Join Venture Café Edinburgh for a high-impact Thursday Gathering held in collaboration with Fintech Scotland, Scottish Enterprise, ScotlandIS, and key industry stakeholders. Serving as an official fringe event to the Fintech Festival, this session will bring together sector leaders and innovators to explore what it really takes to start a fintech business in Scotland and scale internationally.
From alternative funding models and growth strategies to robust security frameworks, we will dive deep into the people and ideas powering the next generation of fintech companies.
Meaningful ideas and changes are sparked when serendipitous connection collides with intention. The Thursday Gathering is our free, weekly meet-up that connects people from across Edinburgh’s innovation community to make things happen. Every Thursday, we bring together innovators of all backgrounds, from founders and investors to students and researchers, to discuss big ideas and connect human to human.
Community Partners:
Powered by Advanced Research + Invention Agency
Grab a drink, and join the conversation! Whether you're looking to meet potential collaborators, exchange ideas, grow your network, or simply continue the conversation, this is a great opportunity to connect with fellow innovators, entrepreneurs, and members of the community. You never know where a conversation might lead!
Find out more about the exciting startups in our ecosystem at our Innovator Showcase - the perfect chance to meet the people behind the ideas.
- LastingAsset – LastingAsset is a digital trust platform that stops impersonation fraud in the world of AI voice cloning, social engineering and deepfakes. Our technology lets individuals and organisations prove who’s really calling, emailing or messaging across phone, video and online channels, creating a secure identity handshake in seconds. We turn every interaction into a verifiable, fraud-resistant connection, rebuilding confidence in everyday digital life.
- FinTech Scotland – FinTech Scotland has been established to secure Scotland’s place as a global fintech centre. To succeed we bring together entrepreneurs, the established financial sector, the public sector, accelerators, investors, consumer groups, technology and service firms, universities and skills agencies.
Email inboxes are filling up with AI sales slop because people don’t know the rules of what makes a good, clear and effective sales message in 2026.
Come to this session and learn those rules, including the difference between what salespeople think personalisation is and what it actually takes to send a genuinely personalised, relevant sales message in 2026.
Discover the beauty of Japanese culture through hiragana, one of Japan’s fundamental writing systems, and momiji (紅葉), the iconic autumn leaves of Japan.
In this hands-on session, you’ll learn a little about Japanese writing and seasonal culture before writing your own name in Japanese calligraphy using a traditional brush. You’ll also learn how to paint momiji leaves with a calligraphy brush and combine them with your name to create your own piece of artwork.
More than just learning a new skill, this is a chance to slow down, focus on each brushstroke and reconnect with your senses. No previous experience is needed. Just bring your curiosity and creativity! 🖌️🇯🇵🍁
Note: There is no pre-registration for this session, participation will be first come first served.
First time attending a Thursday Gathering? Join this quick, interactive introduction to discover what Venture Café Edinburgh is, how the Thursday Gatherings work, and how you can make the most of your time with us.
Our mission is simple: to connect innovators to make things happen. We bring together people, ideas, organisations and opportunities, while amplifying the work happening across Scotland's innovation ecosystem.
Find out how to connect, learn, share and get involved - and how you can help amplify Scotland's innovation ecosystem. Grab a beverage, bring a friend and plug in!
Take a seat and hear from Venture Café Edinburgh Director, Claudia Cavalluzzo who will go through how to make the most of a Thursday Gathering and give you a quick preview of what's in line for this week's event.
Venture Café is a global movement built on a simple but powerful belief: isolation is the enemy of innovation.
At our weekly Thursday Gatherings, we connect creators, entrepreneurs, investors, coworkers, students and visionaries to build strong, inclusive and equitable innovation ecosystem. As ecosystem activators, Venture Café Edinburgh is creating a central hub for the city's innovation ecosystem, driving visibility, collaboration and community.
And if you’d like to get more involved with Venture Café, there are plenty of ways to join our network:
🤝 Become a partner
🎤 Speak at an upcoming Thursday Gathering
🙌 Join our ambassador team
Join us for this fireside chat between Louise Beattie, COO & Director at i-confidential, and Beverly Bowles, Head of Cyber at ScotlandIS, as they explore the story behind the business. Louise will share her journey from early funding and growth to scaling with structure and purpose, touching on employee ownership, cyber resilience, and what it really takes to build a resilient, internationally scalable company from Scotland.
What does it really take to scale a Scottish fintech company beyond the UK? Join moderator James Varga for a candid conversation with two founders at different points on that road: Dr. Sonia Schulenburg, CEO and Founder of Level E Research and Daniel Dyulgerski, Co-Founder & CPO of Terrapin. Expect practical insights, an honest look at setbacks, and advice for founders following behind.
Join Venture Café Edinburgh for a high-impact Thursday Gathering held in collaboration with Fintech Scotland, Scottish Enterprise, ScotlandIS, and key industry stakeholders. Serving as an official fringe event to the Fintech Festival, this session will bring together sector leaders and innovators to explore what it really takes to start a fintech business in Scotland and scale internationally.
From alternative funding models and growth strategies to robust security frameworks, we will dive deep into the people and ideas powering the next generation of fintech companies.
Meaningful ideas and changes are sparked when serendipitous connection collides with intention. The Thursday Gathering is our free, weekly meet-up that connects people from across Edinburgh’s innovation community to make things happen. Every Thursday, we bring together innovators of all backgrounds, from founders and investors to students and researchers, to discuss big ideas and connect human to human.
Community Partners:
Powered by Advanced Research + Invention Agency
Grab a drink, and join the conversation! Whether you're looking to meet potential collaborators, exchange ideas, grow your network, or simply continue the conversation, this is a great opportunity to connect with fellow innovators, entrepreneurs, and members of the community. You never know where a conversation might lead!
Find out more about the exciting startups in our ecosystem at our Innovator Showcase - the perfect chance to meet the people behind the ideas.
- LastingAsset – LastingAsset is a digital trust platform that stops impersonation fraud in the world of AI voice cloning, social engineering and deepfakes. Our technology lets individuals and organisations prove who’s really calling, emailing or messaging across phone, video and online channels, creating a secure identity handshake in seconds. We turn every interaction into a verifiable, fraud-resistant connection, rebuilding confidence in everyday digital life.
- FinTech Scotland – FinTech Scotland has been established to secure Scotland’s place as a global fintech centre. To succeed we bring together entrepreneurs, the established financial sector, the public sector, accelerators, investors, consumer groups, technology and service firms, universities and skills agencies.
Email inboxes are filling up with AI sales slop because people don’t know the rules of what makes a good, clear and effective sales message in 2026.
Come to this session and learn those rules, including the difference between what salespeople think personalisation is and what it actually takes to send a genuinely personalised, relevant sales message in 2026.
Discover the beauty of Japanese culture through hiragana, one of Japan’s fundamental writing systems, and momiji (紅葉), the iconic autumn leaves of Japan.
In this hands-on session, you’ll learn a little about Japanese writing and seasonal culture before writing your own name in Japanese calligraphy using a traditional brush. You’ll also learn how to paint momiji leaves with a calligraphy brush and combine them with your name to create your own piece of artwork.
More than just learning a new skill, this is a chance to slow down, focus on each brushstroke and reconnect with your senses. No previous experience is needed. Just bring your curiosity and creativity! 🖌️🇯🇵🍁
Note: There is no pre-registration for this session, participation will be first come first served.
First time attending a Thursday Gathering? Join this quick, interactive introduction to discover what Venture Café Edinburgh is, how the Thursday Gatherings work, and how you can make the most of your time with us.
Our mission is simple: to connect innovators to make things happen. We bring together people, ideas, organisations and opportunities, while amplifying the work happening across Scotland's innovation ecosystem.
Find out how to connect, learn, share and get involved - and how you can help amplify Scotland's innovation ecosystem. Grab a beverage, bring a friend and plug in!
Take a seat and hear from Venture Café Edinburgh Director, Claudia Cavalluzzo who will go through how to make the most of a Thursday Gathering and give you a quick preview of what's in line for this week's event.
Venture Café is a global movement built on a simple but powerful belief: isolation is the enemy of innovation.
At our weekly Thursday Gatherings, we connect creators, entrepreneurs, investors, coworkers, students and visionaries to build strong, inclusive and equitable innovation ecosystem. As ecosystem activators, Venture Café Edinburgh is creating a central hub for the city's innovation ecosystem, driving visibility, collaboration and community.
And if you’d like to get more involved with Venture Café, there are plenty of ways to join our network:
🤝 Become a partner
🎤 Speak at an upcoming Thursday Gathering
🙌 Join our ambassador team
Join us for this fireside chat between Louise Beattie, COO & Director at i-confidential, and Beverly Bowles, Head of Cyber at ScotlandIS, as they explore the story behind the business. Louise will share her journey from early funding and growth to scaling with structure and purpose, touching on employee ownership, cyber resilience, and what it really takes to build a resilient, internationally scalable company from Scotland.
What does it really take to scale a Scottish fintech company beyond the UK? Join moderator James Varga for a candid conversation with two founders at different points on that road: Dr. Sonia Schulenburg, CEO and Founder of Level E Research and Daniel Dyulgerski, Co-Founder & CPO of Terrapin. Expect practical insights, an honest look at setbacks, and advice for founders following behind.