The Scottish Government has appointed businesswoman and investor Ana Stewart as its new Chief Entrepreneur. She will take up the role until July 2026, where she will act as the chief advisor to Government on growing the start-up and scale-up economy; work closely with investors and entrepreneurs, to ensure that the Government policy and delivery is shaped by business; and work towards instilling entrepreneurship in the education and skill system.
On the occasion of appointment, Kate Forbes, the Deputy First Minister and Ms Stewart visited the offices of Inspirent, a social enterprise based in Hamilton, to launch a new round of the Scottish Government’s Ecosystem Fund.
Inspirent will be the delivery partner of this year’s £700,000 fund. The fund will be used to develop the strength and impact of Scotland’s start-up community by funding organisations and programmes that support startups.
Since its launch in 2012, £2.6 million has been awarded to 75 innovative projects through the Ecosystem Fund.
Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said: “It is vital to Scotland’s economic resilience that we support our business community – particularly those taking their first steps. Ana Stewart is an exceptional talent with deep experience of starting, scaling and investing in some of Scotland’s best companies, and will ensure we are well-placed to deliver this support.
“Scotland is home to some of the world’s brightest business minds, ideas and innovators. The Scottish Government is committed to helping deliver an end-to-end support network that nurtures this talent and helps this and future generations of business founders to thrive.
“To deliver truly meaningful, strategic support, it is vital we continue to listen to and learn from entrepreneurs and the wider business community. Ana Stewart brings the insight, lived experience and connections needed to shape and accelerate our policies and deliver for Scotland’s start-up talent.”
The Scottish Government’s Chief Entrepreneur Ana Stewart said:
“Leveraging my own lived experience as an entrepreneur and investor, I am looking forward to contributing to the development and optimisation of the Scottish Government’s entrepreneurship strategy.
“Entrepreneurship is the engine room for economic growth and it’s essential that we provide more pathways, increased access and accelerated funding to current and future founders, whilst ensuring private and public sector are aligned in making that happen.”
Applications for the 2025-26 Ecosystem Fund are open until Monday 20 May. The application portal and further information can be found on a new dedicated Ecosystem Fund website: www.ecosystemfund.co.uk
