Games Sector Wins Big in Ecosystem Fund as ‘Hello World!’ Secures Funding

I’m very happy to announce that the Scottish Games Network’s Hello World! – Scottish Students Startup Summit has been selected as one of the 28 winners in the latest round of the Scottish Government’s Ecosystem Fund.

(There’s another games project which has also received funding, but the team behind it have asked me not to talk about it yet… See if you can spot it in the list below!)

Hello World! is a one-day event, which will invite students from all of the colleges and universities which teach game design, development and production and help them answer a simple question: Is starting my own games studio/business right for me? All of the support organisations will be there, we’ll have workshops on business model canvas, how to pitch a game, finding funding (or a co-founder), ideation for games and a monetisation masterclass.

This is fantastic news, not just for SGN, but for the wider games community and the next generation of creative entrepreneurs in Scotland. The funding will allow us to create a brand-new event focused on inspiring and providing practical guidance to students and recent graduates on the realities, challenges, and opportunities of starting their own games studio or games-adjacent tech business.

I’m delighted to be partnering with the University of Glasgow’s Games & Gaming Lab and the Scottish Games Education Network (SGEN) to bring Hello World! to life. Working alongside these awesome organisations will ensure the event is deeply connected to the needs of students and embedded within Scotland’s world-class academic ecosystem. We will be announcing the final date and venue for the summit, to be held in Glasgow, in the very near future.

Reacting to the funding announcement, Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said:

Scotland has always been a nation of innovators and these projects will build the infrastructure, networks and support systems that our entrepreneurs need to thrive, creating lasting change that goes far beyond individual businesses.

A Time for Collaboration

Looking through the full list of winning projects, it’s inspiring to see so much focus on supporting the next wave of founders. Initiatives like Creator Campus’s Student Startup Matchmaking Fair, The High School of Glasgow’s START Roadshow, and Filament’s Future Founders share a common goal with Hello World!.

This presents a golden opportunity to work together. I will be reaching out to the organisers of these and other successful projects to align our efforts and explore how we can work together. By sharing insights and coordinating our activities, we can create far more value and build a more cohesive support system for aspiring entrepreneurs across the country.

Furthermore, while this first Hello World! is focused on games and tech students, the model is designed to be adaptable. I am very interested in hearing from potential partners who would like to collaborate on future events focused on other sectors, different skillsets, or bringing this kind of entrepreneurial inspiration into schools, or other regions of Scotland (and beyond!).

Congratulations to all the successful applicants. This is a huge vote of confidence in the collaborative, community-led approach to building Scotland’s entrepreneurial future.

The Scottish Government’s Chief Entrepreneur, Ana Stewart, said:

It’s extremely encouraging to see the quality and diversity of applications received. What’s particularly reassuring is to see the new digitised process working effectively, streamlining and achieving a shorter and simpler process for applicants, ensuring funds reach them much earlier.

The successful projects will deliver targeted support that founders need in the earliest stages of their business. From accessible business training and mentorship programmes, to networks that connect entrepreneurs across Scotland’s regions and sectors. Moving forward, the commitment is to work more closely with partners across our entrepreneurial ecosystem to ensure public sector support delivers maximum impact for Scottish founders.

Full List of Successful Ecosystem Fund Projects:

• Galashiels Soup – Scottish Borders
• SGDA Community Interest Company – Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow – Scottish Game Developers Accelerator – £38,000
• Entrepreneurial Scotland – Glasgow – Discovery Day: Unlocking Scotland’s Entrepreneurial Potential
• STARTUP GRIND Scotland Aberdeen Chapter – Aberdeen – StartUp North: AI Hackathons for Scotland’s Hidden Innovators
• The High School of Glasgow – Edinburgh and Aberdeen – START Roadshow
• Creator Campus – Hybrid – Student Startup Matchmaking Fair
• The Isle of Arran Candle Company Ltd – Arran – Arran Design Collective
• University of Strathclyde – Glasgow – From Sanctuary to Start up
• Scotpreneur Ltd – Online – The Entrepreneur’s A to Z: An Audio Guide for the Blind and Visually Impaired
• Dundee Founders Collective – Dundee – Dundee Founders Collective
• GrowBiz Scotland – Hybrid – Supporting Older Entrepreneurs
• Opportunity North East – Aberdeen – Finance for Founders
• Challenges Catalyst Ltd – Nationwide – Unlocking Scotland’s Earlier-Stage Research-to-Venture Pipeline
• Dechomai – Glasgow – IGNITE SCOTLAND
• Impact Rise Ventures Limited – International – San Francisco Tech Week 2025
• Thistle Labs Ltd – Hybrid – GenAI for Entrepreneurs
• James Hutton Limited – Hybrid – Innovation Campus & Incubator for Clima-Tech & Agri-Tech
• The Rebel School/Ziyx Scotland – South Lanarkshire and Stirling – Rebel Business School
• Ecosystem Builders Network – Edinburgh/ Glasgow – Capital Catalyst: Investment Readiness
• Egg Scotland Ltd – Hybrid – Egg Scotland Community Amplification
• Boutique Innovation Ltd – Hybrid – Scotcol Accelerator
• Filament Pd Ltd – Glasgow – Future Founders
• Royal Conservatoire of Scotland – Glasgow – Split Screen
• Glasgow Clyde College – Glasgow – Launch Pad
• Women’s Enterprise Scotland – Online – Funding Options for Women Entrepreneurs in Scotland
• Turing Fest – International – Turing Fest Founders Dinners Programme
• STAC – Nationwide – STAC Source: Big business innovation via Startup Scouting

Photo by KOBU Agency on Unsplash