A PIONEERING Scottish tech firm that devised an alternative wireless technology to WiFi and 5G has collapsed into administration.
Since 2012, the telecoms business – pureLiFI – is understood to have raised more than £35m in investment from more than a dozen investors, funds and banks – including the state-owned Scottish National Investment Bank (SNIB).
But it has failed to raise further development capital, with 42 jobs now set to be lost at the firm’s head office in Leith, Edinburgh.
Kenny Craig and Kevin Mapstone of BTG were appointed joint administrators of pureLiFi Limited by the directors of the company on August 31 2026.
The business was at the leading edge of a new, super-secure light-based wireless communications technology, and had shifted into manufacturing products based on its own ‘LiFi’ technology and intellectual property.
Thomas McKay, managing partner of BTG in Scotland and Northern Ireland said: “The firm had received significant investment from numerous sources over the years, and despite creating products and generating revenue with some groundbreaking proprietary wireless technology, the business simply ran out of money before it could cross into profitability.
“A strategic shift into manufacturing its own hardware, rather than licensing its globally patented technology to third-party manufacturers, was more costly than initially anticipated. By the end of Q2 2026 the business had simply run out of cash flow and was seeking sources of additional investment needed to cover losses until the business crossed into profitability.”
He added: “With no further investment forthcoming, the directors were left with no alternative than to appoint administrators to stop the company’s debts rising, and sadly that has led to the immediate redundancy of all 42 employees at the business.
“Our team is working closely with those affected to help them access the financial entitlements and support available to them, including assistance from Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE) and the Redundancy Payments Service.
“In addition to ensuring these employees receive the guidance and advice they need during this process, our priority is to identify any business assets and realise maximum value from their sale, especially the valuable intellectual property assets built up over the years of development, to the benefit of creditors.”
