Investing in green innovation

Sustainability Solved

Title: Investing in Green Innovation

In the midst of a global economic downturn, sustainable businesses need to grow and innovate to survive in uncertain times. But just how easy is it to get investment? The EU recently announced the Green Deal industrial plan, aiming to fast track Net-Zero projects in Europe, making 250 billion euros available for greening industry. Alongside this, the US Inflation Reduction Act also includes a $369 billion package for clean energy projects, and there have been calls for a similar scheme to boost businesses in the UK.

Can UK businesses take advantage of the rush to go green? And if so, how? To help us answer this question, we are joined by Jon Dishotsky, an investment partner at Giant Ventures who builds and backs purpose-driven companies, and Wiktor Warchałowski, CEO and founder of Airly, who supply real-time air quality data for governments and businesses. This episode of the Sustainability Solved Podcast is sponsored by Good Citizens.

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Highlights:

· More capital has been raised in the last 12-24 months than ever before by investors, however the pace of investment into companies has slowed down significantly.

· Wiktor tells us about his experience going through the investment process, and the multitude of benefits it has brought to his company.

· We discuss what types of questions are asked by investors and if this differed across various investment bodies. For Wiktor, his team built an FAQ list to be prepared for their next investment meeting as they noticed a reoccurring theme amongst questions.

· Jon gives us a detailed insight into the question: how much money should a business ask to have invested in them?

· We look at how investment can put pressure on companies to scale too quickly, consequently having negative impacts on the organisation’s progression.

· “Capital does not help you innovate”; Jon shares his findings from a study that shows that companies that raised less than $100 million outperformed their peers who raised 5x more, meaning they continued to innovate significantly over a long period of time.

· Wiktor discusses the importance of working with investors that align with your organisation’s values and goals.

· Jon and Wiktor share some eye-opening and raw advice about building a business, gaining investment, and prioritizing innovation.

Resources: The Inflation Reduction Act Green Deal Industrial Plan Giant Ventures Airly Sustainability Solved