Techscaler Programme 2022-2024: early evaluation - executive summary

Background

This evaluation summary

This executive summary report presents the high-level findings from the independent early evaluation of the Techscaler Programme which is the Scottish Government’s flagship, transformational programme for creating, developing, and scaling digital technology (tech)^[1] startups in Scotland. The evaluation was undertaken between January and December 2025.

Following an open, competitive procurement exercise undertaken by the Scottish Government, CodeBase was identified as the programme’s preferred delivery partner for the Techscaler Programme.

Research aims and scope

This early evaluation covers the period from procurement of the Techscaler Programme contract to the mobilisation period as well as the first two full years of programme delivery — the period from July 2022 to December 2024.

The aims of the early evaluation of the Techscaler Programme were to:

• undertake a process evaluation^[2].
• undertake an early indicative impact^[3] assessment in relation to emerging and intermediate outcomes achieved (for example, emerging and intermediate capabilities within supported individuals and companies, and across the ecosystem).
• identify lessons learned of Techscaler Programme delivery experience to date to facilitate continuous improvement in terms of implementation and delivery.
• provide recommendations as appropriate.

This early evaluation is the first stage of a longer-term evaluation programme which is being developed by the Scottish Government to measure the programme’s outcomes and impact, and to assess ‘harder’ quantifiable economic impacts.

At the time of the evaluation, the Techscaler Programme entered its third year of delivery and CodeBase continues to refine, develop, and improve programme processes and support in line with Scottish Government and user feedback as well as market trends. This evaluation report has not considered the changes introduced beyond December 2024 in line with the agreed time period for this early evaluation.

Study methodology

The evaluation methodology comprised wide ranging secondary and primary research, see Appendix A. The secondary desk research element included a review of existing information and data. This spanned a review of Techscaler Programme documentation and data provided by both the Scottish Government and CodeBase (for example, specification, bid and contract documents, quarterly reports, etc.), and a review of published strategy and research documents.

In addition to initial scoping interviews with representatives from the Scottish Government, CodeBase (staff) and enterprise agencies, the wider primary research stage was designed to combine approaches that would help to ensure breadth and depth of coverage and to capture the views and experiences of the programme’s:

• members and founders — that is, end-beneficiaries of the programme’s support.
• stakeholders and partners, including for example, CodeBase board members, local government, universities, funders and investors, innovation centres/innovation-related organisations, startup and scaleup accelerators.
• mentors.

In relation to the impact assessment element of the early evaluation it is acknowledged (and supported by wider evidence in the literature on ecosystem support) that it will take time for the Techscaler Programme to translate into quantifiable economic impacts — recognising the lead-in time for genuine transformation in the company base and ecosystem will take years. The focus of this early evaluation has been on the extent to which the support provided is building the capabilities and expertise of entrepreneurs and what improvements can be made to how the support is provided and on how the programme is administered.

Scottish Technology Ecosystem Review

The independent Scottish Technology Ecosystem Review (STER, August 2020) was commissioned by the Scottish Government to better understand the nature and extent of blockages and challenges that exist in the tech ecosystem in Scotland. STER’s main observation was that technology ecosystems exist in either the ‘post-tipping point’ (the preferred state) or ‘pre-tipping point’ state.

While Scotland’s technology ecosystem is the strongest it has ever been, it remains in a pre-tipping point state.

The ‘post-tipping point’ state is characterised by a critical mass of viable startups and scaleups to continually strengthen the ecosystem without requirement for state intervention.

The recommendations in STER seek to optimise the rate at which large scaleup are achieved, as well as to create other successful companies of scale along the way, see Figure 1.

Figure 1 is a process flow showing stages of company growth:

Pre‑start‑up, Start‑up, Small Scale‑up, and Large Scale‑up, followed by Ecosystem Output.

An arrow beneath the Start‑up stage indicates “Make intervention here,” and a second arrow beside Ecosystem Output indicates “Assess impact here.”

Source: STER, 2020

The origins of the Techscaler Programme stem from STER’s central recommendation that Scotland should:

“Create a nationwide network of Tech-Scaler centres…whose capabilities build upon and extend beyond traditional incubation programmes. Tech-Scalers combine best practice in incubation, intensive founder education in Internet Economy best practice, ecosystem social infrastructure, and integrated funding.”

The overall goal is to help increase the rate of profitable, scaled tech businesses, and reduce the average time taken for viable individual startups to reach scale — the theory is that building startups is teachable, and that being ‘playbook-literate’ can help communicate and build ideas better, and faster.

STER recommended:

“At least a five-year contract window (with appropriate exit clauses for non-performance), based on a combination of key build-out milestones, occupancy milestones and performance against an ecosystem-value-based north-star metric with associated target levels. This timescale provides a sufficient period for the model and implementation to demonstrate its value to the ecosystem and aligns the measurement of that value with the point in the ecosystem where the value is manifested.”

The Scottish Government, in its formal response (September 2020) to the technology review, accepted the STER recommendations in full. See Building the next generation of start-ups – Scottish Government news release.

The Techscaler Programme

Techscaler is a free national membership programme — it is open to anyone in Scotland working in startups who are at all stages of the startup journey, from ideation through to scaling, and with ambitions to grow the business.

Techscaler vision, ambition, mission, and method

• Vision: Scotland is recognised as Europe’s leading startup economy
• Ambition: The Scottish ecosystem reaches tipping point and generates positive economic output
• Mission: Increase the number of successful tech startups from a diverse group of founders
• Method: Deliver a programme which supports founders and employees to accelerate the creation and growth of tech startups

The Scottish Government’s specification for the procurement of the Techscaler Programme identified seven broad objectives, based on the STER recommendations, to guide programme delivery.

1. Contribute, over time, to a sustained increase in the rate of profitable, scaled technology businesses generated by the Scottish tech ecosystem.
2. Create, for the first time, a truly world-class national infrastructure to co-locate, educate, and scale technology companies.
3. Provide technology companies with free access to first-rate commercial education in internet economy growth techniques and related disciplines.
4. Provide technology companies with access to high-quality, long-term, flexible, and affordable incubation space.
5. Support the creation of a world-class community and market square environment - facilitating collaboration, networking, and the exchange of ideas.
6. Provide full virtual access to commercial education and community events for technology companies unable to physically co-locate.
7. Provide a clear focal point for the Scottish tech ecosystem and to create a scaled, expert partner to collaborate with the broader STER programme to establish Scotland as a first-rate European tech hub.

The Scottish Government purposefully designed the specification for delivery of the Techscaler Programme and its objectives to be broad. This was with a view to inviting bidders to:

• provide their own vision for the service.
• encourage innovation in service delivery.
• ensure sufficient flexibility within the Services Contract for the Scottish Government’s Techscaler Programme delivery partner to continue to evolve how, and what, is delivered through the programme in response to changing needs and circumstances and based on experimentation and learning — but within the parameters of the Techscaler Programme objectives.

To deliver against the specified programme objectives, the Techscaler Programme in the first two years of delivery has provided eligible members with access to a range of activities and support under three broad pillars. This has included support to:

1. Build core startup and scaleup skills — the Techscaler Programme provides Scottish entrepreneurs with access to expert-led education courses and mentorship sessions which provide founders with the practical playbooks, frameworks, and tools needed to launch and grow their business. STER notes that education is important since pre-tipping point ecosystems such as Scotland will typically lack a critical mass of experienced founders and senior employees — ‘since we are short on experience we must go long on education.’

2. Foster social infrastructure development — the Techscaler Programme nurtures a supportive community which supports founders and their teams to make valuable connections, explore collaborative opportunities, and find relevant support from ecosystem builders and experts.

3. Increase investor connectivity and internationalisation — the Techscaler Programme fosters actionable connections with investors, creating accessible funding pathways for high potential companies and offers global opportunities through international residencies.

The Techscaler Programme is a national endeavour and has a focus on people — it invests in founders and their teams to provide the right support and environments to help reach their potential.