Blog: Building the tech ecosystem in Dumfries and Galloway
Scotland has an ambition to become the leading tech ecosystem in Europe. Why shouldn’t the next global tech company come from Dumfries and Galloway?
CodeBase and Midsteeple Quarter joined forces earlier this year to bring national and international opportunities to Dumfries’ High Street.
CodeBase, a UK tech incubator, delivers the national programme, Techscaler, funded by the Scottish Government to realise the ambition of Scotland in becoming Europe’s leading tech nation. In order to do this, the talent across Scotland needs to be leveraged and platformed on a national scale, and that’s the job of Techscaler. To provide that platform and ensure that Scotland’s tech founders can access international ecosystems, to match their global ambitions.
Misteeple Quarter offers a modern workspace by way of the new building The Standard with all the facilities that a startup would need; fast internet connection, high street location, good coffee nearby, comfortable office space, and affordable rates. The partnership between CodeBase and Midsteeple Quarter brings together all the ingredients needed for startup success!
The Standard is an accessible place which is now developing into a focal point for the tech community in the region and opens up national startup support, mentoring, international opportunities and local connections in the creative and tech sectors Dumfries high street.
When you do come to visit, there is a team working regularly in the hotdesking space at The Standard to welcome you and have a chat.
CodeBase’s team working with Midsteeple Quarter, left to right, Cara Samuels, Raluca Mutu and Sarah-Jane Burns
Cara Samuels, Community Manager is the first point of contact for Techscaler members and is the main point of contact for startup founders on their entrepreneurial journey. Cara knows the tech ecosystem in Scotland and is able to highlight national opportunities, funding and where to access relevant support for Techscaler members.
Raluca, Events and Engagement Support Officer is the events whizz and runs all the Techscaler events in the region including the monthly networking event, Unfiltered for the creative and tech community, which takes place on the first Tuesday of each month betwee 9-10.30am. Raluca also coordinates national and online events for the Techscaler community, bringing in partners to support Techscaler members in accessing partner expertise.
Sarah-Jane, Head of Regional Partnerships, works with organisations like Midsteeple Quarter to ensure that the Techscaler programme is delivered in the region and coordinated with other activity and provides strategic insight and advocacy for the Dumfries and Galloway region on a national level.
Why this matters for the region
The South of Scotland — including Dumfries & Galloway — has enormous potential for tech-enabled business growth, but like many areas outside major metropolitan hubs, it can face challenges: fewer local specialist support networks, less visibility, and sometimes limited workspace or local investment infrastructure. By aligning Techscaler’s national startup support with CodeBase’s ecosystem-growth expertise and Midsteeple Quarter’s place-based infrastructure in Dumfries, we are creating a powerful combination.
How to get involved
If you’re a startup founder, entrepreneur, remote tech worker, or thinking of launching a tech business in Dumfries or the South of Scotland:
Explore membership of Techscaler to access their education, mentoring and community offerings. https://www.techscaler.co.uk/
Check out the workspace and hub options at Midsteeple Quarter’s The Standard — secure your desk and plug into the local hub of activity right in Dumfries town centre. https://www.midsteeplequarter.org/
Attend one of the meet-ups, events or workshops that will be hosted as part of this collaboration, such as Unfiltered
CodeBase’s first Unfiltered event, held in The Standard
Looking ahead
This is more than a workspace or a training programme - it’s about building an ecosystem in the South of Scotland where talent, ideas and businesses can grow, remain locally rooted, but connect to national and global opportunity. We invite local founders, entrepreneurs, business leaders and anyone curious about the tech/start-up world in Dumfries and surrounding areas to come join us - be part of the network, the learning, the growth and the regeneration.
Who are we?
Techscaler is a Scotland-wide programme dedicated to helping founders build, develop and scale tech startups. From ideation through to growth and scaling, Techscaler provides education, mentorship, peer community, workspace and ecosystem connections for anyone in Scotland with startup ambition. techscaler.co.uk
CodeBase is the “growth platform for tech ecosystems” - delivering tailored programmes for early-stage startups, helping scale-ups access global networks, and equipping people and teams with digital and AI skills to innovate and thrive. thisiscodebase.com
Midsteeple Quarter, based in Dumfries, is a community benefit society focused on regenerating Dumfries town centre - turning empty high-street properties into a mixed-use community, with a hot-desk/incubation hub, workspace and local opportunity built in.Midsteeple Quarter
Sarah-Jane Burns, CodeBase
Click here to book a desk in our hot desk Hub in The Standard