North-east firm Trojan Energy is one of only two businesses flying the flag for Scotland in a hunt for the UK’s next technology pioneer.
Trojan, based in Stonehaven, and Edinburgh company Desana were among 10 firms from around Scotland that pitched to a panel of industry experts seeking two outstanding representatives from north of the border to go forward into the UK final.
The overall UK winner will secure a place at an event in Lisbon, Portugal, in November – Web Summit – where it will compete against technology innovators from at least 16 other countries to be crowned the first KPMG “private enterprise global tech pioneer“.
Trojan Energy and Desana impressed the judges with the originality of their offering and potential for growth on an international scale.
“Their solutions also tap into two critical global trends – energy transition and flexible working.”
James Kergon, KPMG
Professional services giant KPMG has run its Best British Tech Pioneer programme annually for the past seven years, unearthing a host of technology “unicorns” – fast-growth private companies valued at more than US $1 billion (about £710 million).
This year, the competition has gone international for the first time.
Trojan is run from the home of its chief executive, Ian Mackenzie, in Stonehaven.
Last year the firm secured £4.1 million of seed funding to support the roll-out of its “on-street flat and flush” EV charging points.
An initial £1m investment was led by business angel syndicate Equity Gap, “profit with purpose” investor SIS Ventures, Aberdeen-based investment syndicate Alba Equity and the Scottish Investment Bank (SIB), the investment arm of Scottish Enterprise.
It unlocked a further £3.1m from Innovate UK, the UK Government-backed innovation agency.
Trojan’s new product aims to help solve the issue of charging for vehicle owners without access to off-street parking.
Its charging points are flat and flush to the pavement, ending the need to sacrifice pedestrian space. Users carry a charging “lance” in their vehicles and plug it into the connector point to start charging.
Tapping into flexible working
Desana’s technology lets organisations, and their staff find and book desks and meeting rooms across a global network of flexible workspaces through a single digital platform.
James Kergon, office senior partner for KPMG in Glasgow, said: “Trojan Energy and Desana impressed the judges with the originality of their offering and potential for growth on an international scale.
“Their solutions also tap into two critical global trends – energy transition and flexible working.
“Both firms now have an opportunity to pitch in front of major industry players looking for the next potential startup to invest in, buy from, or partner with.”
