Top 51 Aberdeen Startups to Watch in 2026
Aberdeen's startup scene is defined by its deep roots in the energy sector and a growing food and beverage industry.
Among them, vessel operator North Star has secured £365M in funding. Craft beer producer BrewDog is another major player with $279.4M in total funding.
Below is our list of 51 Aberdeen startups worth keeping an eye on.
Failory's Top 10 Picks
BrewDog brews a wide range of craft beers, from its flagship Punk IPA to alcohol-free options, sold through a global network of bars and online. The Scottish brewery is also a certified B Corp, operating as the world's first carbon negative brewery.
| Year Founded | 2007 |
| Founders | James Watt, Martin Dickie |
| Funding Amount | $279.4M |
| Startup Size | Major Organization (1,001-5,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Debt Financing |
| Top Investors | TSG Consumer Partners, Uday Kumar Bangalore Shivaraman, RML Capital, Monday Capital, Amelia Manderscheid |
Verlume develops intelligent energy management and storage systems for operations in harsh subsea environments. Their technology provides clean, reliable power through modular subsea battery solutions.
| Year Founded | 2013 |
| Founders | Richard Knox |
| Funding Amount | £13.8M |
| Startup Size | Lean Team (11-50) |
| Last Funding Status | Grant |
| Top Investors | Par Equity, Scottish Enterprise, Scottish National Investment Bank, Scottish Government, The Offshore Wind Growth Partnership |
Maritime Developments delivers complete back-deck solutions for complex energy projects around the world. Their team provides a combination of patented equipment, skilled personnel, and project engineering for the oil, gas, and renewable sectors.
| Year Founded | 1999 |
| Founders | — |
| Funding Amount | £2.9M |
| Startup Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Grant |
| Top Investors | Scottish Government |
North Star operates a specialized fleet of vessels that deliver emergency response, rescue, and maintenance services to the offshore energy industry. The firm supports both traditional oil and gas platforms and the growing offshore wind sector with its dedicated service operation vessels.
| Year Founded | 1886 |
| Founders | — |
| Funding Amount | £365M |
| Startup Size | Major Organization (1,001-5,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Debt Financing |
| Top Investors | ABN AMRO Bank, IFM Investors, National Australia Bank (NAB), Edmond de Rothschild Private Equity, The Royal Bank Of Scotland Private Limited Company |
Chorus builds a training platform designed to help companies create and deliver more engaging learning content. Their authoring tool makes it easy to produce interactive materials and track team progress across any device.
| Year Founded | 2022 |
| Founders | — |
| Funding Amount | £780k |
| Startup Size | Founding Team (1-10) |
| Last Funding Status | Seed |
| Top Investors | Haatch, Scottish EDGE, Ufi Ventures, Stakeholderz |
Proteus develops end-to-end project management software for teams working in the energy, infrastructure, and engineering sectors. Their platform is built to manage the entire project lifecycle, from bidding and planning through to execution and completion.
| Year Founded | 2019 |
| Founders | Colin Manson, James McCallum |
| Funding Amount | £9.6M |
| Startup Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Series A |
| Top Investors | Scottish Enterprise |
EBar develops a self-service, IoT-enabled beer dispenser that uses an innovative technique for pouring drinks. The system is designed for high-volume settings like stadiums and festivals, allowing venues to serve customers faster and reduce long queues.
| Year Founded | 2016 |
| Founders | Nick Beeson, Sam Pettipher |
| Funding Amount | £2.3M |
| Startup Size | Lean Team (11-50) |
| Last Funding Status | Seed |
| Top Investors | Seedrs, Jenson Funding Partners, Scottish EDGE, Equity Gap, Gabriel Investments |
Elasmogen develops a proprietary class of biologics called soloMERs for use in targeted drug discovery. These next-generation therapeutics are designed to treat complex diseases, with a focus on ophthalmology and inflammatory conditions.
| Year Founded | 2014 |
| Founders | Caroline Barelle |
| Funding Amount | $16.9M |
| Startup Size | Lean Team (11-50) |
| Last Funding Status | Venture Round |
| Top Investors | Business Growth Fund, Scottish Enterprise, Innovate UK, Deepbridge Capital, Scottish Government |
Leap Automation develops robotic systems for food producers to automate their end-of-line processes. Their solutions use advanced machine vision to handle tasks like packaging, palletizing, and quality control.
| Year Founded | 2018 |
| Founders | — |
| Funding Amount | £7.9M |
| Startup Size | Lean Team (11-50) |
| Last Funding Status | Venture Round |
| Top Investors | Scottish Enterprise, Scottish National Investment Bank, Mercia Ventures, Alba Equity, WA Capital Funding |
North Star Renewables operates a fleet of advanced vessels that provide critical support for the offshore wind industry. Their Service Operation Vessels allow technicians to live offshore and safely maintain wind turbines.
| Year Founded | 1886 |
| Founders | — |
| Funding Amount | £96M |
| Startup Size | Major Organization (1,001-5,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Debt Financing |
| Top Investors | Allianz Global Investors |
41 Additional Aberdeen Startups Worth Following
Our top picks are just a glimpse into the city's growing community of founders. These companies have collectively raised over £100 million and work in everything from energy to manufacturing.
The scene is full of both new ventures and established names, all adding to the city's momentum. Here is a look at the other startups that make Aberdeen's business community so strong.
| Startup | Industry | Year Founded | Amount Raised | Last Funding Round |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Aberdeen Harbour Board | Logistics | 1136 | £30M | Debt Financing |
 RAB Microfluidics | Mobility | 2016 | £3.4M | Seed |
 Stewart Milne Group | Manufacturing | 1975 | £11.5M | Debt Financing |
 Biosus Energy | Energy | 2012 | £3.3M | Debt Financing |
 ETZ | Energy | 2021 | £3.3M | Grant |
 ZIPZERO | Analytics | 2019 | £1M | Seed |
 FIS Chemicals LTD | Manufacturing | 1980 | £3.7M | Debt Financing |
 Entier | Food | 2008 | £6.5M | Venture Round |
 NovaBiotics | Biotech | 2004 | £11.9M | Venture Round |
 Harbour Energy | Energy | 2014 | — | — |
 Air Control Entech | Infrastructure | 2016 | £4.9M | Grant |
 Libereat | Healthcare | 2016 | £209k | Grant |
 DUNCAN & Todd | Design | 1972 | £20.6M | Private Equity |
 Net Zero Technology Centre | Environment | 2017 | £200k | Grant |
 SeedPod | Food | 1999 | £10M | Grant |
 Skedadle | Marketing | 2019 | £800k | Pre-Seed |
 Equalizer International Ltd | Manufacturing | 1994 | $546k | Debt Financing |
 Apollo Offshore Engineering | Energy | 2010 | £295.3k | Grant |
 EnMovi | Healthcare | 2019 | £2.5M | Grant |
 Element Materials Technology | Mobility | 2010 | — | — |
 Highland Heritage Woodworks | Manufacturing | 2022 | £100k | Grant |
 Hydrowheel | Manufacturing | 2021 | £100k | Grant |
 Wood - Environment & Infrastructure business | Enterprise | — | — | — |
 Brigid Bio | Biotech | 2023 | £10k | Grant |
 Great British Energy | Energy | 2024 | — | — |
 Handl | Mobility | 2019 | £30k | Pre-Seed |
 Rent Shuffle & Roll | Gaming | — | £20k | Debt Financing |
 Windstorm Renewables | Energy | 2018 | £15k | Grant |
 activpayroll | Enterprise | 1999 | — | Private Equity |
 FENNEX | AI | 2016 | — | Grant |
 Cavitas Energy | Energy | 2015 | — | — |
 STR | Manufacturing | 1994 | — | Private Equity |
 Burness Paull | GovTech | 2012 | — | — |
 Johnston Carmichael | Fintech | 1936 | — | — |
 Tern Television Productions | Media | 2003 | — | — |
 John Clark Motor Group | Mobility | 1977 | — | — |
 Three60 Energy | Energy | 2016 | — | — |
 IFB | Infrastructure | 1996 | — | — |
 Nucore | Security | 2016 | — | Debt Financing |
 eserv | Energy | 2015 | — | Private Equity |
 EnerMech | Energy | 2008 | — | — |
 Converged Communication Solutions | Enterprise | 2005 | — | — |
