Scotland is Innovative
Ed Broussard
Ed Broussard is the co-founder and CEO of Mudano, a company that uses artificial intelligence and data science to help large IT projects run more effectively.
Mudano was founded three years ago and is headquartered in London, but they have since expanded and recently opened a new office in Edinburgh.
The Edinburgh office is now home to their innovative research and development centre and their primary focus is to further develop the artificial intelligence arm of the business. Mudano was borne out of Ed and his team noticing a gap in the IT market, where techniques from hundreds of years ago were still being used rather than embracing modern technology.
“I've always been an IT consultant and it’s an industry that’s broken, it doesn't deliver value for the client. We [the industry] used to use old, antiquated project management techniques developed for building bridges 200 years ago, so that was what triggered Mudano. What if we could use data, analytics and artificial intelligence to drive better decision making and fundamentally change the industry?!”
But what made Mudano choose Scotland as the home of their research and development branch? Ed admits that they had a set of criteria that they needed met when looking for a new site and they quickly realised that Edinburgh ticked all the boxes. For Ed and his team it came down to four key factors that gave Scotland the edge: Talent, Community, Clients and Support.
Ed also notes that another one of the real benefits came from Edinburgh’s relatively diminutive size, as it meant they were able to get their message out faster and get staff in much quicker than they could have in a larger city like London. The bonus for Mudano was that not only was it quicker, but they could also access a talent pool that is just as good as London or anywhere else in Europe
“There’s really strong talent throughout Scotland and that had a huge impact. Not only that, we found it much easier to recruit in Edinburgh because it was easier to get our brand out there and get in touch with the community. We’ve also had investment and support from The Scottish Government and various universities in building data science and technology capabilities. There’s a real, focused tech community in the city that is driving the industry forward. It really feels like Scotland wants entrepreneurship. They want business here!”
Such was the impact that Edinburgh had on Ed personally, that he not only expanded his company into Scotland, he actually moved here with his family too. Ed was actually brought up on the west coast of Scotland, but moved to London to pursue his academic career and then his professional career. He says that when the decision was made to expand their offices into his home country, he jumped at the opportunity to lead the move north.
“When Mudano decided to set up in Edinburgh I took the opportunity to move back as well. I've recently started a family and the quality of life that I have in here is incomparable to what I had in London. I have access to incredible countryside, I have much more space in terms of my house and garden and the great thing about having bases in central Edinburgh and central London is the ease of commuting between the two. I can be in the office in London by 8:30 am, having started the day in Edinburgh”.
Having spent the last seven years living and working right in the centre of London, Ed admits that Edinburgh is a breath of fresh air…literally! He loves the incredible mix of a metropolitan city, but also being only a 10 minute drive away from Scotland’s beautiful countryside.
With incredible attractions like the Edinburgh Festival Fringe – the world’s largest arts festival, as well as access to Michelin star restaurants and an amazing nightlife on top of all the amazing business reasons to move, Ed thinks the future is definitely bright for investment in Scotland.
“There is a great sense of community in Scotland; we are a multicultural, welcoming community that really brings people together”.