Scottish GovTech Scaleup ePass Reports Strong Growth as It Targets UK Expansion

ePass, a Scottish GovTech startup specializing in digital licensing, registration, and permitting, has reported £1 million in revenue during its first year of operation. Founded in 2024 by CEO James Buchan and CTO Chris Renga, the company is positioning itself as a key player in the modernization of public sector administrative infrastructure.

Scaling Digital Infrastructure in the Public Sector

The company’s growth follows its success in a CivTech challenge, which led to the development and deployment of a tobacco and vapes retailers register. This service was implemented within six months and now serves as a digital component across all 32 Scottish local authorities. Currently, the platform supports more than 15,000 businesses, a figure the company anticipates will grow to approximately 80,000 by next year.

According to James Buchan, the platform was designed to address long-standing inefficiencies in public services. “Scotland has had a licensing problem for decades. Licensing and registration are essential public services, but too often the underlying processes have been fragmented, paper-heavy and difficult to manage consistently,” Buchan stated. “ePass was created to reduce that friction, and we are now a core component of Scotland’s national digital infrastructure.”

Strategic Outlook and AI Integration

As the UK public sector market, valued at approximately £50 billion, looks toward further digital transformation, ePass is targeting expansion beyond Scotland into wider UK and international markets. The company has also aligned its strategy with the broader ‘Scotland’s AI Strategy 2026-2031’.

Buchan noted the importance of data integrity in the adoption of artificial intelligence within government. “Responsible AI in public services will depend on the quality of the underlying data, workflows and governance. That is where platforms such as ePass can play an important enabling role: creating structured, auditable service data from processes that have historically been fragmented or paper-based,” he added.

Organizational Milestones

The company continues to bolster its leadership team to support its growth trajectory. Recent senior appointments include Bjorn Gisbertz as Director of Public Sector Strategy, who brings experience in public-sector digital transformation, and Aaron Drummond as Growth Lead, tasked with overseeing expansion efforts in the UK and overseas.

ePass was among the first private organizations to be onboarded onto the Scottish Government’s cloud platform and is slated to become the first live service on the ‘App for Scotland’ later this year. To sustain this momentum, the firm is actively engaging with the venture capital community, with plans to launch its first external fundraising round later in 2026.

Key Takeaways

• Revenue Milestone: ePass achieved £1 million in revenue within its first 12 months of operation.
• Market Reach: The platform currently supports over 15,000 businesses across all 32 Scottish local authorities, with projections to reach 80,000 by next year.
• Strategic Focus: The company is transitioning from a Scottish-focused startup to a broader UK and international GovTech provider.
• Future Funding: The company is preparing for its first external fundraising round later this year to support continued scaling.

For more information on the company’s ongoing projects and technology, visit epass.tech.