Scotland is one the largest financial centres in the UK, and tech has played a big part in that in the 21st century.
In 2021, the Edinburgh tech sector, according to Accenture’s UK Tech Talent Tracker, saw a 51% growth in job openings, the highest in the nation. This year also saw the Scottish tech scene raise a record £446 million. In that tech sector, data is a major driver of that growth.
Scotland has been focusing on data for some time, with the region promoting data centre growth since at least 2016.
As usual, the below firms are just a sampling of the dozens of startups and established names in the data field who call Scotland home.
Aridhia
Hailing from Glasgow, Aridhia got its start in 2007 and is focused on providing healthcare researchers a cloud-enabled platform to conduct research in.
It has an impressive collection of current and former customers, including the University of Glasgow, the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford, NHS England and NHS Scotland.
In April, healthtech firm Agilisys partnered with Aridhia to aid in research for the Royal Marsden NHS Trust. The company announced a partnership with synthetic data company Replica Analytics to integrate Replica’s data synthesis solution into its platform in May 2021.
Bellrock Technology
Spinning out of the University of Strathclyde in 2012, Bellrock’s SaaS solution Lumen allows companies to automate tasks and offers other data management options.
In mid-2020, the company welcomed a new chairman and additional funding which set it up for a huge expansion. It also took home the Innovation Award at the 2021 Made in Scotland Awards.
Most recently, however, Bellrock announced a partnership with the UK’s Angel Trains to help better manage the rail company’s data and that of Angel’s customers.
Forth Point
Coined by Klaus Schwab, the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution or Industry 4.0 promised a great many things to industry. This Edinburgh-based startup is attempting to use its data science expertise to help companies achieve the lofty ambitions of Industry 4.0, by making production faster and more efficient than ever.
The company is very young, less than a year old, but the consultancy, data and platform-managed services on offer are enticing.
In September 2021, the company announced a partnership with AI-driven software company Sisense which will allow it to utilise Sisense’s AI analytics platform. It has also maintained a close relationship with Boston analytics firm Starburst.
Legado
Just as important as data science and analytics is secure data storage. Legado’s digital vault platform allows companies the opportunity to, hopefully, keep their customers’ data safe, as well as their own with minimal resource expenditure.
The young company initially offered a limited-but-free version of the service for an extended period of time before a £600,000 in funding allowed it to properly launch in 2020.
In October 2021, the company announced a partnership with money management software entity Moneyhub to provide the vault platform to Moneyhub’s customers.
MarktoMarket
Data companies come in many forms, but market analytics can be one of the most valuable to their clients.
Edinburgh’s MarktoMarket is aiming to be one of the leaders in the market analytics sector with its platform and associated solutions. Its main purpose is to, essentially, link UK M&A advisers and investors with a database of private market intelligence.
In 2019, the company received £1.7 million in funding to further expand its efforts. The company has kept busy with its monthly Valuation Barometers which analyse a number of mergers and acquisitions throughout the UK.
SICCAR
Blockchain has mostly been used for cryptocurrency, but the technology has a number of other useful applications. Edinburgh’s SICCAR hopes to spotlight one of these applications through its “blockchain-based enterprise data sharing platform”.
Previously known as Wallet Services, the young firm has seen a number of early successes. Last year, it received £1.3 million in funding to help feed its expansion. In early November 2021, it joined TechMarketView’s Innovation Partner Programme.
Most recently, the company obtained certification to the ISO 9001 Quality Management Standard.
Trace Data & Privacy
Trace’s mission is to make data governance easier than ever. Privacy and security are at the heart of its data management platform, and the firm believes it can be utilised in a variety of fields, including tech, medical, academic, legal and financial services.
According to Trace, its SaaS platform powers data audit, information governance, risk management and on demand compliance toolkit.
The company counts the University of Edinburgh, Microsoft Azure, Telefónica and the World Wildlife Foundation among its partners/clients.
The young firm also has an office in London.
Check out the previous feature – ‘Seven Cybersecurity Companies in Scotland to Watch’ – here.
