Nesta Impact Investments is now working as an investor partner with Innovate UK’s (IUK) £80 million Future Economy Investor Partnership Programme. Together we can offer a combination of grant and equity funding for early-stage ventures looking to grow their businesses and deliver net-zero solutions, improve health and wellbeing or develop the next generation of digital technologies.

The purpose of this partnership is to accelerate the growth and commercialisation of innovative solutions that are crucial to developing a strong future economy in the UK. Grants have the advantage of not requiring the company to give away equity. These IUK grants are dedicated to a defined research and development project, while equity funding supports broader business development and growth.

Nesta invests £0.5-£1 million in equity funding for seed and series A stage ventures and then, through our investment process, we work with ventures to support their application for IUK grant funding alongside our equity investment.

We are looking to back businesses that:

• develop solutions to deliver net zero, especially around heating and retrofit or new forms of power, storage and whole systems integration
• provide innovative solutions to obesity or loneliness, whether biomedical, low-emission food production systems or digital mental health
• have developed next-generation digital technologies such as AI or machine learning to improve productivity by tackling skills gaps and accelerating green tech adoption by small-to-medium enterprises.

To be eligible for this IUK grant funding alongside Nesta equity investment, a company must align with themes that are common to both. More details about the specific areas Nesta invests in can be found on the Nesta Impact Investments website, and IUK's priority themes on its website. Companies that fall outside of Nesta’s areas of focus may find other Future Economy Investor Partners helpful.

If you have any further queries, please contact Emma Neale.