At this year's Startup Summit, held in Edinburgh on October 30th, business leaders came together to discuss the magnitude of opportunities and talent available to entrepreneurs in Scotland.
International speakers, representing industry frontrunners including Google for Startups, Episode 1 Ventures and Imagination Machine, explained that incubators and investors are increasingly turning their sights on locations off the traditional Venture Capitalist track.
Marta Krupinska, Head of Google for Startups UK, articulated to Startup Summit delegates the strength of expertise and investment opportunities in rising entrepreneurial hubs like Scotland.
"There's such a breadth of opportunity and talent here and Scotland – it's just about making sure that we connect those together." - Marta Krupinska
Marta Krupinska, Head of Google for Startups. // Photo by Erika Stevenson
Born in Krakow, Poland, Krupinska moved to London because of its draw as a global hub of opportunity but is now directing her attention to alternative centres across the UK with Google for Startups.
"I have empathy for smaller [entrepreneurship] hubs. I want to contribute to a world where anyone can have the life they want to live. It's not a good life if everyone's in the same square mile!"
As Krupinska explains, it's not just global hubs - economic centres like London and Silicon Valley - that draw talent and investment. As innovators seek out a balanced lifestyle, other cities are becoming more attractive to skilled people and financiers.
"We've got to look outside those global hubs — to countries like Scotland — and that's what Google for Startups is doing."
For Krupinska, connecting skills and opportunities in countries like Scotland is just as much about building representative, diverse and impactful companies much as it is about economic growth.
The shifting geopolitical environment was a common thread across Startup Summit, with many speakers illustrating how entrepreneurs can make a positive impact. As Krupinska points out, profit isn't the only marker of success within this changing environment.
"We can't afford to define success individually. There has to be an element of context. The economy changes, circumstances change and business plans change: but values stay the same," says Krupinska.
Startup Summit returns to Edinburgh in October 2020. Want to be the first to find out about tickets? Pre-register here!