5 Scottish Tech Stories Worth Reading About

A recent report claimed the Digital Technology sector in Scotland is forecast to grow twice as fast as the Scottish economy overall from now till 2024.

That’s a huge growth, and one that’s already telling a story of the digital transformation taking place in businesses across Scotland. The report by Skills Development Scotland and Digital Technologies Skills Group also shared that the number of tech businesses across Scotland rose by 53% – that’s almost three times as fast as businesses across Scotland as a whole.

It’s no wonder then that events such as the Turing Fest bring people with fresh ideas to Scotland and why it’s important to keep sharing stories of the great Tech developments that come out of it.

What are some of the noteworthy tech stories of Scotland?

#1 We’re passionate about health

Over 10% of new start-ups now classify themselves in the health technology space according to the Scottish Start-up Survey. These startups are solving problems that exist in processes, challenges faced by healthcare professionals, and experienced by patients. They’re incorporating AI, the IoT, mobile technology and intelligent software to make this happen. Snap40 is a great example of this, using AI to prioritise patients who need care the most. Another is Organised Health Technologies, that uses machine learning and robotics to help pharmacies dispense medicines.

Mobile technology is also being used by health giants NHS to transform how they approach health incentives. In a recent project, our team at Zudu worked with the NHS to engage 16 – 24 year olds and educate them on sexual health. Through gamification, we were able to capture activity in an educational mobile app that offered crowdsourced advice and let them find the nearest free condoms.

#2 We’re a good place to develop your digital skills (we really need them)

Over 60,000 people are employed in tech businesses across Scotland and the top areas of employment are Glasgow, Edinburgh and West Lothian. “Filling our digital skills gap will be key to to our economic growth. While the demand for people with software development skills is growing, the number of those entering into this area of study is at best stagnating and in some places actually dropping,” – Simon Hewitt, Head of Creative Industries, D&A College.

It’s also key to note that women remain underrepresented in the tech sector, making up 19% of the overall workforce. In terms of building the skills gap, academies like CodeClan and incubators such as Codebase in Edinburgh are essential. And, here in Dundee, it’s why we’ve partnered with the Dundee and Angus Code Academy.

#3 We are becoming the land of unicorns

This was the year that Skyscanner and FanDuel became ‘Unicorns’ by breaking through the billion dollar valuation mark. And hopefully, there’s more to come out of Scotland. In a recent article by Analyst Nick Freer mentioned many more tech startups that were noteworthy in their success; MindMate, Two Big Ears and Float are just a few of them. Furthermore, Scotland is attracting investment from abroad, putting us on the global startup spotlight.

#4 We have our eyes set on Blockchain technology

With the surge in tech industry comes another surge, this time in blockchain technology. One of the key players is SCOTEX, the blockchain powered stock exchange that is expected to launch this year. It’s an area we’re familiar with, and our recent blog highlighted how this market is expected to reach $7.74 Billion by 2024. It’s a tremendous opportunity for businesses in Scotland to learn about blockchain and become part of the growth predicted in the next years.   

#5 Businesses across the sectors are harnessing the benefits of tech

Technology is transforming the way humans live and are interacting with businesses. It’s only natural that businesses in turn are changing the way they engage their consumers – and tech is playing a big part in how they’re doing this. By using tech to drive innovation in their industry they’re strengthening their position and are becoming more competitive as a result.

According to a report by Econsultancy, the insurance sector is one that’s predicted to modernise the most. But it’s not the only one. Businesses are adopting digital methods that don’t just incorporate websites, but mobile technology, software and AI to transform their services. But, getting back to the insurance and risk sector, Assessed Risk is an example of how a business changed the way it approached its service delivery through tech. The business utilised app technology to support their customers in protecting their staff from the risk of fire.

Zudu is a local Scottish startup that has supported diverse businesses in their business goals. If you’d like to reach us for a quick chat, you can get in touch here.