Scottish Internet of Things accelerator gets backing from US tech giants including Intel

A programme designed to produce Scottish Internet of Things (IoT) companies capable of scaling and competing on a global level has secured backing from some of the US’s largest tech businesses.

Filament STAC has received the backing for its IoT accelerator programme that launched at Skypark in Glasgow in October.

San Francisco-headquartered customer engagement platform Twilio, manufacturing, supply chain and aftermarket services specialist Plexus Corp, chip maker Intel Corporation, test and measurement company Keysight and electronics group Arrow Electronics are among the global tech brands supporting the initiative.

Filament STAC was launched as an industry-government partnership aimed at producing Scottish IoT companies capable of scaling rapidly. It has a three-year target to create more than 25 IoT companies supporting around 750 jobs, reporting revenue in the region of £750 million, and cohort companies raising investment in excess of £100m.

Paul Wilson, Gregor Aikman, and Evelyn McDonald of the Smart Things Accelerator Centre. Picture: Stewart Attwood

Chief executive Paul Wilson said: “It is a testament not only to our own ambitions for STAC, but more importantly for tech groups of the stature of Twilio, Plexus Corp, Intel, Keysight and Arrow to believe in our mission and get behind the plan to build globally competitive IoT companies from a base in Scotland.

“Companies whose products are engineered and made in Scotland, with access to industry leaders’ support from individuals and companies alike. Essentially, we are creating an IoT tech cluster here in Scotland.”

He added: “Having Twilio as a Filament STAC partner will support our cohort to develop industry-leading products.”

Filament STAC is also supported by Scottish Enterprise, Censis (Scotland’s Innovation Centre for sensing, imaging and IoT technologies), and Glasgow-headquartered product design firm Filament. Local partners in Scotland include Anderson Anderson & Brown, Burness Paull, Scintilla, Arceptive, Soben, Integrated Graphene and Beringar

The companies in Filament STAC’s first cohort are: Acu-Flow (trading as Nebu-Flow), Lupovis, Gibson Robotics, Toto Sleep, Lynkeos, Radisoft, WashR, Jirasoft, BGR; 5G3i, Fyne Labs and Soltropy.

Angela Forbes, IoT account executive, UK and Ireland, Twilio, said: “We are really looking forward to supporting all the great work Filament STAC is doing to support local startups on their journey to becoming tomorrow’s best known brands.”

Ronnie Darroch, executive vice president and regional president for EMEA at Plexus Corp, and non-executive chairman of STAC, said: “We are delighted to be involved in STAC as Scotland is renowned for its contributions to entrepreneurialism and innovation. We look forward to providing support for the next generation of innovators and disruptors that will create the products that build a better world.”

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.

Filament STAC is running the 18-month programme, which commenced at Skypark 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.

Wilson added: “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.”

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