The Venture Launchpad
Handbook and Weekly Guide
Welcome to Carbon13 Venture Launchpad Cohort 4, sponsored by Barclays Eagle Labs. In this Handbook you can familiarise yourself with Phase 1 of the programme, understand the support that it is available to you, and the expectations Carbon13 has as you prepare to pitch for investment.
In the Weekly Guide you can get a week-by-week breakdown of the sessions that will be running, what you need to prepare for each session, and what you should work on following them.
Handbook
Weekly Guide
Handbook
Here you can learn about the objectives we will work towards in Phase 1, Carbon13’s operating procedures, and the types of mentoring you will receive across the programme
Key Dates
Document submission deadline - 03/01/2024 @13:00
investment pitches - 08/01/2024 and 09/01/2024
Phase 1 Objectives
Operating Procedures
Communications
Our primary method of communication with you will be through Slack. You will be able to contact the Programme Team, your EiR, and your cohort peers through Slack.
Session Invites
We will use Outlook to send calendar invites for all programme sessions. Please let jack@carbonthirteen.com know if you do not have an invite for the sessions detailed in the Weekly Guide.
Resources
The platform is where you can find the resources available to you through the Carbon13 programme. This includes the Session Archive, the Directory of experts in the Carbon13 network, All Things Carbon (to support in developing your Carbon Case), Curated Resources (on topics from fundraising, to product, to mental wellbeing), and offers from our partner network.
Data Room
You must deliver a complete data room to the IAC before pitching.
Your data room is a secure folder which holds all of the company information that investors will need to see in order to carry out due diligence on your company. You must be able to grant access to your data room to the Carbon13 IAC. You are free to make your own decision about what platform you wish to host your data room on; from experience, most of our teams have found Google Drive or SharePoint easy to use at this stage.
Weekly Check-in
We ask you to fill out a weekly check-in form as a team, listing your wins and challenges from the week and your plans for the next week. The form should not take more than 5-10 minutes to complete. Click on this link to reach the form.
We ask this to encourage you to reflect each week on the progress that you are making as a team and to ensure that we always have an up-to-date understanding of how you are getting on as a team and where we can best provide further support. Please be consistent and honest in filling this form out.
We will also share one of your updates with the cohort in the weekly email, to help you celebrate each other’s progress!
Meet the team
Carbon13 is here to assist and guide you every step of the way. Our skilled team consists of seasoned founders, specialists in impact, innovation, fundrasing, finance, marketing, HR and more. We are dedicated to equipping you with the knowledge, advice, and resources essential for building your climate tech start up. You will engage with the team at different points, working 121 with senior leadership and the programme team across the whole of the programme.
Meet The Programme Team
Puja Balachander
Director of Venture
Supports all teams 121 in Cambridge and Berlin
Jack Williams-Sharkey
Programme Manager
Venture Launchpad 4 and Venture Builder Phase 3 account manager.
Marina Fontoura
Programme Manager
Berlin C3 Phase 1 account manager
Mai Silk
Programme Manager
Cambridge C7 Phase 1 account manager
The programme team are on hand to support you throughout your journey on the Venture Builder programme. If you have any questions do not hesitate to reach out to us; your account manager should be your first point of call.
Mentoring and Support
Use the slider to learn how our Entrepreneurs-in-Residence, Carbon13 senior team, Carbon Experts, and Domain Experts will support you.
Partnerships
Barclays Eagle Labs
Carbon13 partners with Barclays Eagles Labs to deliver the Venture Launchpad.
Barclays Eagle Labs is an initiative by Barclays to support entrepreneurs, startups, and scale-ups in the UK. They provide access to co-working spaces, mentoring, and resources, fostering innovation and growth across various industries, including climatetech, fintech, healthtech, and more. Their mission is to empower businesses to thrive by offering the tools and networks needed to scale and succeed.
More broadly, through the Barclays’ Climate Tech Escalator, Barclays helps to scale the next generation of businesses on a mission to decarbonise the global economy. Barclays helps early and growth stage businesses by providing support on proof of concept, workspaces, and network introductions to founders and corporate clients. As a connected pathway across the whole bank, the Barclays Climate Tech Escalator offers access to Barclays extensive suite of products and services at the point of need.
Our joint ambition is to scale over 100 climate tech businesses through the Venture Launchpad programme with support and mentoring to work intensively on carbon impact, investor readiness and go-to-market strategy.
Please find a list of resources which may be useful or get in touch with hattie@carbonthirteen.com to find out more about our partnership with Barclays Eagle Labs and the support available to you through their network:
- Climate and Nature Innovation | Barclays Eagle Labs (uk.barclays) – become a member of Barclays Eagle Labs to access a wealth of resources and connections to help your business connect, grow and scale
- Barclays Demo Directory | Barclays Demo Directory (uk.barclays) – opportunity for ambitious founders to showcase their business to a selected group of attested investors.
- Eagle Labs Academy (uk.barclays) – A digital learning platform to help founders start and scale their business.
- Learning and insights | Barclays Eagle Labs (uk.barclays) – latest videos and articles covering a wide range of topics to help you run and grow your business
- Raising capital | Barclays Eagle Labs (uk.barclays) – Navigating the funding landscape
- Marketing and sales | Barclays Eagle Labs (uk.barclays) – Attracting, acquiring and retaining customers
- Running your business | Barclays Eagle Labs (uk.barclays) – Practical support on the day-to-day running of your business
- Team and culture | Barclays Eagle Labs (uk.barclays) – Building your team and embedding a value-based culture
- Sustainability | Barclays Eagle Labs (uk.barclays) – Supporting your sustainability journey
- News and insights | Barclays Eagle Labs (uk.barclays)
- Unlocking growth reports | Barclays Eagle Labs (uk.barclays) – more in-depth studies on a wide range of topics and industries to educate and inspire founders and entrepreneurs.
- Eagle Labs Events | Barclays Eagle Labs (uk.barclays) – designed to cover a wide range of topics to help to inspire entrepreneurs and founders like you to navigate the world of business.
- Disruptive By Barclays Eagle Labs | Barclays Eagle Labs (uk.barclays) – Hosted by Katherine Morgan, Head of High Growth and Entrepreneurs, it’s your gateway to valuable insights and practical knowledge to fuel the growth of your venture.
Herbert Smith Freehills
We are excited to announce a new partnership between Carbon13 and Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF), designed to offer valuable legal support to founders participating in our Venture Launchpad programmes. As part of this collaboration, HSF will provide tailored legal services, content, and training to help you navigate the complexities of building and scaling your venture. This includes setting up specialised legal clinics, pairing each venture with a dedicated lawyer, and offering 5 hours of free legal advisory services during the programme. After this, participants will benefit from discounted rates for any ongoing legal support post-programme. Additionally, HSF will share educational resources on key legal topics to further support your journey.
HSF offers various resources for startups, including access to legal insights, training on key topics such as intellectual property and fundraising/corporate matters. The firm also provides detailed content on emerging technologies, ESG practices, and energy transition. Additionally, they offer specialised sector expertise and educational materials aimed at helping founders navigate legal complexities.
Please find a list of resources which may be useful or get in touch with hattie@carbonthirteen.com to find out more about our partnership with HSF and the support on offer:
- Venture capital and growth | Herbert Smith Freehills | Global law firm – Find out more about HSF’s client offerings across the venture capital landscape
- Vision Things – Dylan Doran Kennett on chasing founders and what’s next for venture capital | Herbert Smith Freehills | Global law firm – Find out about Dylan’s path to corporate law and views on the venture capital landscape
- Sectors | Herbert Smith Freehills | Global law firm – Find out more about HSF’s services and expertise
- Insights | Herbert Smith Freehills | Global law firm – Global perspectives and local insights from HSF
Weekly Guide
You can find details on the scheduled sessions here. Please pay attention to the notes for each session, as they include any preparation you should make for each session and any actions that you should complete following the session.
Week 0&1 - Onboarding and Orientation
In the first 2 weeks you will get to know each other, and the team that will be supporting you throughout this process. You will be set up weekly 121s with your Entrepreneur-in-Residence, and complete administrative tasks, including signing your offer letter and NDA, familiarizing yourself with the Carbon13 platform, and onboarding to Slack.
NDA
By signing an NDA, we hope to foster honest conversations where information can be shared without fear of unauthorized disclosure.
Intro with Puja
Book a 121 call with Puja to discuss your upcoming priorities.
Suggested reading
Familarise yourself with this handbook, and spend some time looking through the Carbon13 directory and curated resources. You can use the directory to identify domain experts you would like to contact. As the programme progresses, these resources will continue to develop.
Introduce yourself
Introduce yourselves on the Programme Slack Channel. Set up your profile on the platform so that you become part of the community.
Date
Session Title
Pre-work
Follow Up
Thursday 17th October, 12:00-13:00
Kick-Off, with Puja Balachander and the Programme Team.
Preparation – Send one slide on your startup and be prepared to introduce yourselves and the company in 2 minutes.
Thursday 17th October, 15:30-16:30
Meet the C13 Team and Barclays Eagle Labs
Week 2 - Carbon and Commercial
In Week 2 we begin looking at your Carbon Case, introducing you to the concept of 10million tonnes and how your venture can approach it. We will discuss your commercial value proposition and market sizing and how you can combine this with your impact framework and carbon market sizing.
Date
Session Title
Pre-work
Follow Up
Thursday 24th October, 09:30-10:30
Mission to Protect Earth’s Vital Systems, with Nicky Dee.
Draft your Value Proposition and Market Size. Try converting your market size to tonnes of CO2.
Thursday 24th October, 11:30-12:30
Value Proposition and Market Sizing, with Puja Balachander.
Draft your Value Proposition and Market Size. Try converting your market size to tonnes of CO2.
Friday 25th October, 11:00-12:30
MPA Grants Workshop, with Dr Chloe Sharp.
Complete the pre-session questionnaire by the 22nd of October.
MPA are offering 30-minute 121 consultations to provide specific guidance and answer any further questions you may have.
Week 3 - Honing your pitch to Carbon13 (and beyond!)
In Week 3 you will work on telling your story and developing the fundamentals of your pitch deck. By the end of this week you should have prepared a first draft of your deck.
Date
Session Title
Pre-work
Follow Up
Thursday 31st October, 09:30-11:00
Storytelling 101, with Paul Bourne.
During this session, Paul will set you a “homework” task before booking a series of 121 meetings with him to prepare you for your Carbon13 pitch.
Friday 1st November, 15:00-16:00
Pitch Workshop 1, with Carbon13 IAC and EiRs.
Prepare a 5 minute pitch to present to Carbon13 leaders and EiRs.
Week 4 - More Carbon
In Week 4 we return to thinking about your Carbon Case. Your goal at the end of the week is to prepare an initial draft of your Carbon Case, at a minimum looking at the Impact Framework.
Date
Session Title
Pre-work
Follow Up
Thursday 7th November, 13:00-14:00
Carbon Case Session 2
Friday 8th November, 11:00-12:00
Carbon Case Session 3
Week 5 - GTM, Milestones, and Execution
In Week 5 we focus on your Go-to-Market Strategy and what milestones you will need to hit to implement this strategy. By the end of the week, you should be developing slides on your GTM and your Milestones in your pitch deck.
Domain Expert Office Hours
We will make 30-minute Office Hours available with Domain Experts experienced in developing GTM strategies. Please watch out for further details on booking this time.
Date
Session Title
Pre-work
Follow Up
Thursday 14th November, 12:00-13:00
Milestones and Product Roadmapping, with Puja Balachander.
Weeks 6-8 - Investment prep
In Weeks 6-8 we focus on preparing you for investment. We will discuss the documents that you need to include in your data room and the Carbon13 specific investment documentation. Your goals at the end of this period are to have worked on your extended pitch deck and on populating your data room.
Critical Friend Investor sessions
These will be individually scheduled with you. These are sessions with friendly investors in the Carbon13 network where you can practice your conversational pitch and integrate their feedback into your introductions. Take advantage of this to ask them for honest feedback, and ask questions you wouldn’t ask someone you were pitching for real.
Date
Session Title
Pre-work
Follow Up
Thursday 21st November, 13:00-14:00
Pitch Workshop 2, with Carbon13 IAC and EiRs.
Update your pitch deck draft.
Wednesday 27th November, 13:30-15:00
Critical Friend Investor Session
You will be assigned a 30-minute slot on Wednesday or Thursday. Prepare your conversational pitch and questions you might like to ask.
Thursday 28th November, 14:30-16:00
Critical Friend Investor Session
You will be assigned a 30-minute slot on Wednesday or Thursday. Prepare your conversational pitch and questions you might like to ask.
Tuesday 3rd December, 13:30-14:30
Carbon13 Investment Criteria, with Carbon13 SLT.
Thursday 5th December, 10:30-12:00
Peer Pitch Workshop.
Update your pitch deck draft.
Thursday 5th December, 13:00-14:00
Carbon Case AMA
Come with your carbon case questions for Nicky.
Wednesday 11th December, 13:00-14:00
Investment Terms and Documentation Session 2 with SLT.
Week 9 - Heads Down TIme
There will be no further group sessions scheduled during this time, which runs from the 6th December until the investment pitches. You can still make use of the 121-support available to you and should arrange this with your mentors.
Week 10 - Investment Pitches
Investment pitches will take place online (Zoom) on the 8th and 9th of January. You will be given a specific pitch slot before the holiday period.
Your investment pitch will be attended by the Carbon13 Investment Advisory Committee (IAC) and selected external experts where required to properly assess your business (for example carbon experts).
You will have 12 minutes to pitch and will receive 30 minutes of questions from the IAC.
Uploading your Data Room:
Use the following checklist to ensure that you have everything required.
Email the link to your data room to jack@carbonthirteen.com, anneleen@carbonthirteen.com, and puja@carbonthirteen.com by the deadline of 23:59 on Sunday 5th January. Any updates to your data room after this time will not be reviewed by the IAC.
