The EIS Navigator 59. Impact companies and their investors: Weedingtech with Boundary Capital and Go Thrift with OnePlanetCapital
While we have focused on venture capital and EIS/ VCT investors on the podcast, ultimately it is all about the companies that we invest in. Here we find out about two of them, together with the EIS fund managers who invested in them.
Weedingtech supplies machines and supplies that can kill weeds without using herbicides. Its CEO, Leo de Montaignac, discusses how it works, some of the challenges he has had and how they have internationalised the business. Dan Somers of Boundary Capital talks about why it was an attractive investment, what its attraction were to an impact investor and how he overcame the concerns that many investors have about hardware businesses.
Go Thrift is a retailer of second-hand clothing at industrial scale. Carl Walker, its CEO, talks about building scale when resources are scarce, how he overcame the supply and single SKU issues and what the barriers to competition are. OnePlanetCapital is an investor and Matt Jellicoe talks about why they invested, how he measured its impact and why he thinks it could be the safest investment in their portfolio.
Links
Weedingtech website: https://www.weedingtech.com/
Boundary Capital website: https://www.boundarycapital.com/
Go Thrift website: https://gothrift.co.uk/
OnePlanetCapital website: https://www.oneplanet.capital/
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Bios
Leo is the CEO and co-founder of Weedingtech. As CEO he is responsible for building Weedingtech’s world class team, and steering its growth. Leo ensures that Weedingtech remains focused on helping organisations around the world make their local areas greener, cleaner and safer than ever before. Committed to building long-lasting relationships where its customers remain the top priority, he cares passionately about Weedingtech being the best partner to anyone it works with. Leo co-founded Weedingtech because he saw an opportunity to provide the world with a safer way to weed. Prior to Weedingtech, Leo worked in a variety of roles in sales and marketing in IT. He had always wanted to start a business himself, and he left IT to start Weedingtech when the opportunity presented itself. Outside the office Leo is a keen foodie, cook and traveller.
Dan Somers is the managing partner of Boundary Capital. He is a serial entrepreneur; founder and CEO of several IT businesses as well as executive and non-executive position of other growing electronics, software and green tech businesses. Dan is passionate about sustainability and impact as well as technology, and leads the business development for Boundary as well as managing some of the investments. Formerly a strategy consultant with LEK Consulting. He holds an MA from Cambridge University in Natural Sciences and a Diploma in Business Studies. A keen skier and ex-rugby player, now vicarious fan. Dreaming of post-lockdown on the ski slopes and rugby terraces!
Carl Walker is CEO & Co-Founder of Go Thrift. Carl has worked in used clothing and the circular fashion sector for over 10 years and was recently nominated as a top 40 Northern Gamechanger. Go Thrift are one of the UK's leading vintage & used clothing retailers and pride themselves on being part of the solution to fast fashion pollution. They have won multiple awards for sustainability and circularity, including the Marie Claire award for best re-commerce brand.
After a corporate career in public companies, Matthew Jellicoe founded and successfully exited two technology businesses in 2012 and 2018 respectively. He has been an active technology investor since 2012 and serves as a Non-Executive Director for two technology businesses. In more recent years he has specialised in sustainable investments. Matt is one of the founding directors of OnePlanet.Capital - a climate change focused EIS Investment Fund. The fund aims to combine strong investment returns with climate and environmental impact.