'Internet of things' accelerator aims to catapult Scotland's most innovative firms onto world stage

A business developing “counter-drones” and a new venture that produces wearable devices to help babies sleep are among the first cohort of companies selected for a tech accelerator programme.

Left to right: Joe Gibson (Gibson Robotics), Lesley Thomson (WashR), Paul Wilson (STAC), Gregor Aikman (STAC), Victoria Fullarton (Toto Sleep) and Scott Whitelaw (WashR). Picture: Stewart Attwood

Filament STAC, Scotland’s first Smart Things Accelerator Centre, is running the 18-month programme, which commences at Skypark in Glasgow on October 11.

The initial cohort also features a start-up whose technology can predict when boilers are going to break down and a solar energy specialist helping farmers heat their water supplies for free.

Filament STAC was launched in August as an industry-government partnership aimed at producing Scottish internet of things (IoT) companies capable of scaling and competing on a global level.

There is a three-year target to create more than 25 IoT businesses supporting around 750 jobs, reporting collective revenue in the region of £750 million, and cohort companies raising investment in excess of £100m.

The initiative is supported by Scottish Enterprise, Censis (Scotland’s Innovation Centre for sensing, imaging and IoT technologies), Glasgow-headquartered product design firm Filament, and Plexus Corp, a global leader in complex design, manufacturing, supply chain and aftermarket services.

Paul Wilson, chief executive of Filament STAC, said: “We always knew there was great early stage technology talent in Scotland’s IoT space, and that’s been borne out in the companies we’ve been able to select for this first cohort.

“Our aim is quite clear, we want these companies to become globally competitive within two years, capable of exporting across the world and stacking up against the best players in their respective markets.”

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