Scale your business

Support for high-growth spin-outs

If you’re looking to commercialise intellectual property (IP) that has been created through innovative research and is owned by a Scottish university, the NHS, or a research institute, our High Growth Company Creation team can help with:

• Commercialising your research and innovation
• Market assessment
• IP protection
• Building a commercial team
• Company formation

You could also get help from the High Growth Spinout Programme to progress your idea toward your commercial ambitions. 

The High Growth Spinout Programme

Our High Growth Spinout Programme (HGSP) helps researchers take their ideas and inventions from the lab to the global marketplace by awarding early-stage funding and support.

Find out more about the programme 

Support for high-growth start-ups

If you’re a start-up with a unique or disruptive product or business model, we want to help you scale.

We’re looking for start-ups with:

• An ambition to scale from the beginning
• Strong intellectual property that addresses a customer need in a significant international market
• The potential to scale to more than £5 million in sales

Innovation-driven enterprises like these tend to need intensive specialist support during the start-up phase to ensure a solid foundation from which to scale in the future. This is what we provide. 

Intensive support

We work closely with companies in the digital media, technology and engineering, energy, and life sciences sectors. We support:

• The development and launch of innovative and disruptive new products
• Entrepreneurial skills development
• Validation of opportunities and markets
• Development of business models and plans
• Route-to-market, sales, and marketing plans
• Engagement with investors to raise necessary funding for future growth
• The building of management and non-executive teams
• Facilitation of advisory and professional networks

Skills development

If you're starting a business in Scotland, we can offer specialised, ongoing support. This includes access to skills support. Our goal is to help you grow as an entrepreneur and take your business or business idea to the next level.

We also run a variety of programmes and events throughout the year that are aimed at supporting entrepreneurs on an individual and business level.

Find out more about support for entrepreneurs 

Support for scale-ups

If you’re an innovative, ambitious, and fast-growing company (seeing growth of at least 20% per year), and you're looking to achieve £5 million to £10 million (or more) in turnover within seven years, we can support you in the following areas:

• Leadership, strategy, sales, and product development
• Talent attraction
• Development of international and investor networks
• Embedding innovation as a driver of sustainable growth
• One-to-one in-house company training
• Practitioner-led group executive education
• Peer-to-peer learning and ambition raising

Investment and connections

As well as providing training and support to help you become investor-ready, we can help showcase your company and connect you to local, national, and international investors.

We can also help you secure seed, Series A, and follow-on funding to grow and scale your business.

We can connect you to:

• Networks of the partner organisations or individuals best placed to support you at any stage of growth, whatever your sector or specific needs
• Peer or role model businesses for advice, support, and inspiration — this includes the use of our extensive international connections to help you extend your network around the globe

Find out more about attracting investment