Business Gateway

What Business Gateway does

Business Gateway is a publicly funded, non-commercial business advisory service operated by the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) on behalf of Scotland's 32 local authorities, headquartered in Edinburgh. Founded as a service in 2001 with delivery transferred to local authorities in 2008, it provides free 1:1 expert advice, online resources, webinars, events, and a personalised business support tool to start-ups and existing SMEs across all 32 Scottish council areas. The service does not sell to customers and generates no commercial revenue; it is funded by the Scottish Government and local authorities, with no parent company, subsidiaries, or external investors. Distribution is hybrid: a website self-serve platform, a network of 32 local offices, phone support, live chat, and a calendar of more than 250 free webinars and events annually.

The core product portfolio consists of the main Business Gateway service (advisory and resource library segmented by start-up vs. existing business, and by topic — finance, marketing, HR, sector research), a Personalised Business Support Tool that generates tailored recommendations, and the DigitalBoost sub-brand — Scotland's national digital skills training programme offering CPD-certified webinars, 1:1 digital expert support, and tutorials spanning social media, e-commerce, SEO, cyber resilience, data analytics, and AI awareness. Supplementary services include a research service, funding and grant signposting, and a national newsletter. The underlying technology is not proprietary AI or software — it is a website, CRM (operated by Scottish Enterprise), and content platform delivered through a partnership architecture spanning COSLA, Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, South of Scotland Enterprise, Skills Development Scotland, VisitScotland, and (since 2022) Amazon Web Services for the AWS Digital Innovation Program.

Business Gateway is a non-commercial government entity; pricing is entirely freemium with no billing, no tiers, and no monetisation. Its go-to-market is community-led and public-sector-driven, with no sales force, no paid marketing, and no customer acquisition cost in the conventional sense. Reach is significant: 50,000+ businesses advised in 2024, 25,311 webinar/event attendees in the most recent year reported, 6,810 businesses helped to start up in the latest year, 99,004 businesses started and 108,904 jobs created since 2008, an 84% customer satisfaction rate, and 85% recommendation rate. The strategic question for any investor is therefore not commercial return but sustainability of public funding and continued policy prioritisation of free SME advisory services in Scotland.

Name

Business Gateway

Legal name

COSLA (Convention of Scottish Local Authorities)

Website

https://bgateway.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Business Gateway is a publicly funded, free business advisory service operated by Scotland's 32 local authorities via COSLA. It provides 1:1 expert advice, digital skills training through DigitalBoost, webinars, events, and online resources to Scottish start-ups and existing SMEs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Edinburgh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Public Funding: Business Gateway is entirely publicly funded, operated by Local Government in Scotland including COSLA and the 32 Scottish Local Authorities. The service is provided free of charge to all businesses and entrepreneurs across Scotland. No commercial revenue generation occurs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Business Gateway is a publicly funded business advice and support service delivered across Scotland by Local Government, providing free 1:1 expert advice, online resources, webinars, events, and a personalised business support tool to help start-ups and existing businesses at every stage of their journey. The service is operated by COSLA (Convention of Scottish Local Authorities) on behalf of Scotland's 32 local authorities and delivered in partnership with Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, South of Scotland Enterprise, Skills Development Scotland, and VisitScotland.

Product overview

Business Gateway is a single, unified publicly funded service that provides free business advice and support across Scotland through a combination of digital and in-person channels. The core offering consists of 1:1 expert advice, the Personalised Business Support Tool for tailored recommendations, and an extensive library of online resources organised by business stage (startup/existing business) and topic (finance, marketing, HR, sector research). Supplementary modules include DigitalBoost (digital skills training with CPD-certified webinars, 1:1 digital expert support, and online tutorials), the Research Service for market intelligence, and a calendar of 250+ free webinars and events. The service is delivered by Local Government in Scotland through a network of local offices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DigitalBoost: Scotland's national digital technology training programme helping SMEs capitalise on digital technology through online tutorials, practical guides, 1:1 support from digital experts, and local workshops on topics including social media, cyber resilience, data analytics, digital marketing strategy and e-commerce.

Products and services

• Business Gateway Core Service A free, publicly funded business advice and support service delivered across Scotland by Local Government, providing 1:1 expert advice, online resources, webinars, events, and a personalised business support tool to help start-ups and existing businesses at every stage of their journey.
• Personalised Business Support Tool
• DigitalBoost Programme Scotland's national digital technology training programme providing CPD-certified webinars, online tutorials, practical guides, digital health checks, and 1:1 support from digital experts covering social media, cyber resilience, data analytics, digital marketing strategy, SEO, and e-commerce.
• Research Service Market and sector research services to help businesses better understand their market, competitors, and growth opportunities.
• Webinars and Events Programme Over 250 free webinars and events across Scotland annually, both online and in-person, covering topics like business planning, financial planning, marketing, SEO, intellectual property, and investor readiness.
• AWS Digital Innovation Program A collaboration between DigitalBoost and Amazon Web Services to help Scottish businesses accelerate digital transformation using cloud technology and Amazon's customer-centric innovation methodology.

Quantifiable outcome

• 6,810 new businesses supported to start up in one year
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered strategic and core.

• Amazon Web Services (AWS)strategicTechnology or Integration · 8 February 2022AWS partnered with DigitalBoost (Business Gateway's digital skills programme) to deliver the AWS Digital Innovation Program, helping Scottish businesses accelerate digital transformation using cloud technology and Amazon's customer-centric innovation methodology.
• COSLA (Convention of Scottish Local Authorities)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOSLA Verity House, 19 Haymarket Yards, Edinburgh EH12 5BH represents Scottish local authorities in delivering the Business Gateway service. COSLA is the governing body overseeing the partnership of 32 local authorities.
• Scottish EnterprisecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScottish Enterprise is a key delivery partner providing business support services. They operate the CRM database for customer relationship management and work with Business Gateway on the Records Management System Partnership.
• Highlands and Islands EnterprisecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHIE delivers business support and economic development activities in the Highlands and Islands region of Scotland, working in partnership with Business Gateway.
• South of Scotland EnterprisecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSOSE delivers business support and economic development activities in the South of Scotland region, partnering with Business Gateway for coordinated support.
• Skills Development ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSDS provides skills and career support, working with Business Gateway on workforce development and training aspects of business support.
• VisitScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVisitScotland partners with Business Gateway to support tourism businesses across Scotland with integrated economic development activities.
• 32 Scottish Local AuthoritiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEach of Scotland's 32 local authorities delivers Business Gateway services in their respective areas through local offices and advisers.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Skills Development Scotland (SDS): National skills agency partnering with Business Gateway on workforce development and training. Closely comparable in its publicly funded, Scotland-wide delivery model.
• Scottish Enterprise: Scotland's national economic development agency and a core delivery partner of Business Gateway. Operates the CRM system and provides overlapping business support services to Scottish SMEs, making it the closest functional peer.
• South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE): Regional economic development body for the South of Scotland, delivering business support and skills development alongside Business Gateway in its geography.
• Be the Business: UK-wide SME productivity and growth support charity, funded by government and corporate partners. Highly comparable mission and target audience, though operating at UK scale rather than Scotland only.
• Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE): Regional economic development agency covering the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. Partners directly with Business Gateway and provides comparable start-up and growth advisory to businesses in its region.

Regional players

• Enterprise Ireland: Irish government agency supporting Irish-owned enterprises with funding, advice, and export support. Closely comparable model of publicly funded, government-led SME development services in a different geography.
• Invest Northern Ireland: Northern Ireland's regional economic development agency providing business support, skills, and investment services. Functionally analogous to Business Gateway at the regional level.
• Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs, England): Voluntary partnerships between local authorities and private sector in England that coordinate local economic development and SME support. Closest English functional equivalent to Business Gateway's local-authority-led model.

Broad incumbents

• Federation of Small Businesses (FSB): UK-wide membership organisation providing advice, resources, and lobbying for small businesses. Overlaps with Business Gateway's SME support offering but is member-funded rather than publicly funded and operates UK-wide.
• British Chambers of Commerce: National network of accredited Chambers of Commerce offering business support, training, and international trade services. Comparable SME advisory footprint though delivered through a federated private model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bgateway
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/BgatewayScotland
• Facebookfacebook.com/businessgateway
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/business-gateway
• Instagraminstagram.com/business_gateway
• TikToktiktok.com/@business_gateway

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Business Gateway