Exclusive to ScotlandIS members, Ailsa (www.ailsa.io) is hosting a series of practical mini masterclass on how to access Scottish and UK grant funding, prize competitions, procurement opportunities, tenders and bids – tailored for tech startups and small businesses, from very early-stage ideas through to more established ventures.

Ailsa’s team are funding experts, having secured over £500 million in non-dilutive funding for businesses like yours. That hard-won insight now underpins Ailsa: an AI-powered platform designed to get you the grants you deserve.

This session will be a trench-level masterclass in transforming your funding needs into fundable and credible work plans. We’ll cover how to go about preparing an evidence-based budget, gauging the limits of pragmatic ambition, delivering value for money, and designing your R&D plans to be inherently modular, ensuring you can maximise the funding possibilities out there with as little effort as possible.”

This 45-min webinar – the first in a planned series running throughout 2026 – lifts the lid on how founders and innovators can assess fit, understand trade-offs, and confidently navigate funding routes that genuinely support the long-term health of their business.

Whether you’re still shaping an idea or actively trading and planning for growth, the emphasis is on clear thinking, practical insight and actionable next steps – you’re not going to want to miss this!

Format

Attendees are invited to submit questions in advance, which will help shape the agenda and ensure the session focuses on what’s most valuable. The webinar is practical and discussion-led, with a 30-minute presentation followed by a 15-minute Q&A. There will also be opportunities for targeted, sector-specific and 1:1 funding clinics with the Ailsa team following the session.