Two-thirds of hotel guests complain of a bad night's sleep, and Tethered set out to answer that with content rooted in the place a guest visits, believing guests connect most deeply with wellness that belongs to its setting. Founded by Graeme and Karen Kerr, it began as a consumer app rooted in Scotland's culture, and 85% retention after 30 days, against an industry average of 24%, gave the founders the evidence to carry that thesis into hospitality.
Today, Tethered creates bespoke, place-based content for hotels. It is now live with Virgin Hotels Edinburgh, in conversation with hotel groups across Scotland, London, the US and Asia, and growing 15% to 20% a month.
Techscaler, delivered by CodeBase, has been part of that journey. Tethered joined Techscaler's Catalyst programme, then took part in the international trip to Silicon Valley in May 2025 and the New York one in summer 2026.
This is a case study on building around a sense of place, and on showing up in the market you want to grow in.
Tethered began with Karen's search for wellness content that genuinely resonated. Finding existing apps too generic, she started recording her own, and when friends and family responded warmly, she and Graeme saw an opportunity. Karen brings more than 20 years of branding experience and recent qualifications in mindfulness, while Graeme brings a digital and technology background.
Their earlier venture, Scots of the World, had shown them that people engaged most with cultural stories and imagery. Tethered built on that insight, with an app grounded in cognitive and affective neuroscience. Graeme also treated churn as a source of insight, personally emailing every user who unsubscribed to ask why. Usage data showed most retained users were listening to sleep content, and leavers said they wanted more of it at greater length, which moved the focus from general mindfulness to longer-form sleep content.
When Tethered first spoke with Techscaler, the business was around eight months old and the founders knew they had a product worth backing. The open question was how to scale it. Consumer businesses operate in a competitive market, and Graeme and Karen had always seen the international opportunity as important. They already had paying US subscribers before ever travelling, so America was a clear focus.
They were looking for exposure to other founders, a clearer view of the US tech environment and guidance on how fundraising could work in Scotland or the US.
Tethered's first step with Techscaler was through Catalyst, where meeting other founders showed Graeme that everyone was working through very similar questions. Off the back of it, he then applied to the Silicon Valley programme in May 2025. Three weeks there gave Graeme a clearer view of the international opportunity, with the US set to remain Tethered's biggest market, and a closer look at the US tech environment and what investment would require. The biggest takeaways were how to fund the business and the realisation that Tethered needed a B2B side, which is where its hotel product came from.
Techscaler's mentorship gave Graeme a structured way to test his thinking. He was open with mentors about what Tethered needed. Lisa Sutherland supported the team on fundraising and the American market, and once those sessions had delivered their value, Graeme moved the remaining sessions to hospitality specialist Julie Grieve. Across them, mentors offered an external view of Tethered and welcome validation.
Next came Techscaler's New York programme, which ran from 30 May to 20 June 2026, timed to land in the middle of a16z Tech Week. By then, the focus had shifted from investment to customers. A mentor with a US technology background supported the trip, and the cohort added its own value, with founders sharing events and making introductions.
Graeme arrived in New York with an unproven US hypothesis and a clear aim: to validate that hotels there would buy what Tethered had built. Careful outreach before he landed helped him secure 19 meetings with hotels and investors that would have taken the best part of a year to arrange cold from Scotland, and a two-step introduction reached one of the largest hotel groups in the world. Several conversations are still running.
At home, the hotel product is live with Virgin Hotels Edinburgh, and the app relaunched this summer with AI-led personalisation and a sleep journal that turns each dream into a Scotland-inspired story and image. Monthly growth has held at 15% to 20%. Over the next 18 months, Tethered plans to prioritise revenue growth and new hotel partners in Scotland and the US.
Techscaler, delivered by CodeBase, gave Graeme and Karen a route into new markets, backed by mentors and peers. For founders weighing an international programme, Graeme advises preparing and committing to the market, because buyers want to see it. The programme opens the door and the founder shapes what follows.
For the wider ecosystem, Tethered's story shows what happens when early support is tailored and globally connected.
Follow Tethered on LinkedIn for updates on hotel partnerships and product developments.
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