Projects are being rolled out across the country to help more women and people from under-represented groups start their own businesses.
Fourteen organisations will share more than £1 million of funding from the Scottish Government’s Pathways Pre-Start Fund to deliver a range of initiatives providing practical support ranging from workshops to care vouchers.
The latest grants form part of a total £6 million Scottish Government investment in 2025-26 to expand the range of people running their own business and help make Scotland one of the most entrepreneur-friendly locations places in Europe.
Projects include:
- Entrepreneurs Pathways Lab, a six-month entrepreneurship incubator in Govan, Glasgow. It will support ethnic minority women with tailored business development training, mentorship and access to co-working spaces
- Spark the Connection Roadshow, will deliver hands-on workshops, networking and regional roadshows to support aspiring entrepreneurs in Aberdeen, Inverness, Dumfries, Melrose, Glasgow and Perth.
- Bold Beginnings, will help more than 100 women in the Wester Hailes and Muirhouse areas of Edinburgh to explore entrepreneurship with coaching, care and travel vouchers and seed funding
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“The Scottish Government is focused on fostering Scotland’s spirit of innovation to create jobs and drive economic growth,” deputy first minister Kate Forbes said.
“According to the latest Technation report, we are the fastest growing start-up economy in the UK by far and one of the fastest growing in Europe.
“By providing the conditions and means for people to launch and develop a businesses, whatever their background or circumstances, we are seeing start-up rates reach record levels.
“The projects being funding today get to the heart of tackling under-representation in our start-up community and help ensure we break down barriers for anyone with entrepreneurial talent.”
The successful projects are:
- Scottish Asian Business Chamber: Stirlingshire BAME Business Infrastructure Project- grant up to £40,900
- Spark: What If Craigshill – unlocking the enterprise potential of a community- grant up to £84,215
- The King’s Trust: Enterprise for All – grant up to £74,596
- Together Reaching Higher CIC: Entrepreneurs Pathways Lab – grant up to £84,195
- PeoplePlus Group Ltd: Supporting Women in Enterprise – grant up to £82,724
- Rebel Business School & Ziyx Scotland: Rebel Business School – grant up to £111,500
- City of Edinburgh Council and Business Gateway Edinburgh: Bold Beginnings – grant up to £121,864.30
- East Ayrshire Council: Step Up: Women’s Enterprise Pathway- grant up to £101,000
- West College Scotland: Art of Enterprise- grant up to £22,520
- The Melting Pot: Enterprise in Place – grant up to £127,400
- 17 Points Limited: Spark the Connection Roadshow – grant up to £73,345
- Social Enterprise Academy: Place-Based Support for Underrepresented Entrepreneurs in Highland & Eilean Siar- grant up to £55,37
- Scotpreneur: Mostly Arsed – An engaging, self-help learning programme for people curious about self-employment but unsure where to start – grant up to £38,728
- Stirling Enterprise Park (STEP): FeMade -Turning Female Ideas into Impact- grant up to £147,370
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