Entrepreneurship
We want to promote a culture of entrepreneurship that will help to grow and diversify Scotland's business base, while also helping people of all backgrounds to fulfil their potential.
Business
We have encouraged and helped businesses to start up, grow and innovate by:
- investing annually in the Scottish EDGE Fund competition for Scotland's most talented and ambitious early-stage entrepreneurs
- providing funding for the Techscaler Programme which supports founders and employees to accelerate the creation and growth of technology startups
- helping entrepreneurs and businesses emerge and grow through the Ecosystem Fund
- working with Co-operative Development Scotland to promote alternative and progressive business models
- investing in the continuation of Unlocking Ambition - a development fund designed to support young companies that are ready to take steps towards transformational growth
- supporting the Scale Up Scotland programme for businesses on the path to exceptional growth
Youth and education
We are promoting a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship among Scotland's young people and students by:
- nurturing more young entrepreneurs to drive innovation, enterprise and entrepreneurship by further investing in programmes including Pathways Pre‑Start and Scottish EDGE, which increase access into entrepreneurship and widen participation
- supporting the youth enterprise activities of King's Trust Scotland through initiatives such as the First Minister’s Start Up Challenge
- working with the Converge Challenge and Young Enterprise in Scotland to promote collaboration across tertiary education and provide college and university students with a more unified and impactful offering
Female entrepreneurship
In March 2022, Ana Stewart was commissioned by Kate Forbes, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy, to chair an independent review into female entrepreneurship in Scotland. The report of this independent review was published in February 2023.
We strengthened the social and economic impact of tackling the gender gap across start-ups and growth companies through the Women in Enterprise Framework and Action Plan (August 2017) and the related Ministerial-led Action Group.