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12 Clusters of Tech Scotland 3 Introduction 4 Regional Summary 6 Established Leaders 8 Scaleup Stories 10 Ones to Watch 12 Hotspot 1: Data 14 Hotspot 2: Cyber 16 Hostspot 3: Mobility as a Service (Maas) Contents Introduction This is the story of technology in the UK. Over 12 months, London Tech Week and UK Tech Cluster Group will explore the unique ecosystems and tech trends in every region of the UK. From space tech in the South West to cybersecurity in Northern Ireland, 12 Clusters of Tech charts the companies, sectors and case studies that make up the entire UK tech landscape. 12 Clusters of Tech September 2020 – August 2021 Brought to you by 12 Clusters of Tech Scotland 12 Clusters of Tech Scotland 2 3 Regional Summary Scotland’s data, digital and technology industries are ambitious, resilient and dynamic. They’re leading the accelerated commercial development of deep technologies like 5G, artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing. The sector includes successful businesses originally grown in Scotland which have attracted international capital like Skyscanner, FanDuel and Leidos as well as major foreign direct investments, such as Hewlett Packard, Fujitsu and IBM. Barclays, JP Morgan, Amazon, Sky and Morgan Stanley are just a few more examples of some of the leading companies which have established technology centres in Scotland. We have a rich history of innovation and companies can attract world-class expertise and talent whilst collaborating with our world leading universities and innovation centres. Our innovation labs have been designed to encourage collaboration between companies, academic and public sector organisations. CENSIS is the Centre for Sensing and Imaging Systems, and Internet of things technologies. Located in Glasgow it helps organisations innovate and overcome technological barriers to achieve business transformation, generate economic growth and reach global markets. The Data Lab is an innovation centre which enables industry, the public sector and world- class researchers to develop new data science capabilities in a collaborative environment. With a Scotland-wide presence, the Data Lab is focused on delivering a range of activities that span across the areas of collaborative innovation, skills, training and community building. Our sector is flourishing, with over 90,000 software developers working across a range of areas. From application development, cyber security and data analytics to robotic process automation and AI, you can be assured that Scotland has the skills and expertise to support you. Given Scotland’s established capabilities, there is a strong focus on addressing growing opportunities in sensor systems and data analytics (including downstream space data), while related areas such as mobility as a service and fintech also present exciting opportunities. The sector is active across Scotland and Edinburgh is the “Digital Capital” with the University of Edinburgh’s School of Informatics ranking among the best in the world and a dynamic start-up scene attracting global venture capital. Edinburgh was also recently named the UK’s top city for start-ups and attracts more foreign investment than any other tech cluster in the UK, outside London. According to Tech Nation, it has 92% growth potential. 12 Clusters of Tech Scotland 12 Clusters of Tech Scotland 4 5 Outplay FreeAgent Leidos We have a long history of innovation and today Scotland remains one of Europe’s most important business centres; we’re the perfect blend of technological and financial expertise. The sector contributes £7.5bn to the Scottish economy and is forecasted to be the second fastest growing sector in the country until 2029. About £3.3bn of Scotland’s international sales were generated by tech companies, making us one of the strongest for exports too. Our workforce is constantly adapting and inward investors from around the globe are coming to Scotland to explore new and emerging opportunities with the likes of Microsoft, JP Morgan, Amazon calling us home. www.outplay.com Location: Dundee Established: 2010 www.freeagent.com Location: Edinburgh Established: 2007 www.leidos.com/uk Location: Glasgow Established: 1988 Outplay Entertainment develops and publishes games for social and mobile platforms. Founded in 2010 by seasoned games industry entrepreneurs, Outplay Entertainment are an exciting, enthusiastic and ambitious new publisher and developer, delivering new IP on the most popular new platforms. FreeAgent is one of the UK’s largest, and most popular, online accounting services, helping thousands of freelancers and small businesses manage their company accounts in our unique, simple, stress-free way. We’re going from strength to strength, and we’re on track to fundamentally change the relationship small businesses have with their accounts. Leidos is a global IT, engineering and science business with a 30-year heritage supporting the Scottish public sector to improve services and drive efficiencies through technology. It is a strategic supplier to the UK and Scottish governments and a leader in IT solutions to the national security, transport, logistics and energy sectors. With its UK headquarters in Glasgow, it employs 1,100 people in offices across the country. “In 2011, after a lengthy search, we made the decision to establish Outplay’s global headquarters in Dundee. We had considered a number of locations in America and Europe but the concentration of talent, world-class education institutions, high-quality of life, low cost of living, and fantastic support from Scottish Development International and Scottish Enterprise made Dundee the obvious choice. Now, over nine years later, we’re as happy with that decision as we’ve ever been.” Doug Hare, CoFounder and CEO “Scotland has always been FreeAgent’s home. Ever since we founded the company in Edinburgh back in 2007 we’ve never imagined being anywhere else. “The city has great transport infrastructure and affordable business premises costs, which are very important for growing fintechs, as well as a host of talent from local universities and dedicated tech training programmes. “There’s also a plethora of smaller, exciting startups and early-stage companies emerging across the country. Tech incubators like CodeBase and Seed Haus are nurturing new ideas and providing a platform for young fintech companies to establish themselves, and this adds to the buzz that’s taking place within the wider tech scene. We regularly see large and small tech companies throughout Scotland coming together to share ideas, pass on expertise and collaborate on new projects - and it’s really exciting for us to be part of this community.” Ed Molyneux, CEO “Technology will play a vital role in the economic recovery post Covid and Leidos is working in partnership with the Scottish Government and wider industry to drive forward the agenda on connectivity, infrastructure, education and skills development. Covid created a new paradigm where the government, businesses and citizens have adapted to working and living in a more agile, virtual way. We need to seize the opportunity to transform our public services, using technology to make them more personal, accessible and efficient.” Alec Harley, Portfolio Director, Scotland Established Leaders LEIDOS EMPLOYS MORE THAN 38,000 PEOPLE WORLDWIDE, REPORTING $12BN IN REVENUE IN 2019. Did you know? 12 Clusters of Tech Scotland 12 Clusters of Tech Scotland 6 7 Incremental Group Condatis, a SiteKit Company www.incrementalgroup.co.uk Location: Glasgow Established: 2016 www.condatis.com Location: Isle of Skye Established: 1989 www.dayshape.com Location: Edinburgh Established: 2013 Officially launched in 2016, Incremental is a Microsoft Inner Circle member, and one of the fastest-growing Dynamics partners in the UK. Customers include Total, Aggreko, Crisis, Scottish Leather Group and Aberdeen City Council. Incremental is dedicated to helping government, not for profit and industry organisations undergo digital transformation, step by step with Microsoft. Condatis is a Sitekit company and are specialists in external and customer identity solutions and leaders in Microsoft Azure AD B2C and Decentralized Identity system integration. Condatis work with some of the largest financial services, government agencies, and healthcare providers. We provide the fundamental building block in any digital transformation programme – Identity. “Scotland has a wealth of high-calibre talent and capabilities which make for a thriving digital economy. As a hub for digital innovation and collaboration, we have been given the opportunity to grow our workforce and our client-base, making a difference to businesses and their customers across the UK and worldwide. We are immensely proud to call Scotland home.” Chris Tate, CEO Scaleup Stories “Incremental’s mission is to help organisations digitally transform one step at a time. We can only do this if we have the exceptional people as part of our organisation. We’re proud of our Scottish heritage but our reason for staying here isn’t sentimental, thanks to our world leading academic institutions, Scotland offers a quality and depth of talent that is hard to beat.” Neil Logan, CEO Dayshape helps professional services firms plan, manage, and adapt. Its AI-powered planning platform optimises engagement planning, resource management, analytics, and risk management. Dayshape makes it easy, through assisted and fully automated scheduling, to assign the right person, at the right time, every time. Dayshape has more than 15,000 users across ten countries. Global customers, including two of the Big Four accounting firms, use Dayshape to boost profitability, improve client service, and keep their teams happy. “Scotland and Edinburgh were a natural choice for us. The talent pool from top universities and training programmes like CodeClan, the start-up community we joined at CodeBase, as well as support from organisations like ScotlandIS, have all contributed directly to our growth. We were named Scotland’s fastest growing tech company in 2019 by Deloitte’s Fast50.” Andrew Bone, Co-Founder & CEO There is a great feeling of community in Scotland, with successful entrepreneurs who have grown their own companies sharing their experiences and knowledge of different markets, their hints, tips and lessons learned. These peer-to-peer insights are invaluable for those making their way in the sector. Scotland also benefits from an exceptional network of informed angel investors, and a range of early stage funding such as SMART awards and Scottish Edge grants. Professional advisors are increasingly knowledgeable about the growing tech sector, understanding the potential value of start-ups and their worth to the economy. Dayshape 12 Clusters of Tech Scotland 12 Clusters of Tech Scotland 8 9 Intelligent Growth Solutions Space Intelligence Bellrock Technology Ltd Scotland is closing the gap on the leading technology nations and delivering the facilities our innovative businesses require, within an increasingly sophisticated start-up ecosystem. From new business support and advice services, experienced mentors and investors, a highly talented workforce and access to financial capital, the infrastructure is now in place to ensure Scotland can capitalise on the innovation we have been rightly famous for. Scotland is home to a great range of technology incubators including CodeBase and Elevator, and accelerators like SeedHaus and CivTech, provide not only premises, but real expertise and experience from like-minded entrepreneurs, expert specialist advice and access to funding. www.intelligentgrowthsolutions.com Location: Dundee Established: 2013 www.space-intelligence.com Location: Edinburgh Established: 2017 www.bellrock.tech Location: Glasgow Established: 2012 IGS makes platforms that deliver ideal climates for plants and people, based upon a culture of continuous innovation, brilliant, simple design and a refusal to accept conventional technical thinking. Space Intelligence turns satellite data into actionable information, helping governments, companies and NGOs worldwide make better environmental decisions. They provide unique maps of habitats, carbon storage and restoration opportunities, in order to enable the monitoring, protection and enhancement of our natural environment, and the development of Nature Based Solution investments. Based on a foundation of world-class science, we formed the company in response to the growing number of requests for satellite data analysis. “IGS is not only proud to call Scotland home but delighted that we’re so lucky to be able to. With our great Universities and Colleges, engineering tradition, centres of technology innovation excellence and world class crop science IGS is able to tap into a wealth of talent and expertise. The Scots have always seen the world as our oyster: indeed my own grandfather made his career success in Singapore 100 years ago. We are confident that modern-day Scotland combined with our great food & drink traditions make this the ideal base for a scaling agritech business.” David Farquhar, CEO “Scotland is the natural home for Space Intelligence for many reasons. The country has a heritage of innovation, and today a strong focus on supporting the Space Sector. WIth new satellite launch facilities being developed, and new developments in space data processing facilities being developed at the University of Edinburgh, the country is now nearing end - to - end capacity in small satellite development. Meanwhile, a network of universities is producing high- skilled technical talent that we need to grow the company. The University of Edinburgh’s Data Driven Innovation Programme in particular sets out a plan to create the Space Data Capital of Europe by 2030, and we want to be absolutely central to that ambition. Moreover, there is a highly-supportive ecosystem of start-ups and scale-ups, plus facilities such as incubators and accelerators, which means that there is extensive network of founders and support services available, which you need to call upon when growing a tech company.” Dr Murray Collins, CEO Ones to Watch Bellrock Technology Ltd. is a high-tech software company. We have developed Lumen®, the world’s most advanced predictive analytics deployment platform. Lumen instantly turns trained data science models into live predictive analytics. Its patented technology removes traditional integration and deployment challenges, making results immediately available. “We call Scotland home for many reasons. Firstly, we are a spin out of Glasgow’s University of Strathclyde. The talent pool around Scotland, especially in the software sector is incredible, both senior level and graduates. The infrastructure is an important consideration for our global growth plans, Glasgow airport is 15 minutes from the city centre. There is a lot of government support for young companies. Finally, we wanted to work and live in a vibrant, lively, contemporary city.” Adam Brown, CEO BELLROCK TECHNOLOGY IS LISTED IN THE CROWN COMMERCIAL SERVICES (CCS) G-CLOUD 12 FRAMEWORK AS A SUPPLIER, PROVIDING ITS FULL RANGE OF DATA SOLUTIONS TO SUPPORT GOVERNMENT ORGANISATIONS IN THEIR USE OF DATA ANALYTICS. Did you know? 12 Clusters of Tech Scotland 12 Clusters of Tech Scotland 10 11 Simul8 Deepminer Ecometrica With Scotland’s thriving data sector set to be worth £20 billion over the next five years, many of Scotland’s data-centric small and medium enterprises can be found developing the latest platforms and solutions for financial, health and manufacturing sectors. Data is the engine behind all IoT and AI solutions and is the focus of the Edinburgh-based Data- Driven Innovation initiative, which aims to position Edinburgh as the data capital of Europe. There are specialist geospatial and downstream data companies emerging as part of Scotland’s emerging Space industry, already worth £140m per annum. www.simul8.com Location: Glasgow Established: 1994 www.deepminer.co.uk Location: Aberdeen Established: 2002 www.ecometrica.com Location: Edinburgh Established: 2007 Simul8 Corp. develops, market and support simulation software to help analyze and improve business processes. Simul8 offers a unique, evidence-based approach to decision making - by using a virtual representation to test the impact of business changes, you can find the best approach before implementation. The business world is enormous, today business leaders need to stay on top of a world that is rapidly moving and evolving. Traditional search is consumer focused, relies on tagging, hashtags, and SEO, all of which can be influenced and the results received may not be business related or timely. Deepminer uses pioneering, AI disrupting search and understanding the web and social media to deliver up-to- date business and social media news and information in an easy to understand platform. “Simul8 was born out of a tech hub in Glasgow and we’re proud to still call Glasgow home today. Although we’ve grown and now 60% of our business comes from outside the UK, we love having our HQ here because quite simply Scotland is an amazing place to be an international business. The tech sector is thriving, we have access to an amazing and supportive ecosystem across Scotland that encourages innovation, collaboration, networking and knowledge sharing with our peers and is successfully developing a brilliant talent pool for the future.” Frances Sneddon, CEO “Being in Aberdeen has given us access to great talent who have been instrumental in helping us build our disruptive search engine. We’re pushing the boundaries of Natural Language Processing and computer science, delivering results in near real time. The research being done by our team will push this even further. It is an exciting time to be based in Scotland with such a focus on data and cutting edge technology.” Duncan Hart, CEO Ecometrica is an end-to-end environmental software-as-a-service that helps businesses and governments identify risks and opportunities. It turns the vast and growing streams of observation data from space, air, and land into actionable insights for business, government, and society. The company’s innovative and intelligent technology distills the technical expertise into simple web- based tools that anyone can understand and use. By bringing together sustainability, environment, risk, and business insights with geospatial intelligence and mapping applications, the award- winning Ecometrica Platform allows businesses, governments, and organizations to make smarter decisions and build long-term value. DEEPMINER WAS FOUNDED IN 2017, AND WON THE CIVTECH 2.0 CHALLENGE TO HARNESS ENTREPRENEURIAL TECH INNOVATION TO SOLVE IDENTIFIED PUBLIC SECTOR CHALLENGES, CREATING BETTER PUBLIC SERVICES AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES. Did you know? Hotspot 1 Data 12 Clusters of Tech Scotland 12 Clusters of Tech Scotland 12 13 Cyan Forensics Adarma 7 Elements We’re a pioneer in the cyber industry, with one of the most advanced cyber security education programmes in the world - the first Ethical Hacking degree in the world was offered at Abertay University, and over 70% of Scotland’s universities now offering cyber security courses. We have an abundance of highly innovative cyber security companies. with more than 200 cyber security companies either headquartered, or with a presence here. Scotland’s cyber cluster is ideally placed, not only to drive the industry forward, but to assist and provide cyber support to any business requiring cutting-edge, robust cyber security services. www.cyanforensics.com Location: Edinburgh Established: 2016 www.adarma.com Location: Glasgow Established: 2009 www.7elements.co.uk Location: Linlithgow Established: 2010 A spin-out from Edinburgh Napier, Cyan was founded in 2016 by entrepreneur Ian Stevenson and police digital forensic analyst Bruce Ramsay. Cyan Forensics’ tech, described by the Home Office as game- changing, has made impact nationally and internationally to drastically reduce time needed to gain digital forensic evidence to prosecute suspected paedophiles and terrorists. Cyan has now developed Cyan Protect to shield social media, cloud and messaging apps, and works closely with policy makers to impact real change in online harms. Adarma offers a range of products and services to address threat management, data security, and analytics challenges, Monitoring and Analytics Managed SOC Services Threat Assessment and Management Workflow & SOAR Enhanced Protection Vulnerability Management Risk. “Scotland is home to an impressive cyber community. From universities preparing new talent entering the industry to technology leaders and innovators, all supporting the fight against cybercrime as well as many Enterprise organisations that need support to defend themselves against the increasingly volatile cyber threat landscape, several of whom, Adarma are proud to count as customers. Adarma was born in Scotland, our headquarters are in Scotland, and we are proud to be part of the Scottish cyber community.” David Calder, Managing Director at Adarma 7 Elements a CREST accredited, independent IT security testing company providing expertise in technical information assurance through security testing, incident response and consultancy. Offering completely impartial advice, the highly experienced team guides clients through the process, tailoring their service to exact requirements, offering the best and most flexible engagement for businesses. “The tech sector within Scotland has a long history of supporting start-ups through to well established (including globally leading) companies. As a Scottish based, CREST-accredited, cyber security consultancy, and now in our tenth year, we have directly benefitted from the strong community engagement, collaboration and support that are corner stones of how the sector cooperates, regardless of size or specialism. This has without doubt enabled 7 Elements to grow from a start-up to a leading UK consultancy.” Sarah Bullen, Managing Director ““Cyan was born in academic research in Scotland and is built from the fantastic talent pool from universities here. Edinburgh is a great place to live and work, which makes it a great place to recruit, and (normally) it has great transport links to the rest of the UK, Europe and the USA. The entrepreneurial community here contributes to available skills too, and events like EIE help attract investment.” Ian Stevenson, CEO ADARMA WAS NAMED IN THE FINANCIAL TIMES 1000 EUROPE'S FASTEST GROWING COMPANIES REPORT IN 2019 AND 2020, GROWING FROM A START-UP IN 2009 TO OVER 250 STAFF IN 2020. Did you know? Hotspot 2 Cyber 12 Clusters of Tech Scotland 12 Clusters of Tech Scotland 14 15 Urban Tide MaaS is viewed as a dominant force in the future of travel. Driven by technological advances and changes in people’s needs and values, MaaS brings all means of travel, transport providers and payment options together into one single service, giving customers instant/seamless access to all transport modes, from trains and trams to buses and bikes. It also offers significant opportunities in other aspects of smart cities and smart mobility, enabling the harnessing of data from sensors and imaging systems to improve for example air quality and citizen security. With Climate Change presenting new challenges, MaaS is leading the development of zero carbon travel and greener alternatives for our future. www.urbantide.com Location: Glasgow Established: 2014 Our world urgently needs to respond to climate change and growing inequality. Data is a vital ingredient for solving these global challenges, yet organisations don’t maximise its value as data is difficult to process, integrate, and organisations lack the digital skills and AI technology. At UrbanTide, our mission is to create a sustainable world with AI. ““Edinburgh is striving to be the data capital of Europe; that’s why we based UrbanTide here and joined The Bayes Centre in 2018, which is the University of Edinburgh’s innovation hub for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, this provides us with a fantastic facility amongst like-minded companies and academics supporting our journey to make a sustainable world with AI.” Simon Tricker, CEO Third Platform Technologies Miconex www.thirdplatformtechnologies.com Location: Edinburgh Established: 2019 www.mi-cnx.com Location: Perth Established: 2010 Third Platform Technologies are an IoT solutions aggregator, consultancy and managed service provider that focuses on the entire ecosystem of the IoT, starting with the ‘why?’. We envision a world where objects around us are intelligent and connected, transforming how we interact with information and technology - we utilise IoT technologies and data analytics to make our customers’ lives simpler and more effective by delivering enhanced data insights that provide competitive edge. Miconex work with towns and cities across the UK and have pioneered the use of both local currencies and payment-linked loyalty solutions in this sector. We launched the Perth gift card back in 2015 and there are now 30+ live town and city gift cards across the UK. In 2018 we developed and launched Mi Rewards which automatically rewards customers for shopping locally, travelling by bus or walking/cycling in the city. “Miconex have used our home city of Perth as a testing ground for new development. Working with the local business community to co-design our technology and then linking in to Scotland’s support frameworks to help spread the word and expand first nationally and then internationally.” Colin Munro, CEO Hotspot 3 Mobility as a Service (MaaS) 12 Clusters of Tech Scotland 12 Clusters of Tech Scotland 16 17 September North East December Yorkshire & the Humber May East of England June London July South East August South West February Wales November Northern Ireland March West Midlands January North West April East Midlands October Scotland 2020 – 2021 12 months. 12 Clusters. The whole of UK tech. 12 Clusters of Tech Scotland 18
