STAC

What STAC does

STAC (Smart Things Accelerator Centre) is a Scotland-based, industry-funded technology accelerator founded in 2021 and headquartered in Glasgow. It runs an 18-month accelerator programme that connects Scottish deep tech startups, particularly in robotics, AI, quantum computing, photonics, and advanced manufacturing, with anchor corporate partners including RBS, Plexus, Eurofins, and Pelion. The organization is funded by contributions from these corporate partners and since inception has supported 120 startups, facilitated £50 million in investment, and supported the creation of 400 jobs.

In February 2026, STAC launched a £15 million investment fund targeting Scottish deep tech startups and appointed Jim Rowan, the former CEO of Volvo Cars and Dyson, as its new Chair to use his international networks to open overseas markets for portfolio companies. STAC has begun operating as an active investor, providing £300,000 to Airspection (autonomous offshore wind turbine inspection drones) and participating in Quantcore's £2.5 million seed round (niobium-based superconducting quantum components). Beyond the accelerator business, STAC maintains the STAC-M3 quantitative trading benchmark, an established standard for measuring hardware and software performance in real-time high-frequency trading scenarios that has produced record-breaking results in collaboration with Supermicro, Intel, Micron, and KX Software. Revenue is generated through industry-funded corporate partner contributions and accelerator programme services, with no public pricing disclosure.

Name

STAC

Legal name

STAC (Smart Things Accelerator Centre)

Website

https://agrostac.com.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

STAC (Smart Things Accelerator Centre) is a Scotland-based, industry-funded technology accelerator founded in 2021 that connects deep tech startups with corporate partners and has supported 120 companies since inception.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Technology Accelerator Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs (FSANAHAD)

Keywords

• Technology accelerator
• Startup incubation
• Corporate partnerships
• Investment facilitation
• Deep tech ventures

Headquarters

HQ city

Foz Do Iguaçu

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Accelerator Program Services: STAC operates as an industry-funded technology accelerator, connecting startups with corporate partners. Revenue is generated through industry funding, corporate partnerships, and investment returns from the £15M fund.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

STAC (Smart Things Accelerator Centre) operates Scotland's industry-led technology accelerator, running an 18-month programme that connects startups with corporate partners including RBS, Plexus, Eurofins, and Pelion. The organization also manages a £15 million investment fund targeting Scottish startups in robotics, AI, quantum computing, photonics, and advanced manufacturing, and separately maintains the STAC-M3 quantitative trading benchmark for high-performance computing infrastructure.

Product overview

STAC (Smart Things Accelerator Centre) is Scotland's industry-led technology accelerator founded in 2021. The organisation operates through its core accelerator programme—an 18-month industry-funded model connecting startups with corporate partners including RBS, Plexus, Eurofins, and Pelion. It also offers the STAC-M3™ quantitative trading benchmark product and manages a £15 million investment fund targeting Scottish startups in robotics, AI, quantum computing, photonics, and advanced manufacturing. To date, STAC has supported 120 startups, facilitated £50 million in investment, and created 400 jobs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• STAC Accelerator Programme An 18-month industry-funded accelerator programme that connects Scottish technology startups with corporate partners, providing investment, mentorship, and market access in robotics, AI, quantum computing, photonics, and advanced manufacturing sectors.
• STAC £15 Million Investment Fund A £15 million dedicated investment fund targeting Scottish startups operating in robotics, AI, quantum computing, photonics, and advanced manufacturing sectors.
• STAC-M3 Quantitative Trading Benchmark

Quantifiable outcome

• 120 startups supported since 2021
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• RBScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRoyal Bank of Scotland is a corporate partner of STAC's industry-funded accelerator model, connecting with startups for collaboration opportunities.
• PlexuscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlexus is a corporate partner of STAC's accelerator programme, providing startups with potential partnership and collaboration pathways.
• EurofinscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEurofins participates as a corporate partner in STAC's accelerator model, offering startups industry connection opportunities.
• PelioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPelion is a corporate partner in STAC's industry-funded accelerator, connecting with technology startups for innovation collaboration.
• SupermicrocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupermicro collaborated with STAC on record-breaking results for the STAC-M3 Quantitative Trading Benchmark, demonstrating high-performance computing infrastructure capabilities using Supermicro's Petascale servers.
• IntelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIntel collaborated with STAC on record-breaking STAC-M3 benchmark results, providing Xeon processors for high-frequency trading environment testing.
• MicroncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMicron collaborated with STAC on record-breaking STAC-M3 benchmark results, providing SSDs for high-performance computing infrastructure.
• KX SoftwarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKX Software collaborated on record-breaking STAC-M3 benchmark results in New York City, showcasing advanced capabilities for high-frequency trading environments.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Techstars: Largest global accelerator network with industry- and corporate-led programs; competes with STAC for the same Scottish/UK founder pool and offers stronger exit-readiness infrastructure.
• Highland Tech Club / Tech Nation (legacy): UK-wide startup support organisation with deep-tech networks; competes with STAC in the same founder pipeline but at a national rather than regional level.

Direct peers

• Entrepreneur First: Global deep-tech and 'talent-first' accelerator; directly comparable to STAC because both fund and concentrate founders around hard tech (AI, quantum, robotics), building portfolios from the ground up rather than from established teams.
• Wayra (Telefónica): Corporate-led, industry-funded accelerator backed by a single major corporation (Telefónica); the closest analogue to STAC's industry-funded model with RBS, Plexus, Eurofins and Pelion.
• Startupbootcamp: Global accelerator with sector-specific and corporate-sponsored programs; comparable to STAC in vertical specialisation and corporate-funded cohort model.
• Antler: Early-stage global accelerator that funds founders pre-launch and across deep tech; structurally analogous to STAC in cohort model and equity-for-support offering.
• Digital Catapult: UK deep-tech innovation programme focused on quantum, AI, IoT and advanced manufacturing; overlaps STAC's sector mandate and its goal of bridging UK deep-tech startups to enterprise demand.

Regional players

• Plexal: UK innovation hub and corporate-startup connector; comparable to STAC's corporate-partnership-led accelerator model and double-digit startup cohort throughput.
• Catalyst (Northern Ireland): UK regional innovation hub supporting startups; comparable as a public-good, regionally-anchored accelerator targeting technology sectors similar to STAC's mandate.
• SETsquared Partnership: UK university-affiliated deep-tech accelerator network; comparable to STAC as a UK-based early-stage program leveraging academic IP, similar to STAC's Glasgow spin-out origins (e.g., Quantcore).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/stacavicultura

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about STAC