Inspirent, based in Hamilton, North Lanarkshire, was incorporated in 1987 as Monklands Business Enterprise Trust, before several rebrandings over its 39-year lifespan. It has supported more than 20,000 SMEs in that time, but has now revealed it will be closing its doors.
The not-for-profit broke the news that it was winding down just days after revealing the successful awardees of a £1.75 million fund at the end of May, citing the business as “no longer able to operate on a sustainable basis.”
Inspirent was administering the Scottish Government’s Ecosystem Fund, which offered grants of up to £40,000 to 44 organisations that “strengthen Scotland’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.”
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The business’s most recent accounts detail close to £2 million in cash at hand and in the bank on its balance sheet, and, as of November 2025, it had 16 employees.
It has not been made clear what will happen to Inspirent’s staff.
The Government delivery partner released a statement from its board, which read: “After careful consideration, the Board of Inspirent has taken the difficult decision to begin the process of winding down the company.
“This decision follows several years of challenging trading conditions and a fundamental shift in the public sector environment in which we have traditionally operated. Despite sustained efforts to adapt and restructure, the Board has concluded that the business is no longer able to operate on a sustainable basis.
“Inspirent was founded with a clear purpose: to support organisations, individuals, and communities to grow, improve, and succeed. Over the years, we are proud to have worked with partners across Lanarkshire, the Central Belt, and throughout Scotland, delivering programmes and services that have supported economic development, skills, employment, and organisational change.
“The impact of this work has been shaped above all by the dedication, professionalism, and values of our people. Inspirent’s team has consistently brought commitment, care, and expertise to everything they have done, and the Board would like to place on record its sincere thanks to both current and former colleagues who have contributed to the organisation’s journey.
“We would like to thank our clients, partners, stakeholders, and the wider business community for the trust they have placed in Inspirent over the years. It has been a privilege to play a part in supporting organisations and communities across Scotland, and we are proud of the positive legacy the company leaves behind.”
Doubts had been cast on what would happen to the Ecosystem Fund grantees; however, Inspirent confirmed that it had notified those affected and that a team would remain in place to oversee the transition.
They said: “Our engagement with awardees is already well underway, and we have already been in direct contact with all successful projects. We look forward to working closely with all awardees over the coming months as their projects develop and deliver impact.
“We notified all awardees on Friday that their projects can proceed. A team will remain in place until the end of September and the Scottish Government are working to minimise disruption as they transition to new delivery arrangements.”
The four funds affected by the closure of Inspirent are the Ecosystem Fund, the Community (Grassroots) Fund, the Pathways Fund, and the Entrepreneurial Education Fund.
The Ecosystem Fund was announced to “support organisations delivering high-impact projects that strengthen Scotland’s entrepreneurial ecosystem”. Applications closed on March 26 and successful awardees were notified at the end of May.
