Unicorns – that rarest of creatures – have now made Scotland their home.  With the recent birth of a second Scottish unicorn through FanDuel, the dream of a global tech hub in this beautiful land of the wee dram is now a reality.  The UK is the undisputed home of unicorns in Europe with 17 of the 40 beginning here, creating a momentum and pride which is going from strength to strength.  There has never been a better time to be an entrepreneur, and Scotland has actively invested to create a culture of support for this community.

Venturefest Scotland 2015 on 9 September 2015 in Glasgow is the first business event of its kind in Scotland aimed at engaging innovators, entrepreneurs and investors with a strong focus on Scottish-based SMEs who want to learn how to accelerate business growth through innovation.   More than 400 participants from Scotland, the UK and overseas are expected to attend and will look to engage with new opportunities on every level.  With core funding from Innovate UK, Scottish Enterprise and Glasgow City Council, as well as supporting contributions from a range of other partners, Venturefest’s goal is to connect the SME community and hopefully inspire more unicorns in the not too distant future.

We are delighted to be supporting this exciting event in Scotland. For those UK entrepreneurs who would like more information about doing business with or in America, whether to expand their customer base or add new capital, we are again participating in another informative Fried, Frank ‘Coming to America’  Academy Masterclass led by Dan Glazer.  Please join me, our Corporate Tax Director Brad Albin and Corporate Tax Manager Sitara Zafar from here at US Tax & Financial Services for what promises to be a fantastic event and lineup at Venturefest Scotland 2015.

Fried Frank’s Coming to America Academy is a workshop offered to entrepreneurs and involves a series of group sessions with experienced mentors discussing the key issues to consider when expanding to the US.  A whole suite of speakers are invited to present for 20 to 30 minutes on their respective topic and engage with the group for a Q&A session on key questions.

Venturefest 2015 is free to attend and will take place on 9 September at the Glasgow Science Centre.  Register for the event here.

#tartantakeover #asone  (support for Scottish Rugby and the upcoming Rugby World Cup)