In this candid chat with a live audience, Jamie Burrows shares his 10-year journey building a vertical farming company that's addressing both food and water security in a changing climate.

→ Hear how personal tragedy at 29 led Jamie to reassess his path and take "the jump" into vertical farming
→ Follow his journey from working "7 nights a week" in a rundown Deptford warehouse to raising £37M
→ Understand why he believes "price parity is very important" for sustainable food innovation
→ Discover why family offices, not VCs, are funding this intergenerational vision

Hear how Jamie transitioned from US Air Force engineer to agricultural innovator, working "7 nights a week" in a rundown Deptford warehouse before raising £37M to revolutionize food production. He explains why vertical farming isn't a "one stop shop solution" but part of a broader approach to combat climate change and resource scarcity.

➢ verticalfuture.com
➢ rebelmeetups.com
➢ themillsfabrica.com

Recorded at The Mills Fabrica for "Rebel Meets: CLIMATE EDITION" - the first topic-focused Rebel Meetup bringing together innovators and climate tech enthusiasts.

📹 Thankful for Ant Silva (@mags__media) for filming.
📷 Thankful for Daisy (@daisydrewettmedia) for photography.

Subscribe now

🌱 "If you can invest in Africa the right way—balancing impact and returns—you’re part of something extraordinary."

I was recently joined by Dessi Pettersson, Head of Impact at Sagana—a climate-focused VC firm bridging Europe and Africa. 🌍

💡 Key topics we cover:

🔹 The differences between VC in Europe & Africa
🔹 How cross-pollination between ecosystems drives impact
🔹 The challenges of early-stage climate investing
🔹 The future of exits & liquidity in African markets
🔹 Why passion-driven founders outperform in emerging markets

⚡ Notable insights:

→ Why VC models don’t always fit African markets
→ The role of fintech in climate investing
→ How capital stacks must evolve for real impact
→ The hidden risks of corruption & regulation in emerging markets
→ Why IP protection is different in Africa vs. Europe

#VentureCapital #ClimateTech #Africa

💡 Key topics we cover:

🔹 The differences between VC in Europe & Africa

🔹 How cross-pollination between ecosystems drives impact

🔹 The challenges of early-stage climate investing

🔹 The future of exits & liquidity in African markets

🔹 Why passion-driven founders outperform in emerging markets

⚡ Notable insights:

→ Why VC models don’t always fit African markets

→ The role of fintech in climate investing

→ How capital stacks must evolve for real impact

→ The hidden risks of corruption & regulation in emerging markets

→ Why IP protection is different in Africa vs. Europe

🌱 "If you can invest in Africa the right way—balancing impact and returns—you’re part of something extraordinary."

#VentureCapital #ClimateTech #Africa

Stenver delves into his journey from working at the unicorn Glia to founding Soldera, where he and his team streamline GOs to create income for smaller energy producers who can feel stumped by market bureaucracy — and how aggregating producers’ GOs maximizes their market leverage instead.

Stenver’s vision is fueled by AI-driven solutions that automate administrative burdens for energy producers, helping them focus on their core mission: contributing to a sustainable energy future.

Enjoy this insightful episode with a true innovator in climate tech!

#climatetech #venturecapital #guaranteesoforigin #renewableenergy #sustainability #startups

----------------------------------------

00:00 - Introduction to Guarantees of Origin

03:50 - From Carbon Markets to GO Markets

07:00 - What are Guarantees of Origin

13:45 - Strategies for Market Access in Renewable Energy

16:00 - National GO Auctions

18:00 - Addressing Market Volatility and Seasonal Demand

21:00 - GO Sales Strategies

25:20 - Long Term Vision

26:44 - Green Hydrogen

🖐 What does it take to build the world’s best robotic hands?

I chatted with Rich Walker, Director of Shadow Robot, one of the UK’s longest-standing robotics companies, to learn more about advanced robotics.

Here’s what we explored:

➔ The evolution of Shadow Robot’s world-class hands 🔧
➔ What “dexterity” really means for robots vs. human hands 🖖
➔ The role of AI and deep learning in dextrous hands 🔬
➔ Robots & climate change – their potential role 🌱
➔ Running an employee-owned robotics company: lessons and insights 💼

➡️ Rich Walker
🌐 Shadow Robot: Shadow Robot

💡 Follow Oliver Bonallack // Collective VC for more content featuring innovators, founders, and investors sculpting the future of society.

#Robotics #ShadowRobot #Innovation

Key Topics Discussed:

🔧 The evolution of Shadow Robot's world-class robotic hands

🧠 Understanding dexterity in robotics vs human hands

🔬 How AI and deep learning are transforming robotic manipulation

🌱 The role of robots in addressing climate change challenges

💼 Insights into running an employee-owned robotics company

➡️ Rich's LinkedIn: / walkerrich

🌐 Shadow Robot: https://www.shadowrobot.com/

💡 Subscribe for future episodes featuring innovators, founders, and investors sculpting the future!

#Robotics #ClimateTech #venturecapital

🌐www.collective.vc

In this Collective VC episode, Ollie chats with Etienne Variot, who shares his journey from the financial sector to leading efforts in regenerative agriculture. Discover how Regen Insight and Rize are providing farmers with cutting-edge tools and innovative financing models to support their sustainability initiatives.

➣ 🌱 Regen Insight: guarantees the climatic impact of regenerative agriculture by leveraging agricultural and environmental data through a simple, intuitive tool. Trusted insight into your regenerative efforts, and high-impact carbon certificates.

➣ 🌾 Rize ag: Building the first tech-verified carbon finance platform in agriculture, blending advanced technologies, such as advanced soil modelling, carbon footprint, and satellite imagery.

We also dive deep into Etienne's challenges as a founder and his insights on the complex and evolving regenerative agriculture ecosystem. Learn about the obstacles he faced, the strategies he employed to overcome them, and his visions for the future.

Etienne's work has been recognized as one of the 30 most promising Foodtechs in Europe by Plug and Play Europe and as part of Future 40 at STATION F.

➣ Regen Insight: https://lnkd.in/gkyT-8kP
➣ Rize Ag: https://www.rizeag.com/

➣ 🌱 Regen Insight: guarantees the climatic impact of regenerative agriculture by leveraging agricultural and environmental data through a simple, intuitive tool. Trusted insight into your regenerative efforts, and high-impact carbon certificates.

➣ 🌾 Rize ag: Building the first tech-verified carbon finance platform in agriculture, blending advanced technologies, such as advanced soil modelling, carbon footprint, and satellite imagery.

We also dive deep into Etienne's challenges as a founder and his insights on the complex and evolving regenerative agriculture ecosystem. Learn about the obstacles he faced, the strategies he employed to overcome them, and his visions for the future.

Etienne's work has been recognized as one of the 30 most promising Foodtechs in Europe by Plug and Play and as part of Future 40 at Station F.

P.S. Curious about how regenerative agriculture can change the future of farming? Comment below with your thoughts! 🌍

➣ Etienne's LinkedIn: / etiennevariot

➣ Regen Insight: https://www.regeninsight.com/

➣ Rize Ag: https://www.rizeag.com/

In this episode, we explore the intricacies of daily life with Autism and ADHD, something close to Ollie's heart, in much more detail than our initial three-minute pitch competition allowed. Joel sheds light on the daily experiences of neurodivergent people, the backwards elements of healthcare systems, and frustrations in workplace environments. Joel's experiences eventually culminated in something incredible: launching a startup in the highly complex healthcare sector to support those with Autism and ADHD.

From discussing the critical need for timely support to sharing strategies for inclusive hiring practices, this episode offers a comprehensive look at AUTIHD's mission. Seeking to empower individuals with ASD and ADHD, Joel's journey from personal diagnosis to entrepreneurial endeavor is a great example of purposeful entrepreneurship. Whether you want to build in this space or not, you'll gain valuable perspectives on understanding neurodiversity even just a little better than before. Equally, for startups and investors—get ready to tap into key info on building a platform that bridges gaps in mental health care with AI-driven solutions and community support 🧠💬.

Joel is also hosting a free webinar on July 24th: "Neurodiversity in the Workplace - ADHD and Autism." Register here: ttps://www.autihd.com/webinar-beamreach

➣ Joel's LinkedIn: / jo%c3%abl-schmit-a6513259

➣ AutiHD: www.AutiHD.com

➣ https://inniches.com/

Max is a prominent figure in the venture studio world. He conducted a viral 7-month research project on venture studios and hosted two of the largest venture studio conferences with over 1,000 registrations each — most recently being the Fund of Funds & Family Office Online Conference with over 3000 registrations.

Most importantly, Max founded the Venture Studio Family community, providing support and a space for venture builders and start-up/venture studios to collaborate and share learnings. Additionally, Max co-leads an investment syndicate for studios and interviews studio founders and VCs on his podcast. Check out Max's YouTube channel / @pogmax !

We wanted to delve into the niche mechanisms that make Venture Studios a hot topic, ranging from investor-founder dynamics to the various best practices and trends that arose from Max's research.

As always, we hope you enjoy!

➣ / maxpog

➣ https://inniches.com/

We also discussed the early-stage industrial decarbonization landscape across different European nations and touched on the economics of venture funding in climate. Additionally, we identified the most valuable startups in various ClimateTech sectors and examined what might make investors more cautious about diving into nascent climate technologies across different geographies.

Doerte Hirschberg co-founded Climentum Capital, a leading fund that invests in champions of decarbonization. Climentum focuses on European early-stage companies that eliminate emissions at their industrial sources.

This episode highly value-packed for those interested in climate investing. Enjoy!

➣ Climentum Capital: https://www.climentum.com
➣ Collective VC https://www.linkedin.com/company/collectivevc/

#Investor #VentureCapital #ClimateTech

Amber and Ollie chatted with Doerte to explore perspectives on ClimateTech, the intricacies of Article 9 VC, and some of the key challenges of running and operating a fund—from company culture and ethical challenges to taking the right meetings and best practices in diligence processes. 🌱

We also discussed the early-stage industrial decarbonization landscape across different European nations and touched on the economics of venture funding in climate. Additionally, we identified the most valuable startups in various ClimateTech sectors and examined what might make investors more cautious about diving into nascent climate technologies across different geographies. 🌍

This episode is definitely value-packed for those interested in climate. Enjoy!

➣ Doerte's LinkedIn: / doerte-hirschberg-393a06

➣ Climentum Capital: https://climentum.com

#Investor #VentureCapital #ClimateTech

Also.. if you missed it. Our pitch event from April can now be viewed on YouTube — as I've just realised I'm not sure how long LinkedIn keeps the recording accessible.

Nice little keepsake, look forward to doing more of these!

In this episode, we delve into her journey into VC, her perspectives on ClimateTech, and offer tips for aspiring VCs, particularly women interested in ClimateTech and beyond.

We also hear about curating networks to tackle scientific challenges, barriers to entry into VC and entrepreneurship, and the experience of being in VC at a young age.

Definitely a value-packed episode for aspiring VCs. Enjoy!

➣ Bruna's LinkedIn: / brunaab

➣ Leanox Capital: https://www.leanox.eu

#Investor #VentureCapital #ClimateTech

Chatted with ⚽ Neissan Monadjem, the mastermind behind LINKSPORTS INTERNATIONAL CORP.

LinkSports is a platform set to transform the world of player investment.

It does this by empowering fans, scouts, and brands to discover and support the next generation of athletic talent from every corner of the globe.

Just as gambling on sports is so mainstream... why not make taking a gamble on the career of a young athlete equally normal, helping them in the process?

In short: delivering social impact via platforming under-served and unknown talent — neatly packed into an app.

Sceptical? We discussed the realities behind investing in players. How does this actually help...? You'll have to listen.

A delicate process, from generating AI-driven player rankings to fan micro-sponsorship, learn how this platform is advancing careers, engaging fans, and ultimately propelling aspiring athletes towards success who otherwise would not have the abiltiy nor means.

LinkSports has a clear mission to deliver impact.

We hope you enjoy our discussion with ⚽ Neissan Monadjem as he shares his vision to make player investing mainstream!

➣ https://www.linksports.com/

➣ https://www.linkedin.com/in/neissan-monadjem

#SportsInvestment #LinkSports #Athletics

LinkSports is a platform set to transform the world of player investment.

It does this by empowering fans, scouts, and brands to discover and support the next generation of athletic talent from every corner of the globe.

Just as gambling on sports is so mainstream... why not make taking a gamble on the career of a young athlete equally normal, helping them in the process?

In short: delivering social impact via platforming under-served and unknown talent — neatly packed into an app.

Sceptical? We discussed the realities behind investing in players. How does this actually help...? You'll have to listen.

A delicate process, from generating AI-driven player rankings to fan micro-sponsorship, learn how this platform is advancing careers, engaging fans, and ultimately propelling aspiring athletes towards success who otherwise would not have the abiltiy nor means.

LinkSports has a clear mission to deliver impact.

We hope you enjoy our discussion with ⚽ Neissan Monadjem as he shares his vision to make player investing mainstream!

➣ https://linksports.com/

➣ / neissan-monadjem

#SportsInvestment #LinkSports #Athletics

From the issues affecting the industry, to future-proofing coffee without using beans, to finding a co-founder, pitching investors as a FoodTech startup, and his experiences at Entrepreneur First (EF), this episode has a lot of value... and a rich flavour-profile ☕.

Gain insights into fermentation as a crafting process, the sustainability mission, the unique taste profiles offered, and the strategic growth of a venture-backed brand committed to preserving the affordability of coffee for future generations.

This was a lot of fun. As always, enjoy!

0:00 - Introduction to Prefer and its Mission

0:50 - The Process of Creating Coffee without Coffee Beans

1:22 - The Challenges and Solutions in Flavor Creation

3:56 - The Impact of Climate Change on Coffee Production

4:40: - Sustainable Growth and Mission of Prefer

5:40 - The Taste Profile of Prefer Coffee

7:00 - Customizing Caffeine Levels in Coffee

8:50 - Health Aspects and Benefits of Prefer Coffee

9:55 - Products Offered by Prefer

11:00 - Packaging vs Taste

13:10 - The Entrepreneurial Journey: From Neuroscience to Prefer

15:00 - Entrepreneur First and Finding the Right Co-founder

19:00 - Approaching Investors in FoodTech

21:00 - Big Stories, Huge Vision vs Ambiguity

21:30- Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs in Food Tech and Sustainability

24:00 - How the Audience Can Support Prefer's Growth

24:50 - Addressing Misconceptions and Supporting the Coffee Industry

26:00 - The Origin and Benefits of the Name 'Prefer'

➣ https://www.prefer.coffee/

➣ / prefercoffee

➣ / prefercoffeesg

➣ / jakeberber

#JakeBerber #Prefer #PreferBio #PreferCoffee #BeanFreeCoffee #Singapore #VentureCapital #ImpactStartups #ClimateChange #Coffee