GLASGOW entrepreneur Andrew Duncan has hailed his invitation to speak at a major Silicon Valley conference on app development as evidence of Scotland's growing global reputation as a location for developing cutting-edge mobile and web technology, writes Ian McConnell.

Mr Duncan, who founded Glasgow-based SwarmOnline six years ago, will be talking to an estimated 700-strong audience at the SenchaCon event in San Francisco this week about how they can improve the performance and stability of the apps they build for their clients.

The 28-year-old entrepreneur said: "It is actually quite humbling to know that our expertise is in demand even in a place like Silicon Valley, where they're not exactly short of technical know-how. We have been working with major companies including E.ON, Veripos, ScottishPower and Vodafone, and that is why we have shot to international prominence."

And the head of ScotlandIS, the trade body for the digital technology industry north of the Border, welcomed Mr Duncan's latest speaking engagement.

Scotland IS chief executive Polly Purvis said: "ScotlandIS is delighted that Andrew has...been asked to speak at the prestigious SenchaCon event. SwarmOnline is a fast-growing company with a blue-chip customer base and a dedicated team, representing all that is great about the industry in Scotland."

SwarmOnline, which specialises in mobile and web technologies and is based at Pacific Quay, said its recent growth had been rapid.

It noted that, just 18 months ago, it had been Mr Duncan plus one other person, working from the entrepreneur's home. The company now had 10 full-time staff and was set to hit its turnover target of £1million this financial year.