Clare Jones

This week was truly invigorating, filled with deep dives into ClimateTech at InnovationZero and inspiring discussions at 'On the Business' events supporting female founders in scaling their businesses. Here are the key insights that resonated with me: Climate Targets and Urgency: Despite our focus on climate targets, it's alarming to note that Europe has already warmed by 2 degrees, surpassing the threshold for extreme weather events. This calls for urgent action to address the impacts of climate change, from flooding to food shortages. The Role of Innovation: More innovation and adoption of impactful innovation is crucial to support sustainable initiatives, whether at the corporate or individual level. To drive adoption, innovative technologies must not only align with market needs and the needs of the planet, but also offer tangible benefits that make business sense - cheaper, better, faster… Empowering Start-ups: Corporates play a significant role in our journey towards NetZero, but they can't innovate fast enough to develop all the solutions. This is where start-ups become critical. A vibrant ecosystem that fosters collaboration across sectors, areas of expertise, corporates and policy makers is essential to achieving our NetZero goals. As we strive for a sustainable future, it's evident that behavioral change and technology adoption are key drivers of progress. Action and adoption can be incentivized through regulation and taxes, but broad scale adoption will come when these innovations make more sense to adopt than the status quo solutions we have today. we can accelerate the transition to a greener, more resilient world. Let's continue to harness the power of innovation, collaboration, and individual action to build a better tomorrow for ourselves and future generations. Together, we can make a meaningful difference to accelerate the transition to a greener, more resilient world. 🌱💡

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🌟 Scaling Care Hires: A Journey from Concept to Industry Leader 🌟 Join us as we trace the incredible evolution of Care Hires, from a mere concept on a piece of paper to a thriving platform serving over 15,000 care workers and 1,000 agencies. Ian Mattioli director of Mattioli Woods plc our first investor and chairman, played a pivotal role in this growth story, embodying the spirit of taking calculated risks to scale efficiently. In this video, explore how strategic decisions like offshoring our tech development to Sri Lanka catalyzed our expansion, enabling us to enhance service delivery and impact across the care sector. Discover the bold moves and visionary leadership that drive Care Hires ongoing success. #CareHires #HealthTechInnovation #StrategicScaling #Leadership #Entrepreneurship #MattioliWoods

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Calling all angels, VC’s and investors who love early entry into rapidly growing global markets 📈 We’re kicking off Men’s Health Month with our £400K pre seed raise 🧨 This follows a brilliant month with Mountside Ventures on the Mayor Of London’s Funding Accelerator run by Yasemin Gunes and team. We’re now chomping at the bit to secure funds which will see us help more men enhance their longevity and wellbeing by supporting their testosterone health – naturally. There has never been a better time to invest. ✅Focus is rapidly turning to the black holes in men’s health. ✅Men’s needs mirror women's but are massively underserved. ✅Awareness of vital role testosterone health growing rapidly. As the first natural digital health company focussed on the vital role testosterone health plays in men’s physical, mental and sexual health, and first to retail 🥇, we have unrivalled experience of the market and are set to capitalise on our innovation. So can you. With half the population experiencing rapidly declining hormonal health due to lifestyles and environmental issues, lets dig into why you can’t afford NOT to invest. Today we look at the PROBLEM 🚹Health Crisis: Why Urgent Attention is Needed ⬇️Failing testosterone Health: Levels have more than halved in 50 years.  Linked to higher risks of heart disease, Alzheimer’s, Diabetes and numerous other conditions. 🪫Young Men at Risk: It’s not an old man issue - 1 in 5 men under 30 and 1 in 4 over 40 have low T, with little awareness or support. 💾Outdated Market: Men’s wellness lags behind women’s, dominated by pharma with minimal focus on prevention or hormone free solutions. ☠️Low T proven to early death: 2024 studies show low T is linked to all cause of death & 6 x increased death from Covid. ⚖️Health Equity Gap: Men’s hormonal health is underfunded and underserved, leaving few natural solutions. Directly comparable with early menopause market. Join us in being at the front of the men’s health revolution—invest in breaking boundaries, shattering stigma, and empowering better lives.

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Maternity in VC in the spotlight. Well done Rachel Drapper, Sophie Winwood & the WVC:E team on getting this important report out there. In VC we’re dealing often with small firms, network & event heavy schedules and FOMO of being left behind if we take time out (I refuse to use the word off as anyone who’s had a child knows that’s the furthest from how it feels). If you’re thinking about having a child or in the throes of the early-stages, navigating how to even try and get some semblance or balance, then hopefully this report can provide some useful tips. Most importantly showcasing that you’re not alone.

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I am excited to announce our latest investment round lead by FIGR Ventures and supported by follow on from existing investors to match fund our £1.1m Innovate UK grant. Read more about it here: https://lnkd.in/eyJ6crxF For years, TRUSS has been working to fill critical data gaps for fashion's forgotten products. We've developed a range of use cases spanning fashion resale, machine learning and logistics, all centred around our core data capabilities. While each use case delivers value in its own right, we use AI and advanced tools to unite them under a single, comprehensive product profile. This profile consolidates all information about a product – from where it's listed online to how people search for it all the way to an item's sell-through-rate – forming a highly advanced system that offers benefits to anyone with a touch-point to second hand fashion products. We are building multiple millions of these product profiles diving deep into the back-catalogue of brands so that every time a business or individual needs information about any given fashion good, they can rely on TRUSS. To power these systems, we organise, standardise, and group millions of unique listings into structured product profiles that provide ground source truth information about fashion's past products. LLM's get things wrong, TRUSS information is correct and reliable and provides insights that are impossible to get from chatGPT. As part of this endeavour, TRUSS secured a £1.1m Innovate UK Grant to develop an proprietary algorithm with the University of Warwick that can recognise and the same products even when the image is very different. FIGR’s investment provided the critical match-funding needed to make it possible. This algorithm has already surpassed industry-standard benchmarks, marking a significant step forward in TRUSS' mission to transform the resale market.

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With just two weeks to go, we’re thrilled to have over 50 registrations, and there are still some free tickets available! Fundraising often takes longer than expected, so join us to make valuable connections and kickstart your 2025 fundraising journey. Free tickets for healthcare startups and investors are available—please reach out to me or Roland Petrenkó from SS&C Intralinks for details. As we’re prioritizing these tickets for healthcare companies and investors, please be aware that consultancies are generally not given preference. Our second Capital for Cures forum will feature an exceptional panel: Dr. Bodo Alexander Marr, VP and Head of M&A/Treasury at MorphoSys Roby Kanichay, Head of Technologies and Externalizations at Merck Healthcare Tobias Goetz, Director of Corporate Development/M&A at @Fresenius Group For more information, visit capitalforcures.com. Looking forward to seeing you in Frankfurt! #CapitalForCures #venturecapital #BiotechFunding #LifeSciencesInvesting #FutureOfHealth

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Team Supercritical has been hard at work over the last month building our marketplace for today’s launch 🚀 For the first time ever, buyers can access live pricing and availability data for projects covering 80%+ of global biochar supply. All projects onboarded onto our marketplace must pass our strict 118-point vetting protocol, including all the CDR usuals (additionality, leakage, permanence, LCA etc.) as well as broader environmental impact, social impact, and delivery risk. 80% of the projects we review fail. And the 15+ page vetting reports are available for any buyer to read. When I speak to overworked sustainability teams trying to buy CDR, I hear the same problems over and over: ♦ “I need 20,000 tonnes, this year for my 2023 emissions. Is this available? How do I know?” ♦ “I ran an RFP. It took 6 months, a ton of back & forth with suppliers, and by the time I selected my shortlist, I learned the tonnes were gone. The data was rapidly out of date and all that work was for nothing.” At Songkick, my last company, we built the world’s most comprehensive database of 100,000+ upcoming concerts in the world, aggregating over 100 data sources to make sure fans never missed a show. What does Beyoncé have to do with biochar? Well, I know how challenging it is to build a transparent, accurate, and real-time data set, but I also know how transformational it can be. #CarbonRemoval #CDR #Sustainability #Biochar #ClimateAction #Supercritical #NetZero #RadicalTransparency

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What’s Holding Carbon Markets Back? Allister Furey, CEO and Co-Founder of Sylvera, dives into the challenges and solutions that could transform carbon markets into a key driver of net-zero goals. 🔍 The Importance of Accurate Carbon Data: Why precise data is the backbone of any real climate action and how Sylvera is setting a new standard for carbon project evaluations. 📉 Challenges of Carbon Markets: The hidden pitfalls and data gaps that undermine the effectiveness of carbon credits—and what needs to change. 🚀 Role of Sylvera: How Sylvera’s independent ratings bring transparency and accountability, empowering companies and governments to invest smarter and drive impactful change. 🌱 Emerging Carbon Removal Technologies: A look at the innovative solutions pushing the boundaries of carbon capture, from direct air capture to nature-based methods. 🔮 Future of Carbon Markets: What’s next for carbon markets? Allister shares his insights on the evolving landscape and why the right data can make all the difference. Even if you’re not immersed in carbon markets, this episode of Climate Insiders will give you a fresh perspective on how innovation and data are reshaping our approach to climate action—and why it’s crucial to stay ahead. Full episode in the comments! 👇

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No insights, overview, round-up, just a big shout out to an incredible team that brought Startup Discovery School Climate Fest to life at Impact Hub London in London. So much discussion concerning climate (tech), often feels abstract. We talk of the problem without reference to those currently facing the impact of climate change...right..now. Tech demo days are great, but we needed something more. Something that brings people together who view the challenge from different angles—entrepreneurs, investors, activists, curious folk, and anyone else interested. Climate Fest was the first attempt at convening this diverse group of people and long may it continue. A Shout Out 📣 A big shout out to Farrah Rainfly, who highlighted the great work Lifeafterhummus Community Benefit Society has done mobilising resources to retrofit community housing in Somerstown, London. Thanks to Kieron Boyle CEO of the Impact Investing Institute, who gave insights on *how* money can work better in supporting what is called 'the only transition' to net zero. Reuben Christian for leading us in 'Dream Rehab' session alongside our own Taz Latif. Another thanks goes to Radhika Srinivasan, who led us in a conversation around driving equitable transitions to net zero. And finally Margarita Skarkou, Nikki Gaddo FRSA and Ann Stevenson who joined me as we discussed convenience, consumerism and the circular economy. Onwards ⏩ #climatechange #climatetech #justtransition #team

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This is an absolutely fantastic resource for anyone looking at building healthtech solutions, particularly if you are trying to raise capital early on. Addressing the very likely risks early on allows you to demonstrate a logical business case and if anything, reassure yourself that you are dedicating time/effort to a viable and robust proposition. We fell short on many of the suggestions Wesley mentions but you learn from it! #healthtech #technology #risk

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Standard Chartered pioneers green finance with carbon removal startup UNDO. • StanChart breaks new ground by offering commercial debt to UNDO, a carbon removal firm using Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW) - a promising yet controversial approach to fighting climate change. • This innovative financing model, backed by British Airways advance credit purchase, could unlock scalable funding for nascent carbon capture technologies. • ERW shows potential for dual benefits: sequestering CO2 for millennia while improving soil health and crop yields. But questions remain about its ecological impact and verification challenges. Is this the financial catalyst needed to scale carbon removal, or are we overlooking simpler climate solutions? What are your thoughts on ERW as a viable carbon capture method? #CarbonCapture #ClimateFinance #SustainableInvesting #CleanTech #NetZero

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Why Now is the Time for HealthTech Founders to Engage with the New UK Government https://lnkd.in/dnPRU2iK > Engaging with government and policy makers is important – for ensuring you understand current or impending regulation, for getting the backing of important policy-shapers as you disrupt markets, and crucially, helping to create the soft power that can help your company’s favourability and growth. > Take a health scaleup. The Labour manifesto pledged to streamline public procurement, providing a faster route to get new products into the NHS. Incoming Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, has expressed a strong belief in the necessity of public and private collaboration for increasing efficiency and solving the NHS crisis. Engaging with Streeting’s team now could help your health tech commercially, creating a clearer path for growth. To find out more about how Founders Comms can support your startup or scaleup, get in touch at [email protected] or check out the website here https://lnkd.in/dkgGsgNq Founders Forum Group https://lnkd.in/dnPRU2iK

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We are very delighted to announce the launch of The Mills Fabrica's 2023 Impact Report ! Outlining our innovation framework, the Impact Report is a vital gateway that gives access to the public and audiences a thorough guide on how we structure our impact and innovation landscape across our diverse business streams, ranging from our VC investment fund, startups incubation program, global innovation challenge program and partnerships, all the while embedding sustainability metrics for impact evaluation. As we strive towards creating a more sustainable future spanning across both #Techstyle and #Agrifood tracks, we are leveraging our resources and network to cultivate a more sustainable and promising future on all fronts, with our best efforts. Download the Impact Report here: https://bit.ly/3XzmbB0 #TheMillsFabrica #NanFungGroup #Techstyle #Agrifood #Innovations

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Do you want to know what the future of climate fintech will be ? Then look no further than this fascinating long read from Madhvi Mavadiya Finextra The timeline of policy and regulation and the extrapolation out to 2050 with work from EY is a great read. Here is the prediction for 2025, what do you think of this and the rest? 2025 As conflicts between topics such as decarbonization and energy security have played out, the ‘supporting all through transition’ strategy starts to become more nuanced, with investors, finance providers and risk carriers starting to screen out players and sub-sectors beyond the immediately obvious (e.g. fossil fuels). https://lnkd.in/eYsGye_c

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Climate tech investments in 2024 will outpace last year's total. As of July 2024, climate tech funding year-to-date reached $57.92 billion – a notable increase from the $47.69 billion recorded at the same point in 2023. This 21.4% growth underscores a robust influx of capital into the sector, giving prevalent economic uncertainties, reflecting sustained investor interest and confidence. https://lnkd.in/erkWuJtD #climatetech #climateaction Remarkable Ventures Climate

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🎉 We're more than just giving. Every day projects on Crowdfunder UK benefit from our partners +Extra funding - they're grants which are available for crowdfunding projects which meet the criteria of our many partners. 🤔 did you know we have over £10m in grants on the platform ? There's always some magic when those grants land, sometimes as part of an application, but sometimes they come out of the blue. Today, Rachel, one of our superstar designers (who's passionate about using her design 'magic' to help make our customer experience better, smoother and easier) was on a customer call and got the honour to surprise them with a lovely little bit of news... The project was close to her heart and in her community - Bridport Youth & Community Club i̶s̶ was under threat of closer, it’s a much needed resource for not just the younger members of our community, but for so many. https://lnkd.in/eZC5rzVc With their hard work, Rachel's support and guidance, the crowd and our partners, they have smashed through their target and have secured their future. Receiving grant funding from Sport England and the Bridport Round Table - all released through Crowdfunder made their fundraising efforts easier. It's happening every hour, everyday on Crowdfunder. Are you a charity, cic or other community group in need of funding? We may have a grant for you 👉 https://lnkd.in/ec-fjgQP Are you a corporate or foundation that wants to support thousands of essential projects across the UK? Get involved 👉 https://lnkd.in/e8WDiB9U 🪄 Let’s do some magic together 🪄 Crowdfunder UK, Chloe Jones, Graeme Roy, Dawn Bebe, Joel Matthews, Phil Geraghty, Scott Fitzgibbon

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"The great promise of embodied AI is that it can transform the things we do and allows us to do so much more with our lives. (…) There’s no better example than self-driving cars. This will give people the first chance to experience embodied AI, one that can deliver goods and move people around in a way that is more safe and sustainable than transportation as we know it today." Great to see our What's Next series launch today, chatting to Wayve CEO Alex Kendall. Excited to be exploring the possibilities emerging deep-tech innovations hold, the positive impact they can have on our health, livelihood and planet, and how we mitigate the risks. Let's get excited about What's Next.

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Venture capital funding raised by UK start-ups dropped sharply in the third quarter of 2024, new research from Dealroom.co has found; adding further pressure for founders in search of new investment.  British start-ups secured around $2.9bn in VC funding in Q3, a 50% drop from the previous quarter but the funding trend is broadly consistent with levels seen in 2023. Fintech has been Britain’s best-funded tech sector so far this year, pulling in $3.3bn, down from $4.5bn in 2023.  

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I’m happy to share TMV’s latest investment in transportation and sustainability startup Signol, and my appointment to the company’s board. Signol has already saved shipping and aviation companies more than 100,000 metric tonnes of CO2 by optimising human decision-making, without any technological or physical changes to ships or aircraft. There’s always a human factor when it comes to transforming industries - especially in maritime which is responsible for 90% of the way in which goods are transported. That’s why we’re glad to support Signol’s efforts to shift operational behaviour and culture towards more sustainable practices in shipping and other hard-to-abate industries. Read more about TMV’s investment here: https://lnkd.in/e47W4eXd Axel de Mégille TMV Takuya Sakamoto Ultranav Dorian LPG Haymon Sinapius Per Lange Théodore Mollinger Bob Gershen Michael Fanning Harriet Hunnisett-Johnson Peter Hadjipateras Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. Gavin Laidlaw Shaun Hon Motion Ventures Cliff Tan

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