still are made up of people working in tech, so that definitely played into how many CodeClan grads I was suddenly meeting, but I think that speaks to how successful the program was.
At the time I was unhappily working as an online tutor. I’d always had an interest in coding, but didn’t think I was “the kind of person who could code”. After speaking to student after student, it made me start to think that maybe I was wrong. I did some online learning and found it to be a good starting point, but it lacked the support, community and ultimately connections that everyone praised Codeclan for.
It was very scary to decide whether to make the investment and take the leap. I must have hesitantly looked at their website a hundred times before I finally decided to sign up for the programme in 2019.
My experience was incredible, difficult, amazing, terrifying, and ultimately life changing. I can say with zero hesitation that it was one of the best decisions and investments in myself that I’ve ever made.
I’ve now been working in tech for just under 3 years and am very happily a developer. My cohort completed the course in March 2020, 4 days before the first UK lockdown. Certainly not an ideal time, and while it took us a little longer to land on our feet, all of my friends from my cohort are now happily in tech roles. I even found my first role through a partnership with Codeclan.
I think back to the woman I was before, who thought she “wasn’t made” to be a developer and laugh. Not only do I really enjoy my job, but I’m really good at it. I know though that I never would have made the leap in the first place without hearing all the good stories about CodeClan.
The news about CodeClan closing was extremely disappointing to me, not only because CodeClan alumni currently make up so much of the tech industry in Scotland, which shows the power of programmes like this, but also because of how it happened.
I don’t know the circumstances, maybe it will all come out in time, but I think of the students who started their courses a month ago or worse yet the ones who started last week, who came in on Friday only to be told that they wouldn’t be coming back.
These are people who took a leap of faith, quit their jobs and put a lot of money on the line to change their life. They’re now out the money, out a job and have to figure out where to go from here.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned about this community though, it’s that they know how to rally. One of those students has created a JustGiving to raise money so that remaining students can pay instructors and complete the course. The list of donors reads like an obituary written by former alumni and supporters. It shows how much people believed in the programme, and they see the good that came out of it. At time of writing, less than 24 hours after it was launched, they’ve hit 20% of their goal.
Bootcamps come and go, but CodeClan has had an incredible impact on the Scotland tech scene. It felt like something with real lasting power and it’s really devastating to think that it’s now gone.
You can read more about CodeClan's liquidation below and find information about the JustGiving campaign here.
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🤝 Cofounder Curious
Listings this week include:
Maths/data/computing/AI guy with experience of founding, building & selling a 350-person startup (with VC), with a strong interest in tackling the global ecological crises we face
Serial founder, insatiably curious and always expanding my knowledge in new fields, currently trying to figure things out in AI/Tech and Health/Wellness, amongst others
Plus more!
Want to connect with any of them? Be sure to fill out your profile and join our Scottish-based Cofounder Curious list.
🌊 Updates
💻 Edinburgh-based CodeClan, the software development up-skill organisation founded in 2015, went into liquidation. Over 2,000 students had gone through CodeClan over the years. NB in insolvency, the term 'administration' attempts to rescue viable elements of a company to allow business to continue, while 'liquidation' is just a way of closing a company in an orderly manner. TS DGT
💰 Archangels (Edinburgh-based angel syndicate) signed a £12m co-investment agreement with the British Business Bank. Archangels invests in early stage tech and life sciences companies. FS LC DGT TS UKTN
⚗️ Glasgow-based Chemify (digitising chemistry using AI) raised a £36m Series A investment round led by Triatomic Capital (US) with participation from Horizons Ventures (HK), Rocketship Ventures (US), Possible Ventures, Alix Ventures, Eos, BlueYard Capital, and the UK Government Innovation Accelerator programme. Chemify is a spinout from the University of Glasgow. SS DGT SFN UKTN FS
🖥️ Edinburgh-based The Data Lab (data & AI community run out of the Bayes Centre at the University of Edinburgh) has launched a paid subscription option to provide discounts, exclusive events, and a job board. The based membership is still free. SS FS
💁♂️ Glasgow-based willo.video (video screening for job candidates) announced that it's enabled applications valued at £1.1bn in salaries in 2023. Interesting north-star metric - congrats! SBN
👓 Aberdeen-based Leap Automation (machine vision systems for food producers) came 3rd in the national KPMG UK Tech Innovator competition. DGT IN
🎧 Get scratching. Scotland's first vinyl pressing plant is opening in October. I thought cassettes were now hip again? YF TH
📣 Asks & Offers
❓ Who do you know? Community Lab (open innovation platform) is hiring a Proposition Manager ("Imagine a Product Manager has a baby with a Project Manager and that baby was raised by an Account Manager who had an affair with a Community Manager") Know anyone?? Send them this.
📣 We're launching the Founders' Survey next week on the funding landscape in Scotland. If you have a mailing list of startup founders, and would be willing to share the survey, let us know!
👭 Interested in connecting with possible co-founders? Fill in your listing on Cofounder Curious today! Connect with others for possible cofounder matching here.
🙋 Interested in being a COO/CEO? A successful startup (12-15 people) are looking for someone to lead it into its next phase. Seeking a founder mentality who is willing to experiment and explore new avenues while being in charge of the company's operations. A great opportunity for the right person who can have a genuine impact on the company in an exciting industry (Earth Science Tech). Reply to this email for more info.
✍️ Want to write something for Campfire? Have an opinion you'd like to share? get in touch!
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📅 Events
💻 09/08, 18:00 🗺️ Glasgow: Glasgow Tech Social: Tech meets remote and hybrid workers meets a fun social after work. MORE INFO
🎉 10/08, 16:00 🗺️ Aberdeen: Techscaler Summer Sessions: North East: Celebrate the activity which has taken place across the region since the launch of Techscaler, to meet with other members and share success stories, and to enjoy some food, drink and music with the community. MORE INFO
🎮 10/08, 17:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: Scottish Esports Network - Edinburgh Meetup Q3 - 2023: Casual environment to see new and familiar faces in the industry: share a drink and discuss what's new and exciting, challenging and difficult, how we're working to overcome business issues, and how we can grow the industry together. MORE INFO
🤳 15/08, 11:00 🗺️ Online: Grow your startup with TikTok: Danae Shell about her experience of successfully using TikTok to grow her startup's audience. Danae will share the story of how she got TikTok to work for her business, along with hints and tips followed by Q&A. Open to everyone. MORE INFO
🎉 15/08, 17:30 🗺️ Inverness: Techscaler Summer Sessions: Highlands and Islands: Celebrate the activity which has taken place across the region since the launch of Techscaler, to meet with other members and share success stories, and to enjoy some food, drink and music with the community. MORE INFO
🤝 17/08, 12:00 🗺️ Inverness: AccelerateHER + Techscaler Meetup: Highlands and Islands: Whether you’re working on a fledgling idea for a startup or already in the thick of scaling your tech enterprise, having a community of folks to connect with, share knowledge with, and generally find support amongst is invaluable. For women and non-binary folk in the tech startup world this is even more vital. MORE INFO
🍻 17/08, 17:15 🗺️ Edinburgh: Barclays and CodeBase, Edinburgh's monthly quiz!!: Dave, from Barclays Eagle Labs, hosts a pub quiz each month from the CodeBase, Edinburgh, event space. The winning team will receive a trophy that they can display proudly in their office/on their desk for the month, until someone else tries to win it at the next quiz! MORE INFO
📖 17/08, 18:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Product Tank Meetup: Storytelling & Data Driven Design: August event all around Storytelling & Data-Driven Design. We're absolutely thrilled to be welcoming Emma Gordon and Amélie Bruhart to share their experiences building user-centric products with this community. MORE INFO
💡 21/08, 10:00 🗺️ Online: Innovation Funding Webinar: Energy Systems, Grids, Storage and Generation: Learn about the latest domestic and international funding available for energy systems, grids, storage and generation innovation projects. MORE INFO
💰 21/08, 11:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Unlocking Opportunities: VC Insights for Scottish Tech Founders: panel of experts, comprising seasoned venture capitalists and experts, including Chris Neumann, Marvin Liao, Monique Woodard, Casey Lau, and Mike Sigal, will share their invaluable insights on what it takes to become investor ready. MORE INFO
⛓️ 22/08, 17:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Monthly Scottish Blockchain Meetup: Networking & talks including "Exploring blockchain and its revolutionary applications" by Rajesh Kumar Plamthottathil, Founder & CEO of TrackGenesis and "The velocity of money and token valuation" by Sekar Langit. MORE INFO
🦓 23/08, 12:30 🗺️ Edinburgh + Online option: Business For Good – Alternative Exits – Employee Ownership: An exploration into employee ownership, hosted in-person and online by B-corp, Zebras Unite & CodeBase. MORE INFO
🎯 Deadlines
🎯 Open 💡 Applications are open for the RBS Accelerator programme MORE INFO
🎯 14/08 🔒 Funded places to International Cyber Expo in September (travel and exhibiting space). MORE INFO
🎯 22/08 🏗️ CivTech 9 Challenge call deadline for companies to submit proposals for a share of £7.8 million of contract opportunities for teams and businesses able to solve problems for government backed agencies and organisations in Scotland.
🎯 25/08 🇵🇹 Foras Lisbon 2023: funded trip to WebSummit November 11-18. Includes flights, accommodation, WebSummit tickets, wokshops, investor meets. Any stage of business, as long as it has high-growth potential. 15 places for female-led businesses, 5 places for male-led. MORE INFO
🎯 01/09 🤓 Applications are now open for the Scottish Cyber Awards. MORE INFO
🎯 01/10 ♻️ TechX Accelerator: Cleantech at a tech readiness level of 2-6, up to £100k in grant or SAFE note, 15 week programme with 3 weeks expected in Aberdeen. Looking for "diverse, innovative start-ups that will pave the way in clean energy." MORE INFO
🇬🇧 Upcoming Innovate UK deadlines:
Unlocking Potential Begin (£5k grants for business ideas) Submissions close 6 September
Unlocking Potential Build (£50k grants for business ideas) Submissions close 6 September
Ofgem Round 3: Call for Ideas Submissions close 21 August
India – UK Collaborative R&D for industrial sustainability Applications close 6 August
UK-Israel Eureka Bilateral Collaborative R&D: Round 2 Applications close 13 September
Innovate UK Smart grants: June 2023 Applications close 27 September 2023
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That’s all for this week - have a great one!
Team 🔥Campfire