Moonshot Academy unveils law firm Harper Macleod as first Scottish partner

Moonshot Academy is the first accelerator to provide a ‘partner for life’ approach to working with growing businesses.

Created by CEO Al Walker, Entrepreneurial Spark founder Jim Duffy, and former Big Partnership director Sharon Mars, it has been developed to solve the problem of high-potential start-up and early-stage enterprises failing to reach scale after securing seed investment.

Harper Macleod, which is renowned for its work with startup and high-growth companies, becomes Moonshot’s first corporate partner in Scotland and will add its expertise to the leadership team and the Academy businesses.

The firm has a strong track record advising clients in this arena, as well as assisting Glasgow City Council in advising SMEs through its Business Growth Framework and being the Official Legal Partner of Entrepreneurial Spark in Scotland.

Harper Macleod’s specialists will advise on all legal aspects, from company structures to intellectual property, ensuring Moonshot Academy businesses are credible, investable and sustainable - able to meet the challenges and take on the opportunities that come with rapid growth.

Speaking at the launch of the partnership in Harper Macleod’s Edinburgh offices, Harper Macleod chief executive Martin Darroch, said: “We are excited to be part of Moonshot Academy, which could be the ‘missing link’ in the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

“In recent years, everyone has recognised the problem of getting businesses to scale sustainably- either through failing to secure investment, optimising on returns or pre-scaling the business. Moonshot Academy bridges that gap by creating the solution, one that recognises the need for a long-term vision and relationship. We pride ourselves on partnering with clients from startup through to a successful exit, adding value to them at every stage of that journey, and we look forward to using our experience and know-how to help Moonshot businesses achieve their goals.”

Al Walker, CEO and co-founder of Moonshot Academy, said: “It’s important that we are able to provide access to specialist support for the businesses we work with. Having a strong working relationship with Harper Macleod in Scotland gives our businesses a no-obligation route to first class legal advice tailored to their specific needs at each stage of growth.”

Moonshot does not charge an upfront fee but instead takes a performance-related option in the firms it works with so it only profits when a business achieves its goals. It is accepting a maximum of 12 additional businesses onto its programme between now and Christmas to ensure each startup founder receives valuable, customised support.