STAC has announced the completion of its first investments through its newly launched investment syndicate, STAC Invest, marking a significant milestone in the accelerator's evolution from mentorship to full-spectrum company building. The initial investments total over £1 million. All three businesses receiving investment have female co-founders developing tech solutions to tackle healthcare challenges.

STAC’s investment arm was established to address a critical gap in Scotland's startup ecosystem – providing capital at the crucial early stage when companies need funding to get their products to market.

Silver Lion Innovations, co-founded by Ruth Crozier and Conor Crozier, is transforming the lives of people who have limited mobility and those who care for them. The company’s flagship product, EasyOver, is a smart mattress topper that enables individuals to turn safely and comfortably in bed, either themselves or with the support of one carer who can complete a safe and dignified turn at the touch of a button, improving quality of life on all fronts.

“The investment and support from STAC have been absolutely invaluable. It’s not just about the funding – it’s about being part of a network that truly understands what’s involved in building a healthtech company. The 18-month STAC accelerator helped us refine our pitch, connect with the right partners, and gave practical support, from communications to hiring our first employee,” said Ruth. “This backing gives us the further momentum to take EasyOver to those who need it most, faster than we could have otherwise. Being part of the STAC ecosystem means being around other founders going through similar journeys, and that community aspect has made it easy to mutually support one another.”

Seluna, co-founded by Dr Scott Black and Dr Yola Jones, is developing machine learning-enabled software to support doctors to diagnose and manage childhood sleep apnoea. Seluna’s software will be the first in market solution developed specifically for paediatric healthcare to automate and streamline the process of interpreting sleep studies. This will improve diagnostic accuracy, reduce the manual workload on hospital staff, and optimise treatment planning.

Yola explained: “STAC’s investment is a game-changer for Seluna. The accelerator’s mentorship and access to industry experts have already helped us sharpen our business model and scale our technology. With this funding, we can conduct real-world validation studies with our NHS partners and accelerate towards formal clinical trials. STAC’s investment will help bring our solution to market sooner, to improve paediatric diagnostics and reduce the strain on health services.”

Smplicare, co-founded by Alexandra Melling and Garrett Sprague, is developing fall prevention technology that helps older adults maintain independence while reducing the risk of falls – the leading cause of loss of independence in people over 65. The company's innovative platform uses machine learning algorithms to predict fall risk with 85% accuracy.

“Being selected as one of the first recipients of STAC’s investment is a huge endorsement of our mission. STAC’s ecosystem has given us invaluable guidance on everything from regulatory compliance to user experience. This investment will help us expand our platform and reach more families who need support,” said Alexandra.

With over £1 million invested across the three companies, STAC becomes the fastest organisation to co-invest with Scottish Enterprise match funding, demonstrating the strength of its rigorous company-building methodology.

All three funded companies are headquartered in thebeyond, STAC's industry hub in Finnieston, Glasgow, which is being developed as an International Centre of Excellence for smart, connected and deep tech companies.

The launch of STAC’s investment arm marks a significant milestone for Scotland’s innovation landscape. With over 90 startups supported, 292 jobs created, and £32 million invested in STAC-supported startups to date, the accelerator is now expanding its impact by providing direct, industry-led funding to ambitious founders. The new investment arm is designed to help Scottish startups scale globally, combining capital with mentorship, access to advanced labs, and a powerful network of industry partners which include Volvo, Sonos, and RBS.

As Scotland's only private business accelerator that offers the complete package of mentorship, co-working space, access to market, and investment, STAC takes a unique approach to building globally competitive companies. Unlike traditional accelerators that focus on community building, short-term fundraising support, and sector introductions, STAC's industry-led approach delivers an 18-month programme consisting of 116 business ingredients that build genuinely scalable companies capable of competing internationally.

While this inaugural investment round focuses on healthtech, STAC supports a diverse portfolio of smart, connected deeptech companies across multiple sectors including robotics, quantum computing and advanced materials. The accelerator's industry-agnostic approach ensures Scottish tech talent can compete globally across all smart technology sectors.

Angus Macfadyen, head of investment at STAC, commented: “We created the STAC investment arm to address the glaring need in Scotland’s innovation landscape for industry-led, founder-centric capital that goes hand-in-hand with world-class support.

“Our model is about more than money – it’s about bringing together private investment, mentorship, and access to advanced labs and networks. We’re proud to back these outstanding female founders and their business partners, who are not only building great companies but also using smart tech to tackle real-world pain points in health and social care. This is just the beginning of a new era for Scotland’s smart tech sector.

“The investment in these three companies represents a significant step in our vision to establish thebeyond as an International Centre of Excellence in Finnieston, Glasgow, creating a super cluster of innovative smart technology companies that can compete globally."

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