FILAMENT ANNOUNCES SCOTLAND’S FIRST SMART THINGS ACCELERATOR CENTRE

Earlier this year, Scotland’s first Smart Things Accelerator Centre launched, with the Filament STAC accelerator aiming to jumpstart the nation’s Internet of Things (IoT) sector headed by global leaders from tech powerhouses including Dyson, Wistron, BlackBerry and Plexus Corp

The 18-month programme will support 10 companies in each cohort, and is supported by a world-class tech partnership ecosystem in Scotland with all key products and services required for IoT companies to succeed. Filament STAC, which commenced at Skypark last month, is underpinned by an industry-government partnership which sees Scottish Enterprise support the first phase of growth alongside Filament, Plexus Corp, a global leader in complex design, manufacturing, supply chain and aftermarket services, and CENSIS.

Applications and pitches took place September with the first cohort starting in October. Cohort companies on the accelerator programme will have to world-class IoT R&D facilities within the Filament PD offices in Skypark.

Filament STAC is partly modelled on a Canadian programme in Ontario, Canada that has supported around 650 start-ups and created over 4,000 jobs, and the centre's founder Tim Ellis has been lined up as a consultant on the Scottish project. Filament STAC will also build on the IoT foundations already put in place by CENSIS, Scotland’s Innovation Centre for sensing, imaging and IoT technologies. CEO Paul Wilson said: “We believe Scotland has the potential to be a main player in smart, connected devices and moving ahead with the accelerator gives us a real chance to gain a leading position in an IoT sector forecast to reach $1.5 trillion over the next few years..'

www.stac.ac | filamentpd.com