The Ventures Lab does not have rigid or fixed criteria. We want to hear from and support all types of purpose-led individuals or businesses. Ideally, you have an idea, product or service that has the potential to make a difference in multiple locations, either here in Scotland or globally. In our current cohort, we are working with ventures that began from the following backgrounds.

The Ventures Lab has a very light set of criteria. However, your organisation should be or should plan to be registered in Scotland.

We aim to undertake up to 10 ‘deep dives’ in 2024, and up to 30 ‘deep dives’ every twelve months by 2028. We will directly invest in a minimum of five ventures per year for the next five years. For ventures that require additional investment but don’t qualify for The Ventures Lab loan facility, we also work closely with our partners at Firstport and Social Investments Scotland to make referrals and connections.

The Ventures Lab works on a revolving fund basis – the loan repayments from existing ventures pay for new ventures to access funding. We have backing from The Scottish Government in order to create and build our investment facility over the first five years. By 2028, The Ventures Lab will be a fully sustainable facility.

Not exclusively, no. The majority of businesses that enter The Ventures Lab elect to become social enterprises (registered as Community Interest Companies), as that’s what is usually right for them. However, this is not a pre-requisite. We believe in building ventures with a purpose that transcends purely profit – we want our venture founders and leaders to be highly motivated to have a positive social and/ or environmental impact, regardless of their legal structure.

Work, conference and event space, bookkeeping & accounting, Human Resources, IT, legal advice, social media and marketing, and business development support.

Yes, absolutely – get in touch and we can discuss your requirements and provide a quote.