Green Tech Matters feat. Sustainable Ventures

At ADLIB we take our environmental responsibilities seriously, we get involved, we feature, support and champion Green Tech businesses, those that disrupt and are on a similar journey.

As part of our ‘Green Tech Matters’ series we had a chat with Hannah Ballard, Regional Development Associate at Sustainable Ventures. Hannah discusses Sustainable Ventures’ achievements in fostering climate tech startups, like Rovco and Sennen, and provides insights into the services they offer to South West-based green tech companies.

Can you tell us more about yourself and your journey so far with Sustainable Ventures? 

I joined Sustainable Ventures in April from running a communications consultancy while studying my Master’s in Global Development: Environment & Climate Change, with a special focus on forests, socio-ecological ecosystems, climate justice and the emerging field of environmental data justice.  

Having spent my career at the intersection of emerging tech and social impact, I was looking to move from communicating about climate action, to playing a more active role. As a Regional Development Associate, my weeks are spent developing business plans, best practices and strategies for how we increase our offerings in other parts of the UK, and executing those strategies in the two regions in particular: the South West and the Midlands. I get to bring together some of my favourite things – engaging with a whole variety of different stakeholders, learning about really exciting technology startups, and travelling around the UK on trains.

What is the role of Sustainable Ventures and what have been their successes within Green/Climate Tech? 

Sustainable Ventures has a strong track record in building, scaling and supporting green/climate tech startups through impactful collaborations with stakeholders in local, regional and national governments; with academic and research institutions; and with other established businesses or corporates. After building 11 startups in our first 5 years operating as a venture builder, we shifted to more of an ecosystem enabler / support role and have supported the creation of more than 6,500 jobs, and directly supported more than 700 startups.  

While we invest and support startups and scaleups across the UK, we’ve always had a strong representation of South West startups in our portfolio. For example, we invested in autonomous underwater vehicle system startup Rovco (now Beam) in 2017 when they were just a team of 3 – they’re now 200-strong. Similarly, we invested in power generation software platform Sennen in 2019, before they were acquired by Kraken Technologies, (part of Octopus Energy) in 2023.

What are your plans for the South West and what’s your understanding of the community here? 

We are still in the process of scoping out our plans in the South West. Our intention is to connect, strengthen and empower the existing ecosystem. What we do will be dependent on the current strengths and specialities in the region, and the range of opportunities that will come from developing collaborative partnerships and programs to activate, catalyse and scale existing ecosystem activities and actors. 

So far, we have been really impressed by the strength and breadth of the community and surrounding support ecosystem. There’s a lot of really incredible assets and organisations across the region, doing some really cutting-edge work. We think there’s a really exciting opportunity to support weaving all these strands together to catalyse the potential impact! 

What services can you offer to South-West based Green Techs and how can they get in contact? 

While we are working out our longer-term presence and offerings, green techs from the South West can access our existing range of commercial services: 

• Non-dilutive funding through R&D tax credits and grant writing, offered on a success fee basis. We have supported more than 80 startups to secure over £15 million of R&D tax credits, and more than 80 startups to access over £12 million of grant funding. We also have partnerships with companies advancing funding and offering loan support. This ensures we can help companies unlock a wide range of financing options suitable to their stage of development. 

• We have an in-house design studio offering Product design, branding, experience, and design research support. They have previously worked with Bristol-based Albotherm to create a portable product that demonstrates their heat-sensitive coating for reactive sun-reflective glass. 

• We are also one of the most active early-stage climate tech investors in the UK, having invested in over 50 startups so far. Startups interested in joining our current round can read more on the website.  

• We also run a number of business support programmes supporting startups at different stages, at any one time. The best place to see what is currently available, and where, is checking out the website. 

Drop me a note on hannah.ballard@sustainableventures.co.uk and I’d be happy to have a chat.

If you’re interested in hearing more from innovative GreenTech pioneers you should join the ADLIB sponsored meetup community – Green Tech South West –