SCOTTISH start-ups need more confidence if they are to succeed on a global scale, according to an entrepreneur and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) lecturer.

Bill Aulet was in Scotland to address the Entrepreneurial Scotland conference.

“Scotland absolutely punches above its weight but the Scottish don’t feel like they do. They have a healthy insecurity,” he said. “Scotland is high on the humble scale but not high enough on the ambitious scale.”

He said that the Scottish culture of self-examination and humility was very healthy for a thriving business sector, but that start-ups had to really push themselves to attain their ambitions.

“What you have in Scotland is a very well educated, merit-based, and very inventive,” he said. “But Scots are terrible at sales. If you look at the amount of inventions that have come out of Scotland, it’s incredible, but have they been monetised by Scottish people – no. That’s why we need to answer questions about how Scottish start-ups go big.”

A lack of confidence is something that engineering tycoon Jim McColl agreed was a hindrance to a number of Scottish start-ups. “We feel that it’s not right to go out there and blow your own trumpet, but you have to,” he said. “If you don’t believe in what you’re doing, if you can’t go out there and shout about it, why should anyone else see you that way?”

He called on Government to put in place a system that attracted more businesses to set up in Scotland. “I’m sure there are plenty of ‘unicorns’ out there and I’m sure there were plenty in the past, but they’re not fully exploited. What we need are entrepreneurial type leaders that can take them to that level.”

Mr Aulet added: “Americans come out and say ‘we’re the greatest’. You can’t go all in on being over the top, but you do need to be more ambitious while maintaining your humility.”