Powering startups in sustainability and medicine

Written by Charlotte Keeley, Programme Manager for Greentech Futures, Medtech, Healthtech Bridge and Cyber Bridge

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) has supported two CodeBase programmes over the last two years.  Edinburgh Greentech Futures and Edinburgh Medtech Forums support and nurture early-stage startups in the sustainability and medical technology sectors. These initiatives aim to build thriving communities of entrepreneurs, providing them with the knowledge, resources and connections they need to succeed.

What is a startup?

At its core, a tech startup is an early-stage digital business aiming to disrupt the status quo through the development of a software product. Think about Airbnb or Skyscanner for a second: they started as tools built to solve a problem and look at them now. You probably can’t remember a time without them and have used them at least once before.

Building a greener tomorrow

Edinburgh Greentech Futures brings together a community of like-minded individuals who are passionate about greentech, offering a platform for learning, collaboration and growth. Participants take part in community meetups, hackathons, and an education programme designed to upskill founders and share startup building best practices. In its first year, the programme delivered 10 education sessions and 6 community meetups, supporting a cohort of 22 startup founders and 91 event attendees, and this is currently increasing as the programme runs for a second year.

The programme offers practical insights into building a startup, with topics such as market segmentation, customer discovery and product development. Importantly, it also shines a spotlight on founders in the greentech space, offering visibility and opportunities for collaboration. In the first year alone, 66 startups benefitted from the programme and raised over £11 million of investment.

One success story is Ceri Shaw, a CodeClan graduate who participated to explore opportunities in the sector, Ceri said of the programme: “[it was an] excellent programme, it challenged me to think of my own ideas in the greentech space and helped me make some good connections and am now a cofounder on a greentech startup. I have now been accepted onto the Carbon13 accelerator which I hadn’t even heard of before."

With 26 participants enrolled on the current programme which started in October 2024, the future is bright for Edinburgh’s greentech scene. The sessions will blend online and in-person engagement, making them accessible to a wider audience while fostering personal connections with the local community, and encouraging new startups solving some of the world’s biggest challenges.

Advancing healthcare innovation

While Edinburgh Greentech Futures focuses on environmental sustainability, Edinburgh Medtech forums brought together healthcare entrepreneurs and professionals to drive innovation in medical technology. The monthly meetups created a dynamic space for medtech founders, clinical experts and investors, to share knowledge, collaborate and identify investment opportunities.

The programme’s first year included 6 meetups, with 118 attendees from across 88 businesses, which have raised over £22 million of investment collectively. The success of these meetups highlights the importance of community in driving medtech innovation, where collaboration can often lead to breakthroughs that improve patient care and medical outcomes.

Anne Moore, COO of Prothea Technologies, attended the forums and found the experience invaluable. Prothea, which is developing a solution for lung cancer biopsy and treatment, raised €12 million in a series A funding round in April 2024.  A “series A” funding round follows the initial seed funding and is the next stage of investment as the business begins to grow. Anna shared, “[The forums have been] just the right mix of information and networking, whether it's hearing inspiring stories and learnings from people who are further along the journey or simply comparing notes (and war wounds!) with people at a similar stage in the process. It's also been great having the events at different times of the day as it gives you a chance to step away from the coal-face and think about the broader picture.”

Looking ahead

Together, these programmes have made a significant impact on the local startup ecosystem, with 134 enterprises taking part, who have raised over £33 million of investment in total. The programmes are set to continue building Edinburgh’s reputation as an innovation centre.  To learn more, you can visit the CodeBase website here.