Across all our programmes Undaunted is creating new routes into climate entrepreneurship. From untapping academic research and supporting innovative students and very early-stage cleantech ideas, through to The Greenhouse – Europe’s leading climate accelerator that nurtures pre-seed startups (now recruiting Cohort 7) and our Better Futures Retrofit Accelerator for SMEs ready to scale up in the built environment sector (now recruiting Cohort 2).
Inclusion is integral to successful innovation; the climate challenge is everyone’s business. From identifying and understanding the consequences of climate change in different contexts and on different communities to choosing what to fund and invest in. From designing flexible solutions that help us mitigate or adapt to our changing planet to efficiently deploying these solutions so that they make meaningful impact on local and global scales. Including diverse perspectives can lead to unanticipated outcomes – ultimately to more intelligently-designed and effective solutions. We need to work together.
Ecosystems are also vital. It’s key to create pipelines that enable founders from diverse backgrounds to access the support they need at the right time to develop their ideas into scalable, commercially viable businesses. It’s on us to ensure these pipelines are inclusive at every level – and doing so has great potential, not only in tackling the climate crisis, but also in bringing economic, health and social benefits such as re-skilling and employment opportunities, cleaner cities and more efficient and resilient infrastructure that costs less to run.
Today we’re celebrating International Women’s Day: female founders on our Greenhouse climate accelerator reflect on the theme of Inspire Inclusion. Plus, they tell us more about their innovative climate solutions, share experiences nurturing an early-stage startup, the best bits of advice they’ve been given along the way, and their tips for budding female innovators.
Chloe So, Co-founder and CEO of Pulpatronics
Pulpatronics is transforming the RFID industry. RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification, a technology used across commercial and industrial applications to track items, such as clothing price tags, which are extremely resource-intensive, costly to make and usually end up in landfills once the consumer pulls the tag off, contributing to increasing amounts of waste and CO2 emissions.
“The PulpaTronics team is revolutionising the RFID industry with chipless and metal-free RFID tags that reduce CO2 emissions and manufacturing costs through our proprietary technology,” says Chloe. “Our goal is to increase the accessibility and affordability of smart technology to wider industries so that item-level tracking, product identification and inventory management solutions can be more efficient and sustainable.”
The team is about to begin its pre-seed funding round: “we’ve been bootstrapping since our launch in June 2023, but have won various cash prizes, research grants and, more recently, an Innovate UK grant. Our next milestone challenge is to convince stakeholders that the transition to sustainable products is not only an environmentally but also a financially conscious decision. PulpaTronics RFID tags are cheaper and more sustainable, so persuading them to take a chance with a new product is what we’re prepping for.”
What does Inspire Inclusion mean to you? “Inclusivity embraces all. This means that more thoughts, ideas, and perspectives are heard, which creates more diversity and depth, and in turn cultivates stronger solutions. Being inclusive with nature is critical. Designing and problem-solving with and for nature is a core pillar at PulpaTronics. We can better achieve inclusion by actively seeking unconventional points of views and understanding and considering them equally.”
What’s the best bit of advice you’ve been given? “Be comfortable in the uncomfortable. Being uncomfortable is not a desired feeling and people often find it overwhelming and scary. Stepping outside your comfort zone is scary, but the more comfortable you are in this “scary”, the easier it is for you to grow and achieve the things that you want.”
Any pet peeves about the cleantech space? “While we understand from first-hand experience that innovating with a sustainable mindset can become very challenging in the current economic climate, it is unsettling to see how results often lead to greenwashing.”
And your advice for aspiring founders? “Just go for it. You won’t know what you’re capable of unless you try! Taking the leap is overwhelming, but there are a lot of networks and resources to support you. And surrounding yourselves with the right people too – a community with the right mindset, motivations, and network will really help you a long way.”
Alexandra Harrod, Founder and CEO of Zori Tex
Fashion and textiles are hugely resource intensive. With a background in fashion manufacturing and supply chains for major brands and retailers, Alex Harrod founded Zori Tex to drive circularity in the fashion and textile industries through innovative AI that optimises the sorting and availability of non-rewearable textiles for closed-loop recycling. “If I’d known there was such a great support system and ecosystem for entrepreneurs in the UK I might have begun my startup journey earlier,” she says.
The company is currently pre-seed – to date its raised £300k through grants and investment. “Building the right team quickly so we can hit the next product milestones as fast as possible ready to raise at the end of the year,” is the next goal says Alex. “I’d love to hear from anyone who would like to join or support us on our journey.”
Who are your role models in the cleantech startup space? “I am particularly inspired by women of integrity I’ve met who are on a rocketing trajectory as well as open and supportive – from fellow The Greenhouse’s entrepreneurs Lisa Stafford (CEO Tazaar) and Sarah Angold (CEO Fiiba) to Greyparrot’s CEO Mikela Druckman and Alina Bassi Founder of Kleiderly.”
“Inspiring inclusion means being proactive: challenging stereotypes, celebrating differences, learning and doing,” says Alex. “There are very few women entrepreneurs with young children, due to the challenges of juggling bootstrapping, long hours, heavy workload and stress with family life. Imagine how we could inspire the next generation if more mums were in cleantech. We have to demonstrate there are ways this journey can be adaptable and achievable.”
“Within fashion and textiles, there is a much better gender balance in interest and investment in and understanding of cleantech in mainland Europe compared to the UK,” she continues.
Any advice for budding founders? “Doing nothing when you can do something is not an option – your innovation in cleantech could empower people and change our future. There is also great value in the personal growth and development that comes from trying new things.”
“And don’t be too hard on yourself – reflect on and celebrate your achievements, and don’t underestimate the importance of resilience. Plus every bit of advice that Jim Shaikh Head of The Greenhouse gives!”
Marianna Herold, Co-founder and CEO of NatureBound
With a PhD in industrial ecology Marianna Herold spent her career working with sustainable supply chains. She’s now Co-founder and CEO of NatureBound, which helps big corporates measure and monitor their nature impacts and dependencies. The company is pre-seed £500k – “fundraising enough to help us reach the next milestone is a challenge”, she says.
What are your pet peeves about the cleantech startup space? “Funding sources dedicated to female founders seem to often require another VC to lead the round.”
What does Inspire Inclusion mean to you? “It makes me think of creating a workplace that inspires a diverse set of people to join it. Challenges with the transition that we need to make are multifaceted and having as broad a range of minds as possible solving them is critical. I think the key is creating workplaces with flexible hours and jobs that can accommodate people with different abilities to contribute. Getting away from the mentality that the only way to succeed is to work all hours.”
What do you wish you’d known when you first started out as a founder that you know now? “That everything takes much longer than you think. I think many people told me that, but I wasn’t ready to hear it!”
And advice for aspiring founders? “It is more a philosophical one but that it is not about how many times you fall but rather how many times you get up again.
“Just do it!” she adds. “We need more people in this space.”
Emma Money (CEO) and Antoinette Nothomb (COO, CFO) – both Co-founders of Cyanoskin
Cyanoskin is innovative living paint designed to transform buildings into carbon dioxide-absorbing structures, reducing emissions and addressing urban pollution. Once applied, the photosynthetic paint grows and thickens, allowing it to capture carbon dioxide in urban environments.
What does Inspire Inclusion mean to you? Emma: “It means loving, encouraging and building up those around you regardless of your differences. We all have our own experiences and perspectives of the world and that’s what makes us stronger together. We have a huge challenge to face in the climate crisis, we will need to support each other if we are to tackle the problem efficiently.”
What do you wish you’d known at the start of your journey that you know now? Emma: “That reaching out, asking advice in lots of directions and creating a firm foundation in your community grounds you for any obstacles that get thrown in your way- and they definitely will come, but you’ll be strong and supported. Also, the problem your facing has likely been encountered thousands of times- but so has the solutions too!”
Any advice for aspiring female founders, or for women with a great cleantech idea? Antoinette: “There’s not a lot of us in the field, but the women you will find are all your allies.”
Apply now for The Greenhouse
Chloe, Alex, Marianna, Emma and Antoinette are all currently on The Greenhouse climate accelerator programme at Undaunted – and we’re on the lookout for our next cohort!
We love to support people who are passionate about innovation that tackles climate change, who are looking to learn and are 100% committed to achieving their vision. We expect applicants to have a clearly thought-out idea, a good understanding of how their technology or product will work (you don’t necessarily need to have a working prototype yet), and ideally at least one founder working on the idea full-time.
At The Greenhouse, we recognise the positive value of diversity in innovation and in society – we strive to uphold equality and aim to challenge discrimination. We welcome and encourage questions and applications from people of all backgrounds. You can come from any university (or none at all) and have any kind of educational or professional background. We recognise that we have an under-representation of women, Black and other minority ethnic groups, and disabled persons in our startup portfolios, and encourage more applications from people who identify as part of these groups.
Find out more about the programme, how to apply, meet the team at an upcoming virtual Q&A and help us spread the word! Deadline: 25 April 2024.
The Greenhouse is supported by the Greater London Authority via the Mayor of London, and HSBC UK, through the bank’s global Climate Solutions Partnership.
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Undaunted is a partnership between The Royal Institution and Imperial’s Grantham Institute – Climate Change and the Environment.
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