Strategy at a glance
- Stage: Series A+
- Typical investment: £2m–£8m
- Target total capital: £100m
- University-linked businesses
- Across major innovation sectors
- Part of the Scottish Universities Fund
Strategy overview
For innovative businesses that have successfully moved beyond their earliest stages, securing the capital needed to scale can present a new challenge.
The Accelerator Strategy has been created to help address this gap.
Designed for ambitious university-linked businesses with early to scaling revenues, the Strategy provides growth capital to support their next stage of development. It forms part of the wider Scottish Universities Fund, creating a more connected investment pathway from early commercialisation through to scale.
By supporting businesses with strong growth potential at a critical point in their journey, the Accelerator Strategy aims to help more innovative companies scale successfully while building their long-term future in Scotland.
Why the Accelerator Strategy exists
Scotland's universities have a strong track record of generating innovative companies with the potential to compete in global markets. However, access to the scale of investment required to turn promising businesses into high-growth companies remains a challenge.
The Accelerator Strategy has been developed to strengthen this part of the investment pathway by providing patient follow-on capital to university-linked businesses as they scale.
As part of the wider Fund, the Strategy helps create a more connected route from early commercialisation to growth, supporting Scotland's ambition to generate, scale and retain more world-class companies.
By helping businesses access capital at this stage, the Fund aims to retain more of the economic value created by Scotland's research and innovation and strengthen the country's wider innovation economy.
Who the Strategy is for
The Accelerator Strategy supports businesses with a meaningful connection to one or more Scottish universities that have progressed beyond the earliest stages of development and are ready to scale.
The scope extends beyond university spin-outs to include the wider spectrum of university-linked innovation across Scotland.
The Strategy is designed to support businesses across major innovation sectors, including:
- Health and Life Sciences
- Energy Transition
- Data and Digital Technologies
- Advanced Manufacturing
The focus is on supporting ambitious university-linked companies with the potential to grow and scale.
Investment approach
The Accelerator Strategy focuses on businesses from Series A onwards, supporting companies with early to scaling revenues.
Investment will typically range from £2 million to £8 million, with flexibility to make investments below or above this range where appropriate within the parameters of the Strategy.
Up to £50 million of Bank capital is allocated to the Accelerator Strategy, with a target total capital of £100 million.
The Strategy will initially be delivered through the Bank's balance sheet while the Fund develops the structures required to enable future partnerships and attract additional third-party capital.
As part of the Scottish Universities Fund, the Accelerator Strategy complements the earlier-stage Ignition Strategy and the Business Growth Support available to portfolio companies. Together, these components are designed to create a more connected investment pathway from early commercialisation through to scale.
