By Alyssa Gilbert, Director of Undaunted: Tackling climate change with innovation, Director of Innovation at Grantham Institute – Climate Change and the Environment Institute and Co-Director of Imperial’s School of Convergence Science in Sustainability.
As you read this article, a scientist somewhere in the world is putting the finishing touches on a publication that provides us with new insights into tricky problems.
The next step? Taking these results into the world, in the form of new products and services, to make an impact that we can all see and experience.
This process, however, is a challenge for scientists and business entrepreneurs alike.
However, it is an important process because we know that using research results in this manner is one of the vital ways that our science gets used in the world. Crucially, it can also help us impact a range of environmental problems – from water and air pollution through to climate change.
The challenges of scaling a green startup
The business of building a business is tricky.
The first barriers occur early on, at the very start of the journey. These are challenges that we tackle through our Greenhouse accelerator programme, for example.
But we have recently become interested in what happens next. After receiving an initial investment, often from smaller niche investors, who have an appetite for a high-risk bet, these entrepreneurs are ready to go up a gear.
This scaling-up phase brings problems of its own. At this stage, businesses usually require an additional slug of money to help them improve their technology and product, scale up manufacturing, hire the next level of staff – including experienced and well-matched advisors, and decide on their new location as their business grows.
These businesses are also starting to break through regulatory barriers, or have recognised the policy opportunities that are paving the way for their growth, but they might not have the right skilled staff ready to help them push open those doors.
Navigating this next stage can be perilous and difficult. For example, investors with the right amount of cash might be more risk-averse, manufacturing new products needs a new skill set, and hiring is a high-stakes game when so much is riding on getting the right talent.
Although the UK is ranked third worldwide for startups, it drops to thirteenth for scaleups – showing the challenges of converting innovation into sustainable growth.
How EarthScale supports green ventures to grow
This is where EarthScale comes in. We are offering a dedicated support programme to 60 scaling businesses, providing support from experts in our network, such as:
- Access to high quality technical expertise for industrial scaling
- Support bridging the gap from prototype to commercial production
- Investor networking, identifying funding sources and bringing in capital
- Finding and giving access to facilities and equipment
- Attracting and retaining a diverse, talented workforce equipped with the skills needed to drive impact in the fight against climate change
- Advice and support on regulation and intellectual property
Why universities are key to scaling green innovation
At the heart of EarthScale is a new network.
We are leveraging the convening and technical powers of UK universities to create a network to help scaling green businesses grow more easily. We are building a network of and finding soft landing pads in appropriate regions of the UK.
This network will create and nurture hubs of expertise at Cranfield University, University of Derby, University of Exeter, University of Leeds and University of Nottingham, with plans to expand into the Northeast, Wales and Scotland.
You might, rightly, ask yourself what universities can do to help build a business?
The EarthScale network positions universities as anchor points and catalysts for innovation. We’re creating convening spaces where the best ideas, people, and expertise come together – from business leaders, investors, researchers and industry experts.
By combining commercial insight with technical excellence in a trusted, independent setting, we can truly help scale climate ventures toward success. We are engines for innovation, and anchors for communities. EarthScale is an ideal example of putting that power to work.
If you think you have a business that fits this profile – delivering green impact, already raised some money, but struggling with the next step – please get in touch. Applications are now open for the first cohort until 7 September 2025.
We cannot provide this high-quality support alone! So if you are interested in helping us develop this network further to make it even more effective, please reach out at EarthScale or [email protected]
