A hundred early stage tech founders are preparing for a 10-week ‘catalyst accelerator’ which kicked off this week and runs to 4th December across Scotland.
The Catalyst accelerator is led by entrepreneurs and industry experts, with the aim of giving founders the tools to refine their product, understand their market, win customers, and secure investment. It is taking place in seven regional hubs run by Techscaler, the Scottish Government’s programme to boost startup activity in Scotland run by CodeBase.
The Catalyst accelerator – which is the next iteration of Techscaler’s earlier ‘First Steps’ and ‘Next Steps’ cohorts – includes hybrid workshops, the use of coworking spaces, engagement from visiting entrepreneurs, hackathons, and partner drop-ins covering everything from legal support to grant funding.
Natalie Hotchkiss, head of early growth acceleration programmes at CodeBase, said: “Through Techscaler, we continue to focus on two main areas – helping to create more high-quality tech startups, and supporting fast-growth companies to scale quicker. Catalyst addresses the first priority while also serving as a way to identify and accelerate high-potential companies. We recognise that there are different approaches to building a startup depending on ambition, and we aim to support founders regardless of their vision of success.”
She added: “Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, the new offering focuses on three primary areas – refining founder’s ideas and exploring possible pivots, building sustainability and validating traction, and advising around gearing up for venture funding and scale.”
Shuli Yu, Founder of Yush, a mobile-first platform that turns live audience emojis, photos, and comments into actionable insights, and a Techscaler Catalyst alumnus, said: “Having moved to Edinburgh from London six months ago, Techscaler has been such an integral part of helping me and Yush get situated within the Scottish startup ecosystem. Having regular, in-person sessions was tremendously helpful. I met a truly supportive group of other founders by going to workshops and felt that the mentors really got to know me and Yush and gave invaluable advice.
Now in its third year, Techscaler is aimed at creating, developing, and scaling tech startups. The programme supports over 1,000 startups, with member companies having raised almost £120 million during its first two years of operation.
