From inception to global impact: Zinc’s Science-for-Impact vision for a healthy planet

The global challenges facing our planet and society today are immense and complex. At Zinc, we believe that the key to tackling these critical problems lies in unlocking innovation — harnessing technology and entrepreneurial talent to build commercial ventures that make a measurable difference to people and the planet.

Zinc was founded in 2017 to do exactly that: to help founders translate exciting science and bold ideas into impactful businesses. As a founder-led, problem-driven, and deeply mission-oriented organisation, we’re not just here to fund early stage ventures; we partner with founders to build, accelerating their journey from inception to impact at scale.

Building environment ventures that matter

Our mission at Zinc is straightforward, but ambitious: to create new businesses that improve the health of people and the planet. Everything we do stems from this purpose. From our environment investment thesis to the way we support founders, every decision we make is about driving meaningful impact on a global level.

Our goal is to back ventures that innovate environmentally positive mitigation and adaptation solutions, delivering both financial returns and measurable impact. By supporting these initiatives, we aim to accelerate the global transition to a sustainable, nature-positive future, where human activity is in harmony with the planet’s health, while creating lasting value for investors. 

We focus on technologies and business model innovations that don’t just make incremental progress but have the potential to transform entire industries. Whether it’s deep decarbonisation, sustainable materials, circularity, or new approaches to energy, food production or business models underpinned by AI-driven insights, our focus is always on building scalable, venture-backable, commercial solutions that address a large and complex challenge.

The opportunities that get us excited

When it comes to the types of innovations and technologies we’re looking for, it all starts with the problem. Every founder who walks through our doors needs to be problem-led. That’s non-negotiable. But within that, there are certain themes and categories that excite us because of their potential for enormous impact.

In energy, for example, we’ve already made investments in disruptive battery technology (Ampoxe) and electrolysers (Clyde Hydrogen). But there’s so much more to do — renewables (Granyt), biofuels, e-fuels, and innovations in electrification are all areas where we see huge potential.

We’re also interested in materials and process innovation (Sterling Bio Machines), whether it’s novel materials, substituting or capturing harmful chemicals in manufacturing or creating novel recycling processes (Cellmine). Thermal energy, particularly industrial and residential heating and cooling, is another challenge we’re eager to see tackled. It’s often overlooked but represents a massive opportunity for decarbonisation.

We are focused on sustainable supply chains (Material Index), particularly critical minerals, and exploring ways to reduce their use, maximise their lifecycle, ensure full recovery, and optimise recycling. We’re interested in technologies that minimise the environmental impact of plastics and different fiber types, either through biodegradability or improved recycling. We’re also interested in carbon-negative technologies, particularly those that can help hard-to-abate sectors (Carbon Two).

Transport is another area of focus, particularly maritime and aerospace. We’re also looking for scientific and technical innovation in agricultural technology (Cordon Technologies) and agrifood (DeepRoots), from smart farming to genetic engineering, and enabling technologies that speed up the pace of innovation, like advanced materials characterisation, and the use of AI amplified by novel sensor technology.

Beyond mitigation, we have a growing interest in adaptation strategies (Taza Farms, NUNA Studio) which is an area that is currently underserved. We are interested in technology and business model innovations that position society and industry to deal with a warming planet (Iterum, Unibloom).

At the same time, we know we don’t have all the answers. Part of what makes Zinc unique is our willingness to be led by, and learn from, the founders we meet. They’re the people on the front lines of these challenges, and their insights continually shape our thesis. It’s a constantly moving target – and I believe that can only be a positive thing.

You can read more about our environment portfolio and hear why we’re excited about their potential for impact here.

Investing in human potential

At Zinc, we’re founder-led by design. We believe that the right people, with the right support, can achieve extraordinary things. But what does the “right” person look like? It’s hard to define, but there are a few traits we know to look for.

First and foremost, great founders are great hustlers. They’ve often had to sell themselves throughout their lives, whether that’s winning scholarships, starting from scratch in a new country, securing funding, or building networks from zero. This ability to sell — to inspire belief and attract others to their mission — is non-negotiable. If you can’t sell yourself, you won’t be able to sell your product or business.

Secondly, we look for intellectual agility and a huge capacity for learning. Startups move fast, and founders need to be able to adapt, pivot, and extract insights from every experience. At the same time, they need to balance independence with the ability to galvanise others. The best founders don’t just work hard; they inspire others want to work hard for them.

Thirdly, we look for resilience that underpins a drive to continually push for insights from across the value chain, particularly from customers. Particularly when serving customers in complex B2B sales cycles, you need to be prepared for the grind and the bruising.

Next, we seek out ambition. We look for founders that want to build venture-backable businesses. There needs to be an understanding of the implication of scale, and a hunger to lean into it. This ambition needs to be sufficiently fearless to cope with the huge amounts of complexity, uncertainty and ambiguity – but not reckless. There needs to be an appreciation of risk, but an ability to navigate it at pace to avoid inertia.

We also look for founders that understand the role and importance of the team they surround themselves with. There is compounding power in attracting the right people, balancing scrappy delivery and future-proofing structures to underpin scaling. We look for founders that want to evolve into leaders. Building a high-performing leadership team takes intentional ongoing work, needing to hold itself accountable for setting the right path and executing with excellence.

We also know that investing in diversity across all intersections breeds cutting edge innovation and the highest performing teams. We are proud to have invested in diverse individuals and teams from day one, and continue to seek and back founders from underrepresented groups in science, engineering and technology. 

Finally, on a personal note, there’s a spark. It’s hard to describe, but it’s that moment when a founder captures my attention. They hook me with their vision, their passion, and their potential. Once they’ve got me, I’m all in.

A unique approach to supporting early stage founders

It’s one thing to fund an idea; it’s another to help build a business. Zinc has developed a comprehensive venture-building platform that’s designed to set founders and their ventures up for success.

We provide up to £300,000 in funding as the first investor partner in a new venture. But this funding is just the start. Our team of hands-on Venture Partners have experience building and scaling deep tech and IP-led businesses and support founders on many fronts. For example, helping to build strong founding teams, creating a balanced mix of deep domain knowledge, technical expertise and commercial acumen. We also give founders access to a network of hundreds of expert Fellows, advisors and funders, as well as a thriving, supportive community of likeminded entrepreneurs and innovators.

Beyond this, we offer coaching for personal and team development, tools and resources to build ventures effectively, and strategic support navigating commercial, product, fundraising, and technical challenges. Whether it’s tackling the complexities of intellectual property or scaling a capital-intensive business, we’re committed to being a partner in every sense of the word. 

One key thing that sets Zinc apart is our focus on the resilience and grit of the founders that we back. Building a business is hard — it’s one of the most rewarding things you’ll ever do, but also one of the toughest. That’s why we emphasise support not just for the venture, but for the people behind it. Coaching, reflection, and creating a healthy team culture are all critical parts of the journey, and are equally as important as the product innovation and growth strategy.

The path ahead: A legacy of impact

Here at Zinc, we’re not just building businesses; we’re building a legacy of impact. We’re excited by the innovations emerging in the environmental space – and even more so by the people driving them. As we look ahead to the coming year and beyond, we’re committed to empowering founders, supporting their journeys, and creating ventures that change the world for the better. It’s not easy work, but it’s the kind of work that really matters – and we are here for it.

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Building and commercialising science-for-impact: If you would like to follow in the footsteps of our portfolio founders to build the next world-changing innovation in the environment, apply for pre-seed investment and venture building support from Zinc today: https://www.zinc.vc/