Scotland’s industry-led technology accelerator STAC has completed its second investment round, backing three companies whose technologies sit at the heart of national priorities – from quantum computing and housing management to offshore wind infrastructure inspection.

The £772,000 round, co-invested by STAC Invest syndicate, brings investment to Quantcore Technologies, Vuabl and Airspection.

All three have completed STAC’s intensive 18-month accelerator programme with Vuabl and Airspection establishing their first HQ’s at thebeyond, STAC’s 22,000 sq ft technology hub at Skypark in Glasgow.

Quantcore Technologies receives £250,000 from STAC Invest in a £2.5m co-investment round. A spin-out from the University of Glasgow, Quantcore is the only company in the UK manufacturing niobium-based superconducting circuits, operating from the James Watt Nanofabrication Centre. Its technology is central to the quantum hardware supply chain that UK government strategy now explicitly depends upon.

Vuabl receives £222,000, co-invested by STAC Invest. The company has developed software that uses the LIDAR sensors built into modern smartphones to scan properties and generate comprehensive condition reports, covering 3D modelling, energy performance (EPC ratings), structural condition and early detection of damp or mould.

Airspection receives £300,000. The company has developed an autonomous drone that harnesses wind as energy to fly in extreme weather conditions, hovering with precision over offshore wind turbines to carry out structural inspection and maintenance surveys. It removes the need to send engineers into hazardous environments and dramatically cuts the cost and time of inspection at scale.

Beyond offshore wind, the technology has clear applications in surveying critical national infrastructure, power lines, railway networks and coastal assets, immediately following extreme weather events, enabling faster damage assessment and recovery at low cost.