ABERDEEN-based tech firm Xergy Group has been awarded £300,000 for its Proteus platform as part of a funding package for innovative start-up businesses.
Grant and investment funding of almost £25 million has been committed to 90 innovative, early-stage businesses in Scotland whose growth ambitions were impacted by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
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The awards have been made via the Early Stage Growth Challenge Fund, part of a £38m package of early-stage support announced by the Scottish Government in July.
Proteus is a cloud-based work management system that allows companies to find the right people for projects as and when they are needed.
Niger Filer, Xergy Group chief operating officer, said: “As a start-up business the support provided by the Early Stage Growth Challenge Fund is invaluable in helping to make up for delayed revenues and allow us to continue to evolve our software platform and execute our sales and marketing plan to take our Proteus platform to market.”
The fund, managed by Scottish Enterprise (SE), was established to help Scotland’s most promising emerging businesses continue to innovate through the pandemic.
Fiona Hyslop, economy secretary, said: “The energy and ideas of Scotland’s entrepreneurs and innovators have always fuelled the nation’s economic growth, creating high-value jobs and accelerating international investment in Scotland.
“However, we recognise that these businesses are not immune to the impact of the pandemic. Many are facing a challenging investment market which restricts their ability to grow, innovate and compete internationally.
“Our investment of £38 million will provide young and innovative businesses in some of our most exciting emerging sectors, such as life sciences, digital technologies and space, with the most comprehensive and generous support available anywhere in the UK.”
Linda Hannah, Scottish Enterprise Interim chief executive officer, said: “There was concern among Scotland’s early-stage ecosystem that the coronavirus pandemic would cause investment levels to reduce dramatically, potentially wiping out a generation of Scotland’s up-and-coming businesses.
“The creation of the early-stage support package, developed by Scottish Enterprise on behalf of the Scottish Government, has proved to be an important intervention.
“Through the Early Stage Growth Challenge Fund, we’ve been able to provide several of Scotland’s most pioneering young companies with the financial support necessary to overcome obstacles to growth created by covid-19.”
