Scotland attracts record 76 new funders to the market in 2025

A record 76 funders backed Scottish companies with risk capital for the first time in 2025, up from 73 in 2024, according to the latest Annual Newcomers Report from Young Company Finance (YCF), which tracks the financing of early-stage companies in Scotland.

Midlothian Science Zone-based Rhizocore Technologies is one of those companies, attracting five investors to the Scottish risk capital market for the first time including The First Thirty, The Grosvenor Estate and Sand River, investing alongside Scottish Enterprise and the University of Edinburgh’s Old College Capital.

Overall University of Edinburgh spinouts featured prominently in this year’s figures, with nine of the 43 newcomer rounds, including Rhizocore and biotech company Trogenix, going into companies emerging from the university.