Why global AI infrastructure is vital for Scottish startups
Access to compute and expertise turns strong ideas into companies that scale, writes James Trotman
For early-stage AI founders, the hardest things to access aren’t always technical. Often, they are the people who’ve built at the frontier and can tell you what it takes to scale. It is a conundrum we have been examining for a while at CodeBase given that tech founder support is in our DNA.
CodeBase recently partnered with CoreWeave, the cloud platform built for the world’s top AI labs and high-growth startups, to create something that doesn't usually exist at this stage of a founder’s journey: direct, sustained access to world-class AI infrastructure, senior expertise, and venture capital.
CoreWeave's £1.5 billion commitment to Scottish AI infrastructure is the largest investment of its kind in the region, and our partnership aims to ensure that founders benefit from it directly by way of a tangible and ongoing resource.
The persistent challenges in Scotland's emerging AI ecosystem are not always around talent or ambition, they have also been the infrastructure and connections needed to turn strong ideas into companies that scale globally.
As David Campbell, Co-founder of LumiAIres puts it: “We know the founders are here, the ideas are here, the energy is here, the entrepreneurial spirit is here. It’s just a huge vote of confidence for those looking to start, scale and really make a global impact in Scotland.”
Last week, we hosted the first in a series of founder-focused events in Edinburgh alongside CoreWeave. In the room were Nick Hoover, VP of Corporate Development, who oversees M&A and the CoreWeave Ventures programme, and Ben Richardson, VP of Strategy, responsible for CoreWeave’s operations outside the US.
The format was intentionally direct: a morning of networking and a roundtable discussion, followed by one-to-one sessions, giving founders access to the people shaping one of the world’s most significant AI infrastructure businesses.
As Nagu Gopalakrishnan, Co-founder of Vidai UK, shared: “The opportunity to train with CoreWeave’s infrastructure is invaluable for us.”
Overall, the intention of our collaboration with CoreWeave is to give Scottish startups access to three areas that can be challenging for early-stage AI founders.
The first is direct access to expertise. Founders can engage with senior CoreWeave leaders who have built and scaled at the frontier of AI infrastructure, across technical, strategic, and commercial dimensions.
The second is access to compute and AI infrastructure. For founders, compute is one of the most significant practical barriers to building at pace.
As Nick Hoover, VP of Corporate Development at CoreWeave, said on the day, “If you need compute, which is one of the scarcest resources on earth at this point, we can help.”
The third is proximity to venture capital. CoreWeave Ventures backs founders through structures that reflect what a company actually needs, including direct capital investment and compute for equity.”.
Entrepreneurship and ideas have always been here. Through our partnership with CoreWeave, we plan to help deliver the infrastructure, capital, and expertise needed to scale globally.
James Trotman, VP of Growth, CodeBase