Xavier Parkhouse-Parker

There has to be a fair and transparent process to any change to taxes and a coherent plan for the future. Unfreezing fuel duty would raise £3bn to absolutely dwarf these taxes on ambition and value creation. And benefit the environment.

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In the UK we need to get really FOAK-ing good at building hardware to fight climate change. Alongside private investment, and in the run-up to the UK's upcoming budget, the UK government can have a truly catalytic impact on enabling and fast-tracking First-of-a-Kind (FOAK) deployments. That's why I took part in the production of this new report by Cleantech for UK and Earth Set – “Powering Up the UK's Cleantech Advantage: Unlocking Investment for First-of-a-Kind Projects”. First-of-a-Kind (FOAK) cleantech projects represent a massive economic opportunity for the UK to grow its economy in the long term, whilst hitting its climate targets. Mission Zero Technologies has experienced this first-hand through the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero's GGR Competition. Read the report here for more details: https://lnkd.in/ehVXKtsr Thanks to Sarah Mackintosh and Amy Rennison for leading on this! #directaircapture #FOAK #netzero #innovation #carboncapture #firstofakind #cleantech #uk #budget

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https://lnkd.in/efuGjSjH If you are looking for a new perspective on climate change and solution, I would like to recommend Hannah Ritchie's and Rob Steward's excellent podcasts. The first two — which you can listen — feature Kingsmill Bond (who does fantastic work on the energy transition at the Rocky Mountain Institute) and Sir David King (formerly Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK Government). These first two episodes have quite a different tone and level of optimism; a divergence which makes these conversations even more interesting for me. #climatechange #energytransition

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After seeing a brilliant post on here from David Foreman about the hierarchy of traction, we couldn’t agree more with its importance for founders pitching to VCs. At Venture Catalysts, we actively use this framework to evaluate ventures for funding and scale viability. Traction is one of the clearest signals of progress and market validation that investors look for—but not all traction is created equal. We’ve expanded on David’s insights in our latest article: 👉 https://lnkd.in/eR4PNMiZ In it, we break down the key levels of traction, from Revenue and ARR to Pipeline Value, and share actionable tips to help founders climb higher in the hierarchy. Whether you’re working with Letters of Intent or scaling paid Proof of Concepts, this guide will help you position your business in the best possible light. 💡 If you’re a founder navigating the investment landscape or an investor assessing early-stage startups, this is a must-read. Thanks again to David Foreman of Praetura Ventures for the inspiration! #startups #VC #venturecapital #traction #scalability #fundraising

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Could 2024 be the best year yet for climate tech startups? Check out Startups Magazine with insights from Blue Earth's Julian Topham, Will Hayler and Amy Rennison, Rayan Jawad of Growth Studio, Paul Finch plus five ways to catapult your climate tech startup success with tips from the experts. https://lnkd.in/dFBvjqKZ

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The funding rounds that caught our eye this month 💰 It's been another exciting couple of weeks in climate tech with some huge investments being made in promising startups across Europe. Here are three that we think you should know about… 🔋In the largest round ever raised by a European battery recycling company, cylib secured €55 million in equity financing. The funding marks the first time that major investors from climate and deep tech ventures, the automotive industry and public investment funds have come together to support a battery recycling company. A huge congratulations to the team! 🌱 The Oxford-based Dendra Systems has raised $15.76 million in funding to develop its ecology platform. The biodiversity-focused company uses high-resolution data capture, drone-based seeding and a comprehensive AI-enabled ecosystem insights platform to restore and rehabilitate land. ♻️ Bringing transparency to the fashion industry, Carbonfact has secured €13.9 million in its Series A round. Its carbon management software helps fashion companies measure, reduce, and disclose their products' emissions in line with upcoming regulations. We can't wait to see what's next for these incredible climate tech companies! #FundingRounds #StartupCommunity #Innovation #Entrepreneurship

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#UK-based Carbon13 announces nearly £1M investment in 6 startups via its accelerator #techfunding #uk-based-carbon13-announces-nearly-1m-investment-in-6-startups-via-its-accelerator

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“If a founder’s network doesn’t provide, there are also plenty of accelerator programmes and grant schemes that hook up startups with corporates. “We’re seeing quite a bit of commercial R&D and commercial trial partnerships,” says Pilgreen. “It’s a great way [for] an early-stage software company that may or may not have defensibility in place to work out the MVP with the potential customer as they go, in a low-risk environment.” “We love the validate stage, because a lot of the time [founders] have the wrong idea about why their product or service is valuable,” she adds. “You think it sells in learning and development, for example, but actually it sits in procurement or logistics.” Check out these insights and more from our very own Lauren Pilgreen in Sifted’s recent report on how to create a standout B2B startup. Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/eXPqfPkY

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So pleased to hear that Wildfarmed, the regenerative food and farming challenger brand, has landed its first retail launch. Regenerative agriculture is the way forward to decarbonise the food system and make farming resilient to climate shocks, so we are a big champion of Wildfarmed as they provide solutions for the UK shopper to make a change for good. Five of their bread SKUs have already arrived in Waitrose & Partners stores, and baguettes & flour products are to come in the summer. What makes their bread different? They’re made from wheat grown to regenerative agriculture standards and sourced from farmers in the UK and France. All the products are free from  ❌ Palm oil  ❌ Fat ❌ Artificial preservatives ❌ Emulsifiers The brand has supplied their flour to over 500 brands including restaurant brands Ask Italian and Wahaca, but this is their first time creating products for grocery. They’ve landed in an aisle that is in much need of a shake up. Bread is a staple of UK economy, however volume in the last 12 weeks across the total market is declining by 2% YoY, demonstrating a category needing innovation and a fresh approach. However Flour is the growth area that Wildfarmed are taking advantage of, homebaking continuing to rise in popularity, growth of 7% in volume and 18% in value identifies as an opportunity. Huge congrats to Edd Lees and George Lamb on the launch – and for providing a new solution for the growing consumer base who care deeply about what their products are made from. And they aren’t the only ones growing in this category, there’s Signature Flatbreads, Wenzel's the Bakers Ltd., Crust & Crumb and The Village Bakery Group all making big moves. If you’re looking to get listed, stay listed or grow, North Star is here to help. Drop me a DM to find out more!

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“Where the Venture Strapped Model Makes Sense The venture strapped model works exceptionally well in industries where there is a clear and direct pathway to fast revenue. This includes sectors like SaaS, e-commerce, and certain service-based businesses where initial capital can cover the development of a product or service that quickly generates revenue. Experienced founders with a solid network and a deep understanding of their market are the best placed to use this model effectively. Their experience allows them to make smarter strategic decisions, avoid common pitfalls, and use their network to grow as opposed to them relying on venture capital to do much of the heavy lifting. Companies that don’t require massive capital outlays for product development are more suitable for the venture strapped model since such businesses may be able to achieve profitability without needing endless capital to get there.”

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🌳Climate Tech Industry News🌳 Climate fintech startup Ekko raises £2m. Ekko, a climate-focused fintech startup that plants trees and supports conservation projects through its debit card usage, has raised $2.5 million (£2 million) in funding. Founded in 2019, Ekko plans to use the funds to hire industry experts for product development and international expansion. The funding round was led by Fuel Ventures, with additional investment from Sorven Partners, Mishcon de Reya, and existing investors. The London-based startup previously raised £450,000 in pre-seed funding in 2021. Link to the full press release: https://lnkd.in/e5e4Y88t #ClimateFintech #SustainableFinance #GreenTech #TreePlanting #Conservation #EcoFriendly #StartupFunding #Ekko #CarbonFootprint #EnvironmentalImpact #CleanTech #FintechInnovation #Sustainability #ClimateAction #B2BSoftware #InternationalExpansion #GreenFinance #EcoInvesting #FuelVentures #PlasticPollution #GoldStandard #PreventedOceanPlastic #GreenStartup #ClimateDisruption #TechForGood

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This is exciting. Hutan is growing a drop in replacement for marine diesels. Even better post refining the algal oils are a sustainable aviation fuel. Even even better the algal platform produces a lot of oil but also biomass: this means it’s capturing CO2 whilst growing and so the platform produces oil and biomass which is a crop feed whilst being carbon negative. Even even even better the company’s platform grows algae in hot coastal regions where other crops cannot be grown so doesn’t squeeze food crops.

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https://lnkd.in/ehEfb6Q8 The UK’s commitment to an 81% emissions reduction by 2035 is ambitious, and will be very challenging to meet, but it is a great target to set. A broad spectrum of technologies are required from wind, solar and storage to hydrogen, SAF and nuclear. Critical to success is all of them is a focus on innovation, skills, and learning so we can bring down costs and minimise the impact on everyday life. Investments in technologies that can reduce the cost of decarbonisation are crucial. Take aviation, for instance: long-haul flights remain critical for connecting people globally, and are also a significant source of emissions. But instead of restricting flights, we should focus on innovations within Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF), such as new Power-to-Liquid (PtL) pathways like we are developing in OXCCU TECH LTD. These fuels can directly replace traditional jet fuels in existing aircraft. As these fuels scale, costs will decrease and aviation can decarbonise without compromising accessibility. This model extends beyond aviation to industries like shipping, heavy industry, and agriculture. With continued support toward innovation and pragmatic climate policy, sectors can balance emissions reductions with affordability. In this way, the government can “tread lightly” on people’s lives while advancing toward net zero. This approach offers a pathway to a secure and sustainable future, where technological progress addresses the emissions challenge without compromising the freedoms and opportunities central to modern life. #COP29 #NetZero #Aviation #ClimateTech

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Welcoming this game-changer for the Scottish startup ecosystem! Techscaler and Focused For Business have launched the Funding Accelerator programme to help Scottish startups secure £100,000–£1 million in investment. Over the next 3 months, the first cohort of 10 promising startups will build their financial expertise, connect with investors, and gain hands-on experience in pitching and deal-making. As Lauren Wilson from CodeBase says, “We want to give founders the tools, networks, and knowledge to navigate the investor community.” Read more about how this programme is shaping Scotland’s tech future! #FundingAccelerator #CodeBase #Techscaler #Scaleup #Startup #Founder #Business #Growth

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If you're looking for VC funding in the UK, check out FundFinder.live If you're one of those people that likes to just play with all the circles on an Apple Watch because it's super satisfying, but struggle to pick one because playing with the interface is too satisfying, then maybe don't go to this website :) FundFinder has a similar interface to Apple Watches, but on web. Thank you Hector Mason, Jack Richardson, and the team at Focal for sharing this. Simultaneously showing me a very useful tool that could save me time in research, but also could waste lots of my time thanks to my brain (not sure if ADD or something else). And thank you to Concept Ventures and Justified Studio for building it. Oliver Kicks - who deserves the credit? #random #fundraising #startup #vc

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Not sure what’s going on in the last few weeks - but I am getting lots of in bounds from VC’s wanting to help with our journey… Anyone know why? Have I missed something? Is the market starting to open up again? #vc #funding #climatetech #triage #fundingcycle #intrest #agtech #markets #growth #greenshootsofrecovery

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Yesterday’s report from Barclays showed that there’s a significant funding gap globally for climate tech: a massive $4.35 trillion annually if the world is to meet its climate goals by 2030. While I applaud the recommendation that the new government could look to address the financing gap, I also know that demands on the public purse are coming from every direction and Ed Miliband has a lot on his plate and finite resources. It strikes me that the report’s third recommendation – to improve organisational connection and collaboration – is where we can start to take the most immediate action. The BRC Mondra Coalition is a shining example of the private sector coming together, and working pre-competitively to fund a united solution to common problems that stop the sector as a whole from progressing. It's on us in the private sector to collaborate and fund solutions that will enable the Net Zero transition.

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