Impact, innovation, and unlocking human potential: Meet Zinc’s environment lead Shelley Brown

Meet Shelley Brown, the head of Zinc’s Environment Investment team. Shelley has built an inspiring and high energy career across continents and industries. Her expertise spans academia, start-ups, scale-ups, corporates and investing, including roles at some of the world’s most innovation-led companies, including Johnson Matthey and bp. From her pioneering research in lithium-ion batteries, to spearheading billion dollar strategic initiatives in major corporations, Shelley’s journey is one of technical innovation, resilience, and inspiring leadership. In this interview, she reflects on her career to date, her personal motivations, and her vision for impact to create a cleaner, greener future. 

Q: Hi Shelley, to kick off can you tell us about your role at Zinc?

Hello, I’m Shelley. I lead the Environment Investment team here at Zinc, where we focus on driving impactful innovation to address critical challenges facing the health of people and the planet. I am continuously on the hunt across the UK for exceptional individuals who are at a transition point in their lives where – together with the support that Zinc provides – there is an opportunity to conceive, and ultimately accelerate, a pathway to a scaled business. It’s a role that allows me to blend my technical expertise with my passion for supporting founders and building commercial ventures with the potential for huge global impact. 

I describe myself as a techie who has built and scaled businesses. Throughout my career I have made a conscious decision to build out my investor toolkit. I have broad experience spanning strategy, licensing, growth by acquisition, corporate investment and portfolio management. I aim to bring unique value as an investor partner to founders: hands-on experience building and scaling complex deeptech and B2B businesses, along with a deep understanding of how to shape and execute an investment strategy from both sides of the table.

Q: Why did you choose to join the Zinc team?

Zinc represents a perfect balance between the worlds of venture capital and venture building. It allows me to use my experience to invest in world-class founders, while staying connected to the hands-on process of creating impactful startups. The team’s dedication to unlocking human potential and its core values align with my own. I feel like I have found my tribe!

Here at Zinc, I can really be my authentic self. It’s an environment that promotes radical transparency, feedback, and trust — all things that empower me to bring my best self to work.

Q: How did your career transition from studying chemical engineering to a leadership role in venture investment?

I started out with my degree in chemical engineering in Australia, but was keen to delve much deeper technically and expand my view globally. This led me to a PhD in electrochemical engineering at the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, focusing on lithium-ion batteries — an emerging technology at that time. 

During my PhD, I was sponsored and supported by impactful stints at leading R&D-intensive corporations in Sweden, the United States and Japan. I was also exposed to some incredibly interesting entrepreneurial opportunities through my peers and colleagues. Sweden has a particularly vibrant startup ecosystem and a framework that supports PhDs to transition to founding a startup. The experience sparked an interest in a startup career path, something that wasn’t even in my vocabulary initially as an engineer. Over time, I have worked in roles spanning academia, startups, scaleups and corporates, each contributing to my experience in scaling and commercialising innovation, as well as building and leading high-impact teams. 

Leading the environment team here at Zinc feels like I’ve come full circle – with the lived experience and practical tool-kit needed to be a true people-first investor. I can honestly say at this point in my career, nearly every challenge a founder is facing, I’ve also lived it and learned from it. 

Q: What are some of the key highlights and inflection points of your career so far?

The highlights often centre around people. One memorable moment was seeing a direct report truly shine in front of the Johnson Matthey board — someone I’d mentored and championed who rose to the occasion brilliantly. It’s moments like these, when individuals exceed expectations, that make me feel so proud.

From a business perspective, a major highlight was spearheading a new venture that created a billion pounds of enterprise value for a listed company when we emerged from stealth mode, just two years after starting from scratch. 

I’m also particularly proud of leading the turnaround of a deeptech startup as CEO, fresh out of academia and guided by an exceptional mentor. This experience was foundational to my approach in supporting deeptech startups today. Looking back, achievements like these reflect not just technical innovation, but also the strength and resilience of committed and extremely talented teams.

Q: What motivates you professionally and personally?

People are my primary motivation. I thrive on connecting with driven individuals who may not yet realise their own potential. Helping them grow and amplify their impact is incredibly fulfilling for me. I also love tackling technically complex challenges and achieving ambitious goals with minimal resources — it’s a real thrill. Networking is another key motivator. I value reconnecting with brilliant people I’ve worked with across the globe and building new relationships that can catalyse innovation.

I am also driven by a deep sense of “giving back”. I grew up in a family with parents working phenomenally hard to provide an environment where my desire to learn was encouraged and sacrifices were made to ensure I could follow my passion. Although I am very driven, at every inflection point in my career there has been someone who has spotted potential and leaned in to champion me. I now value the privilege of being able to do this for others.

Q: Looking ahead, what impact do you hope to have in the next decade?

I aim to drive impact through the teams I work with and invest in. I hope my legacy will be in the network effect of the individuals I’ve mentored and backed, who are now leading transformative initiatives in startups and corporations worldwide. I work hard to lead by example, to inspire others and to add value at Zinc, and also through my board roles, which I hope enables me to amplify my impact.

Q: How do you support the founders and ventures you invest in?

Zinc is much more than an early stage venture fund — we’re a partner. We prioritise relationships and collaboration, working closely with founders and teams to co-create strategies together. Our support spans team building, professionalisation, market access, growth and commercialisation strategies, and much more. We bring deep networks, technical expertise, and many years of venture-building experience to help founders navigate challenges, unlock opportunities and supercharge the early stages of validating and building a business.

Q: Finally, what is your advice to aspiring entrepreneurs in the environment and deeptech spaces?

Invest in building your personal resilience and surround yourself with great people who see and support your big vision and align with your values. Innovation is challenging, but with the right mindset, networks and frameworks, you can achieve incredible outcomes. If you focus on solving meaningful problems, and stay closely connected to the iterative (and often bruising!) needs of the customer, success will follow. 

You can’t get there through entrepreneurial courses and books alone – you simply have to muster the courage to get started and learn to build the plane as you fly. It will be the hardest, but most rewarding, thing you will ever do. And be warned… Once you have a taste for it, you won’t want to do anything else.

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Building and commercialising science-for-impact: If you’re a founder on a mission 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/