Next week, seven enterprising leaders from Scotland are heading to London Deep Tech Week with Techscaler. The week runs from 5th to 11th October and brings together 750+ European founders, scientists and deep tech investors.
The main summit on 8th October is the flagship day, with 500 founders, engineers, scientists and investors in one place.
For this cohort, the value lies in access. Deep tech companies need direct connections with investors who understand complex physical and scientific innovation, and those investors are a small crowd. A week built around that audience puts the right conversations within reach.
We asked the cohort what they're building, why now, and what they want to come home with. Their answers say a lot about where Scotland's deeptech is right now.
The cohort
Each of these seven cohort participants will be at London Deep Tech Week, meeting investors, scientists and fellow startup leaders from across Europe. Their companies cover sport, aerospace, AI hardware, engineering simulation and manufacturing. Here's who they are.
Mathew Norbury, Aelo Neurotech
Aelo is building a cognitive data layer for sport, using a real-time brain activity sensor to show athletes how their mind is performing.
Aurora Avionics develops hardware and software for rocket control systems, built to make safe, capable avionics affordable.
Read more about Myles' journey here.
Henry Arthur Shulayev Barnes, Catalyst Neuromorphic
Catalyst Neuromorphic designs a brain-inspired AI chip that lets devices process data and make decisions on their own, without an internet connection.
Karol Lewandowski and Andrei Shvarts, Mesh-Oriented Solutions
Mesh-Oriented Solutions is a University of Glasgow spin-out that builds and deploys advanced multiphysics simulations for complex engineering problems.
LumiAIres builds optical chips for AI that use up to 90% less energy than conventional silicon.
Read more about Giulia's journey here.
Sneha Muralidharan, POMO Robotics
POMO Robotics builds bespoke robotic systems for factories, covering machine tending, manufacturing, packaging and palletising, powered by Physical AI.
What they have in common
Put these companies side by side and you start to see the same story told six different ways. The technology already works. What's in front of each team now is the slower job of turning it into something a customer can buy and rely on.
Most are right at that turning point, with demonstrators becoming physical prototypes and first products getting close to launch. Some already have early contracts and industrial adoption behind them.
The technical challenges rhyme too, because each team is trying to make something clever behave dependably outside controlled conditions. That might mean a sensor that has to give a clean reading on a moving body, or a new kind of chip that needs a reliable toolchain around it before anyone can build on it. For some there's a commercial challenge on top, which is selling a category nobody has delved in before.
There's a shared direction as well. Four of the six companies are building for what AI needs next. Some are going after the power and energy cost of running it, while others are taking it into the physical world through engineering simulation and factory robotics.
What they want from the week
Ask deep tech founders what they need from a week like this and the answer usually starts with investors who already understand their field. When a company is built on years of scientific work, a first meeting goes much further with someone who can follow the technology and move quickly to the questions about the business.
Customers come a close second, because at this stage a conversation with the right buyer can shape the product as much as it shapes the pipeline. Founders are looking for people who can tell them what a real deployment would require and who might be willing to test the technology through a pilot or a development partnership.
Feedback is the third thing on the list, and the founders are clear that they want the honest kind. With funding rounds open or on the horizon, a room full of experienced investors and operators is a rare chance to hear where a proposition holds up and where it still falls short.
The week is set up for exactly these conversations. Here's what the founders will get:
- Dedicated showcase space on the main Expo floor to feature their technology directly in front of summit delegates.
- A curated breakfast roundtable with selected summit guests and active investors.
- Access to specialised deep tech VCs through invite-only roundtables.
- Talks from expert speakers across energy, compute, advanced manufacturing, biotech and space.
- Access to potential customers, partners and international founders across the full week.
Up next:
We can’t wait to see the traction and connections this cohort will forge at London Deep Tech Week and beyond.
To join future opportunities like this one, become a Techscaler member here.
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