Techscaler sets sights on New York as programme expands

Scotland’s Techscaler International programme is to expand, it has been announced.

Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes has confirmed the scheme’s first visit to America’s east coast, as well as missions to Silicon Valley and Asia.

Representatives of growth-stage companies will take part in trips to Japan in April, New York and New Jersey in June, California’s Silicon Valley in October, Singapore in November and Hong Kong and China in December.

Applications to take part in the first leg are open until 23 February and it’s hoped the initiative will help secure contracts, investment and commercial traction.

Forbes announced the move on a visit to the Edinburgh office of Codebase, which manages the £42m Techscaler initiative. She said: “Building on the success of the first pilot programme in Silicon Valley in 2024, the initiative has been continually refined to serve the needs of our entrepreneurs and respond to their feedback. This expanded programme reflects the value it is bringing to some of the country’s most innovative companies.”

Cris Helson of medtech specialists Tiny Air said Techscaler had helped his firm secure international orders last year: “The Singapore opportunity was fantastic and has led to sales but the mentoring programmes from Techscaler have been almost more valuable. They have introduced us to a world class level of people who know how to take a medtech company like us global.

“We were in Singapore for three weeks and I was still making connections on the last day. I got introduced to a big hospital in the north of Singapore by an anaesthetist from Raigmore Hospital in Inverness who now lives in Singapore and whose wife is a Global Scot. Those kind of networks and connections we have been able to build.”

Codebase co-founder Steven Drost commented: “Techscaler supports tech founders at every stage of their journey, with an increasing focus on scaleups and providing Scotland’s most ambitious founders with a launchpad for global success, and so it’s encouraging to see the expansion of the international programmes this year.”