A new government partnership with a private sector economic growth ‘catalyst’ and an entrepreneurial training organisation is aiming to help 10 companies in the North East of Scotland scale internationally.
Scottish Enterprise – the state-backed economic development agency – is working with Opportunity North East, funded by the oil magnate Sir Ian Wood, on a new scheme to help ‘ambitious’, the high-growth potential firms to expand.
They have signed up to work with Grand Scale – a specialist entrepreneurial training organisation which helps research and tech-based companies to ‘commercialise, launch and accelerate growth’.
A nine-week programme focusing on international market entry, accelerated business growth and securing investment was launched at the ONE BioHub innovation hub in Aberdeen on Tuesday.
Jennifer Craw MBE, CEO of ONE, said: “ONE and Scottish Enterprise share a focus on entrepreneurship and innovation to drive economic diversification and growth. This programme gives founders and their leadership teams the tools, insights and confidence to develop and implement international go-to-market strategies successfully.
“It leverages the proven experience of the team at Grand Scale in supporting businesses to define customer value propositions and develop practical marketing and sales plans, and we look forward to supporting the cohort on this journey.”
Leah Pape, head of high growth services, Scottish Enterprise, said: “We are delighted to partner with ONE and Grand Scale to provide this exciting opportunity for Scottish High Growth businesses to access skills and networks necessary to achieve the next stage of international growth. We look forward to seeing the impact of the programme.”
Roisin Garland, Grand Scale co-founder and director said: “At Grand Scale, we are passionate about empowering ambitious founders and leaders of innovation businesses to be bold and make their presence felt internationally. We’re proud to collaborate with ONE and Scottish Enterprise to deliver Grand Scale Kickstart for Growth – a proven, intensive and results-orientated programme that accelerates entrepreneurial success and supports a thriving ecosystem for high-growth businesses across the north east of Scotland.”
The pilot Grand Scale Kickstart for Growth programme deepens the skills of founders and team members to develop their go-to-market strategy and refine their products for target customers. It uses a hybrid model of in-person workshops, online training and mentorship, and creates a peer community.
The ten companies on the programme are drawn from a diverse range of sectors in the north east and across Scotland, from digital technology, biotechnology and health technology to food and drink manufacturing.
The programme is a collaboration between ONE and Scottish Enterprise and forms part of wider action and investment led by ONE to build the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.