Zinc

?? In honour of Carers Rights Day in the UK, we celebrate the great work of Zinc portfolio company Mobilise | B Corp. ?? In the UK,?10.6m people?— around 9% of the population — are unpaid carers. Mobilise is dedicated to ensuring that no one has to navigate a caregiving role alone. Their mission is to provide support and resources to unpaid carers, helping them to care for their loved ones while maintaining their own well-being. ?? In this this UKTN article, founder James Townsend shares his motivation for building Mobilise and talks about why first-time founders should focus on 'unsexy' problems... https://lnkd.in/eVvUfknV

?? Calling all Future Founders! ?? Fuel your entrepreneurial curiosity at Zinc’s Future Founders Breakfast, and learn how to take the first steps toward launching and building a startup that drives meaningful impact for people and the planet. ???? ?? Enjoy coffee, breakfast, and inspiring stories from some of Zinc's incredible portfolio founders who turned their bold ideas into thriving startups. What to Expect: ??Hear firsthand from a panel of dynamic founders from Zinc’s Portfolio, including: Annelise Brbora, Founder, Cordon Technologies Ahmet Can Berkyurek, Founder, Cambridge Medixine Ltd.? Dr Abhinav Bhansali, Founder, Joey Moderated by Zinc’s Chief People Officer,? Eleanor Ford ??? Discover Zinc's unique approach to co-founder matching, pre-seed investment,, and hands-on expert venture building support to help you build a venture that tackles a critical challenge on a global scale. ?? Connect with the Zinc team and like-minded innovators who are passionate about making a difference. Who should attend? - Mission-driven experts ready to make an impact: Leverage your domain knowledge and skills to address critical challenges in environment, climate, or health, and create lasting solutions. - Innovative business and tech leaders: Harness your commercial expertise and industry experience to build high-impact, purpose-driven ventures. ?? Date: Tuesday, 26th November ? Time: 08:00 - 09:30 AM GMT ?? Location: Zinc HQ, 6th Floor, Euston House, 24 Eversholt Street, NW1 1AD ?? Last chance to apply! Our final application deadline is midnight on November 28th, and the next venture-building cohort starts in January 2025. Get your final questions in now before it’s too late ?? ?? Link to RSVP below!

?? Are you, or someone you know, on a mission to improve the health of people or the planet on a global scale? ?? Build and commercialise science-for-impact with Zinc's investment & venture building support! ?? Fill out our 15 minute application form by Thursday 28th November and start your journey today. Why Zinc? Zinc is an early stage investor, partnering with founders and teams through the inception to pre-seed phase of your journey. We back entrepreneurs and innovators developing novel solutions and building ambitious ventures that tackle the most pressing and complex challenges facing the health of people and the planet. There are two ways to partner with us: 1?? Join our six month Zinc Venture Building cohort in January 2025 This route is ideal for individuals and teams early in your venture building journey who are looking to build a co-founding team, and need the time, funding and support to validate and develop your product and the business. 2?? Pre-seed funding for deep tech & science-led companies As your first lead investor partner, we provide funding of ￡250k and expert hands-on venture building expertise to IP-led ventures in climate, environment & health, providing both the runway and acceleration needed to get from development to deployment. Some of our exciting recent pre-seed investments include: Cambridge Medixine Ltd., Ampoxe, Microsol, Cordon Technologies, GutSee, Material Index, Serpenta, Unibloom, Sterling Bio Machines & speek ?? If you would like to follow in the footsteps of these world-calss founders, learn more & apply today to start the conversation: https://www.zinc.vc/ Ella Goldner (Levy) | Paul Kirby | Shelley Brown Natalie Pankova, PhD | Eleanor Ford | Caitlin Scheybeler | Kate Hyslop | Luke Charbonnier-Bevan, PhD | Rachel Carey #VC #VentureBuilding #PreSeed #Science #Deeptech #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #ClimateTech #HealthTech

?? Build and commercialise science-for-impact with Zinc's investment & support! ?? Next application deadline: Monday 18th November Zinc partners with founders and teams through the inception to pre-seed phase of your journey. We back entrepreneurs and innovators developing novel solutions and building ambitious ventures that tackle the most pressing and complex challenges facing the health of people and the planet. There are two ways to parter with us: ? 1?? Join our six month Zinc Venture Building cohort in January 2025 This route is ideal for individuals and teams early in your venture building journey who are looking to build a co-founding team, and need the time, funding and support to validate and develop your product and the business.? ? 2?? Pre-seed funding for deep tech & science-led companies As your first lead investor partner, we provide funding of ￡250k and expert hands-on venture building expertise to IP-led ventures in climate, environment & health, providing both the runway and acceleration needed to get from development to deployment. Some of our exciting recent pre-seed investments include: Cambridge Medixine Ltd., Ampoxe, Microsol, Cordon Technologies, GutSee, Material Index, Serpenta, Unibloom, Sterling Bio Machines & speek. ?? If you would like to follow in the footsteps of these founders, learn more & apply today to start the conversation: https://www.zinc.vc/ Ella Goldner (Levy) | Paul Kirby | Shelley Brown | Natalie Pankova, PhD | Eleanor Ford | Caitlin Scheybeler | Kate Hyslop | Luke Charbonnier-Bevan, PhD | Hannah Abdel-Hadi | Sally Makady | Rachel Carey #VC #VentureBuilding #PreSeed #Science #Deeptech #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #ClimateTech #HealthTech

??Thank you to everyone who joined us last Wednesday at our Zinc HQ for an inspiring evening of pitches showcasing some of the UK’s most cutting-edge decarbonisation solutions!?? After nine impressive pitches and insightful feedback sessions, three standout teams were awarded top honours, presented by Andrew Tindall from Potter Clarkson: ?? 1st Place & Audience Vote Winner: ?? Koji Muto with Ki Hydrogen – Building affordable co-production of green hydrogen and biogenic carbon to decarbonise key industries. ?? 2nd Place: Elizabeth Lee with Carbon Cell– Developing a sustainable, polymer-free alternative to traditional foams. ?? 3rd Place: Maurice Rüttimann at Planet Smart – Building a 100% biodegradable replacement for superabsorbent polymers in hygiene products. Every team presenting brought inspiring and impactful ideas to the table, and we can’t wait to see how they continue to grow and innovate. Huge congratulations to all participants! And a special thank you to our expert judges for their invaluable insights and constructive feedback: - Madeleine Luck, PhD CF, Quadrature Climate Foundation - Chloe Coates, Zero Carbon Capital - Nicole Florack, 2150 - TJ Edward Mitchell, Arda Biomaterials - Shelley Brown, Zinc VC Beyond the awards, the event connected innovators, investors, and mentors. Stay tuned for more events, let’s keep driving innovation for a sustainable future for people and planet! ?? Luke Charbonnier-Bevan, PhD | Caitlin Scheybeler | Paul Kirby | Ella Goldner (Levy) | Hannah Abdel-Hadi | Kate Hyslop | Alex Cheswick | James Oldcorn

? We are thrilled to announce Zinc’s pre-seed investment into Microsol, a Bristol-based startup revolutionising the development of inhaled and nasal drug products ? ?? This funding round will help propel founder Dr Dan Hardy and the team on their mission to enable more efficient and effective drug delivery for respiratory illnesses. ?? While the pace of innovation in the development of novel therapeutics is accelerating, R&D cycles for inhaled and nasal drug products remain long and complex. ?? Microsol’s technology platform brings together advanced hardware innovation with unique measurement and computational simulation capabilities to enable pharmaceutical companies to save money, resources and vastly expedite their inhaled drug R&D cycles. The team has made incredible progress in a short space of time, with paying pharma customers in the UK and US, key R&D partnerships in place, and a growing IP portfolio. Dan has built a world-class founding team of brilliant scientists: Microsol’s computational work is led by Victoria Legh-Land, who holds a PhD in respiratory drug delivery, and leading aerosol researcher Dr Al Haddrell brings over 20 years expertise in pharmaceutical and bioaerosol applications. This investment sits within Zinc’s thesis to back deep tech and cutting edge scientific innovation to solve the most critical challenges facing the health of people and the planet - and we couldn’t be more excited to partner with Dan and the team through this next phase of their growth! ?? Read on to learn more about the Microsol journey: https://lnkd.in/eiCQudQd Natalie Pankova, PhD | Ella Goldner (Levy) | Paul Kirby | Eleanor Ford | Kate Hyslop | Caitlin Scheybeler #Innovation #HealthTech #MedTech #Hardware #Investment #PreSeed

??Join us to learn about Zinc’s approach to building and commercialising science-for-impact in Climate, Environment, and Health Our November Meet & Greet series will explore how Zinc’s investment and venture building support can help you on your mission to build a world-changing venture impacting the health of people and the planet. VIRTUAL MEET & GREET w/ Hannah Abdel-Hadi ?? Tuesday, November 19th, from 12:00 to 12:45 PM GMT These sessions are ideal for… - Mission area experts with deep insights into important problems in the environment, climate or health. - Academics or innovators who have developed a deep tech or novel scientific solution that you're ready to commercialise. -? Business or technology leaders ready to apply your expertise to building impact-driven businesses - Pre-seed deeptech teams looking for your first investor partner We’ll explore what it’s like to build a business at Zinc, the support we offer, and the unique ecosystem we provide to help you create a venture that makes a significant impact on the planet. ?? The next application deadline is midnight on November 18th, with the next venture-building cohort starting in January 2025. ?? This is your chance to meet the Zinc team and ask those burning questions! ?? Sign-up link below in the event description ??

?? A great opportunity for entrepreneurial scientists and researchers looking to take technology-based innovation (in healthcare, cleantech, AI, deeptech & beyond) from lab to market, to create social and economic impact! ?? Learn more about the programme and apply here: https://lnkd.in/e5_DxQm University of London | Entrepreneurship and Private Capital at London Business School | UK Research and Innovation | Ella Goldner (Levy) | Paul Kirby | Luisa Alemany | Natalie Pankova, PhD | Shelley Brown | Caitlin Scheybeler #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #HealthTech #CleanTech #AI #DeepTech

? Join a founding team at Zinc! ? Are you ready for your next big challenge? Do you want to join the founding team of a cutting edge, high impact venture innovating to solve some of the most pressing and complex challenges facing the health of people and the planet? We have four exciting new opportunities to join Zinc founders on their missions to create impact at global scale: Microsol ?? Mission: Revolutionising the development of inhaled and nasal drug products ?? Founder: Dan Hardy ?? Seeking: 1) Formulation Specialist, 2) R&D Design Engineer ? Apply here: https://lnkd.in/eZRuyzzc Aquro ?? Mission: Innovating in the treatment of incontinence with a novel IP-led diagnostic test ?? Founder: James Foxlee ?? Seeking: Commercial Co-founder ? Apply here: https://lnkd.in/eXgyfQ9K Zendo ?? Mission: Enabling data centres to optimise energy consumption and monetise spare capacity ?? Founder: Jade Batstone ?? Seeking: Commercial Co-founder ? Apply here: https://lnkd.in/eJqyVssP Renée Materials ?? Mission: Building a marketplace for circular material trading for creatives and makers? ?? Founder: Frieda Bischoff ?? Seeking: CCO / COO ? Apply here: https://lnkd.in/eEzB5Did If you're excited by the potential for commercial growth and impact in these areas, and are ready for your next big challenge, apply directly or connect with the founders for more information! ~~~~ Ella Goldner (Levy) | Paul Kirby | Eleanor Ford | Shelley Brown | Natalie Pankova, PhD | Luke Charbonnier-Bevan, PhD | Caitlin Scheybeler | Kate Hyslop | Lily Macfarlane #VentureBuilding #Innovation #CoFounder #Startup #Impact #Environment #Climate #Health

?? We are delighted to be co-investing into the brilliant team at Material Index as they accelerate on their mission to enable large scale material reuse in the construction industry ?? Co-founders Morgan Lewis, Robert Smith and Ellis D. met as part of Zinc’s fifth venture building cohort, united by their drive to transform one of the industries that has the most damaging impact on the environment. Construction is the UK’s most wasteful sector, responsible for over half of the nation’s waste. Material Index’s vision is to shift the industry from viewing building components as waste to valuing them as assets. By diverting materials from landfill toward reuse, their aim is to reduce waste and increase the availability of low-carbon materials in the market, minimising the carbon impact of new material production. We’re very excited to be partnering with the team through this next phase of their journey towards impact at scale! ?? And if you would like to follow in the footsteps of Morgan, Rob and Ellis to build the next world-changing innovation impacting the health of people and the planet, applications for our next venture building cohort (starting in January) are now open: https://www.zinc.vc/ Clearance Venture Partners | Paul Kirby | Ella Goldner (Levy) | Shelley Brown | Luke Charbonnier-Bevan, PhD | Alex Cheswick | Eleanor Ford | Kate Hyslop | Caitlin Scheybeler