Cofounder, Climate Tech Engineer

Cofounder, Climate Tech Engineer at Carbon13

All great stories start somewhere. Yours could begin with an application to Carbon13. We are seeking individuals ready to dedicate the next several years to building a climate tech startup that fundamentally alters the trajectory of the climate crisis.

About the Carbon13 Venture Builder

There's no time for hesitation. Join our comprehensive eight-month Venture Builder programme designed for scientists, engineers, and general inventors passionate about fighting climate change. The programme kicks off in late October 2025. You'll enter a vibrant community of hundreds of founders united by a common mission to save the climate. Carbon13's Venture Builder is specifically tailored for purpose-driven individuals, whether you're new to climate, entrepreneurship, or venture builders, or you possess accumulated expertise in these fields (approximately half of our founders have prior startup experience). Unlike traditional accelerators, you are not required to have a startup idea; we can assist you in defining your problem space, though half of our founders join with existing concepts.

Our Mission: Aim Big for Climate Impact

Carbon13 is the Venture Builder for the Climate Emergency, singularly focused on supporting founders dedicated to climate solutions. We challenge every new founder to build a solution with the potential to reduce carbon dioxide (or equivalent greenhouse gases) by 10 million tonnes per year. Our entire support system is designed to help you achieve this ambitious goal, because the climate crisis demands bold, impactful solutions, not incremental tinkering or greenwashing.

What You'll Achieve

• Find a complementary cofounder: In just 8 weeks, you'll find your ideal commercial co-founder with a strong track record in startups or industry leadership.
• Tap into expert networks: Access over 400 domain specialists, carbon experts, and sharp-eyed entrepreneurs in residence.
• Validate your venture: Move your concepts past early-stage development (TRL3-5) into commercial operation, understanding the highest impact opportunity for your IP or idea.
• Secure initial investment: Show your team is ready to transform industries and secure Carbon13's pre-seed investment in just 5 months.
• Develop funding strategy: Build the appropriate funding strategy for further seed-stage investment and scale your venture effectively.

We are sector agnostic, exploring ideas from Food to Construction, Materials, and Carbon Capture. We tailor our support for science-based, deep tech, or hardware ventures, covering go-to-market strategy, IP protection, fundraising, and team building. Ventures launched through our programme already include carbon-negative concrete, methane capture, bioplastics, composite recycling, alternative protein, quantum computing for materials discovery, precision fermentation, and green ammonia.

How Carbon13 Works

Our programme is designed to amplify your work. You'll be building a startup as part of a cohort of 70 founders, not just sitting through lectures.

• Phase 1: Teaming & Ideation (8 weeks) You will find a cofounder. As a technical founder, you will most likely team up with a founder with a proven track record in founding startups or industry leadership in emitting sectors. On average, 90% of the cohort forms teams and progresses to Phase 2.
• Phase 2: Validation (12 weeks) Your team will intensely work on: team strengthening, carbon intelligence, rapid iterations of concepts, business model forming, prototype testing, intellectual property, customer development, stakeholder development, behavior change, governance, and venture incorporation.
• Phase 3: Acceleration (4 months) After Phase 2, we invest pre-seed into a selection of teams. Phase 3 focuses on market, product, business model, and strategy to prepare your venture for further seed-stage investment, managing growth and developing a robust funding strategy.

Carbon13 in Numbers

• £14 million investment across 101 ventures since 2021.
• £40 million – Carbon13 companies have gone on to raise up-rounds totaling more than £40 million.
• 500 million tonnes – Carbon13's portfolio is collectively working towards a decarbonisation potential at scale of 500 million tonnes per year.
• +10% of the Carbon13 portfolio is Earthshot nominated, including Kita, Samudra Oceans, Forge Minerals, and Nium.
• 40% of our participants hold a PhD.
• 90% of each cohort forms a cofounding team within Phase 1.
• +500 domain experts, carbon experts, entrepreneurs in residence.

Key Skills/Competency

• Climate technology
• Entrepreneurship
• Engineering principles
• Startup building
• Deep tech innovation
• Carbon reduction strategies
• Problem-solving
• Team collaboration
• Venture capital understanding
• Intellectual property commercialization