A delegation of start-up tech companies will have the chance to secure orders and build contacts under an expansion of the Techscaler International programme.
Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes has announced that the programme’s first visit to the east coast of the United States will take place this year, alongside trips to Asia and California’s Silicon Valley.
Each will involve a small number of growth-stage companies which are best placed to secure contracts, investment and commercial traction.
A full calendar of events has been developed to help business founders plan their approach to international engagement. They include: Japan (April), New York and New Jersey (June), Silicon Valley (October), Singapore (November), Hong Kong and China (December).
The Deputy First Minister announced the programme during a visit to the Edinburgh offices of Codebase, which manages the Techscaler initiative, to meet business founders who have benefited from previous international trips.
They included Tiny Air co-founder Chris Helson, who secured orders for his company’s pioneering surgical cleaning technology following a visit to Singapore as part of the 2025 programme.
Ms Forbes said: “Techscaler International is about helping open doors for the enormous business talent we have in this country.
“It is always inspiring to hear how those that have taken part in the programme have seized the opportunity to capture new business and take advantage of new international connections.
“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.”
Mr Helson said: “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.”
Co-founder and executive vice chair at CodeBase Steven Drost said: “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.”
The Scottish Government’s £42 million Techscaler programme is a national programme for creating, developing and scaling up tech start-ups delivered by Codebase to support tech start-up companies in Scotland.
The programme had more than 1,400 members as of 2024-25. Applications for Techscaler Japan are open until 23 February. Details of the remaining visits will be announced in due course.
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