David Galletly

"Edinburgh saw an influx of intellectuals in the 18th century," says Kenny Kemp from investment service The City Partnership UK. "This helped establish the city's universities, which form the basis for so many of our startups. It means innovation is in everything we do."

The city is also home to several angel investors. The largest, Archangels, has invested more than £100 million in 80 Scottish companies in the past 25 years. More recently, two of the city's early startups, Skyscanner and FanDuel, have gained unicorn status. "Now, when I visit a client, they understand why we're in Edinburgh," says Mike Mason, CCO at ad-tech startup TVSquared. "It's because there's a pool of talent."


TVSquared

The entire TVSquared team, outside of their office which overlooks Edinburgh castle TVSquared

TVSquared uses algorithms to track TV ads to help firms target audiences.

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Founded 2012

Investment raised £7.4 million

Founders Calum Smeaton, Hew Bruce-Gardyne

PureLiFi

PureLiFi team PureLiFi


LiFi, or light fidelity, is an alternative to Wi-Fi, offering wireless connections through visible light.

Founded 2012

Investment raised £20.25 million

Founders Mostafa Afgani, Harald Haas

Appointedd

Leah Hutcheon, founder Appiontedd

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Appointedd is an online booking tool that acts as a digital PA, handling diary management and letting people book meetings via a company's website or social media account.


Founded 2011

Investment raised £820,000

Founder Leah Hutcheon

Where to go in Edinburgh Where to eat and drink Contini, 103 George St. Brasserie Les Amis, 83 Morrison St. Le Di-Vin, 9 Randolph Place. Thistle Street Bar, 39 Thistle Street Where to stay The Glasshouse. The Bonham Hotel

Topolytics

(l to r) Ben Emson (CTO), Dr Michael Groves (Founder and CEO), Will Egerton-King (COO) and Chris Greening (Chief Developer) Topolytics

Topolytics' real-time environmental monitoring and reporting platform tracks waste management and identifies gas leaks and hazardous material.

Founded 2013

Investment raised Undisclosed amount from one funding round

Founders Will Egerton-King, Michael Groves, Gordon Cowtan


Mallzee

(l-r) Callum Stuart (COO), Jamie Sutherland (CTO) and founder Cally Russell Mallzee

This shopping app for iOS and Android lets almost one million customers buy from 200 brands.

Founded 2012

Investment raised £4 million

Founder Cally Russell