The latest cohort of companies to join the STAC includes a 50% female-founder representation, outstripping the overall total of female founders in cohort three which stands at 42%.

This trend of gender equality is supported by STAC CEO, Paul Wilson, who says that fostering more female entrepreneurship not only promotes equality but can also drive economic progress, particularly in the tech industry. He cites the Stewart Report, which highlights the potential for women to be a vital driving force in the national economy.

The companies to join STAC’s third cohort are: Claymore Surgical, DragonFlai, Happy Leaf, Lo.Works, Nano-lit, Neuranics, Prioto, Recoil Kneepads, Rigpa, SenseCity, Sequentrics, Silver Lion, Smplicare, SynSense, Tyre Runner, and Whitehaul. The companies are developing B2B and B2C technologies across multiple industry sectors including healthcare, energy, transport, housing, construction, and engineering.

Maggie Hicks, co-founder of SynSense, developing technology to monitor the health of athletes, said: “The in-depth training and mentoring STAC offers is exciting for us, not only in terms of how much our business will develop, but also how it will support our growth as people and leaders.”

Mr Wilson added: “We have already seen success and strong outcomes from our first two cohorts, with companies now actively employing in Scotland’s IoT sector, and we’re excited to support and chart the progress of our latest cohort.”

In 2023 alone, STAC has launched ‘STAC Space’, ‘STAC Jobs’, and ‘STAC Invest’. These initiatives are designed to enhance the international IoT ecosystem in Scotland. ‘STAC Space’ is a new facility at Skypark, Glasgow, boasting 250 desks and labs. ‘STAC Jobs’, an IoT recruitment platform, was developed in collaboration with Jordan Talent Solutions. Lastly, ‘STAC Invest’ is an online platform established in partnership with Murphy Wealth. It aims to showcase high potential IoT and smart devices startups to both local and international investors.

Every partnership forged by STAC, according to Mr Wilson, aims to support their companies and grow the IoT ecosystem. He anticipates more partnership announcements in the coming weeks and months.