Bright Idea Scotland provides guidance and advice to Scotland-based individuals and businesses with an idea for a new product or service. They can provide advice on potentially available funding and run workshops and surgeries to educate and inform on many of the issues facing new business ideas and services including IP strategies, customer and market identification and justification and forward planning.

Business Gateway is a publicly-funded service contributing to the economic wellbeing of Scotland by providing access to free business support services. They give assistance and impartial advice to people starting or growing their business by a combination of online support, free local workshops and events, advice and business information.

The Cultural Enterprise Office have in-house business advisors at locations in Dundee and Glasgow. They offer free, sector-specific information and advice to micro-businesses and individuals working within the creative industries.

Elevator (previously known as Enterprise North East Trust) is a social enterprise dedicated to supporting the entrepreneurs, business leaders and employees of today and tomorrow. They provide expert business advice, quality office space and by encouraging entrepreneurship and enterprising behaviour through a range of projects and events in the North-East of Scotland.

Entrepreneurial Spark is the world’s largest free business accelerator for early stage and growing ventures. They develop entrepreneurs and teach them how create investable value. With mentors, ambassador, supporters, workshops, pitch practice and a full-time ‘entrepreneurial enabler’, the focus here is truly on the individual.

Based within the University of Dundee, the Innovation Portal assists in securing funding from the Scottish Funding Council’s Innovation Vouchers scheme. Its aim is to build relationships between SMEs and HEIs (Higher Education Instutions) in Scotland and provides funding of up to £5000 to facilitate collaborative projects, leading to new products, services and processes.

Interface has access to hundreds of academic experts and facilities useful to the creative sector from new product development and brand management through to sustainability, business strategy, design and engineering. Individuals to large companies can benefit from the range of expertise available including advertising, music, textiles, crafts, architecture, film, TV & radio, publishing and, of course, design.

Scottish Enterprise offer a variety of business support services that are available to companies in every sector. Their Creative Industries arm, Interactive Scotland, is their main service for creative companies and provides support in a variety of ways including developing digital content and technology, tailoring key messages and supporting company attendance at trade shows.

Paul Askew and Paul Sanderson from the Whetstone Group have worked closely with several of our grant-funded companies to help them strategise their route to market. They can provide enterprise support for start-ups and early stage businesses, sharpening their competitive edge and using commercial creativity to identify and respond to ever-changing markets.