Slaughter and May unveils fifth Fast Forward cohort in climate tech special edition

Slaughter and May, the leading international law firm, today announces the five businesses which will make up the fifth cohort of its technology entrepreneurs programme, Fast Forward. The 2021 iteration of the programme is a climate tech special edition, with the firm working in partnership with the Centre for Climate Change Innovation (CCCI) ‒ an initiative of the Royal Institution and the Grantham Institute - Climate Change and the Environment at Imperial College London ‒ of which Slaughter and May is a founding member.

Fast Forward first launched in 2016 and has made available legal and related support with a value of more than £800,000 to a diverse range of early- to –mid stage technology ventures including successful alumni such as telematics car insurance provider, By Miles, and open banking unicorn, TrueLayer. Each business in the programme benefits from support to the value of £30,000 from Slaughter and May in the form of legal advice and other value-add services, including access to the firm’s extensive networks and tailored coaching in areas such as pitching, negotiations, and managing people. The businesses in this year’s cohort have all been supported by the Grantham Institute, with four currently part of The Greenhouse, an accelerator within the CCCI and another startup that was supported by Climate-KIC, its predecessor programme. 

Slaughter and May partner Samay Shah says, “We’re really excited to be working with the Centre for Climate Change Innovation this year, to bring together a cohort of incredibly innovative businesses making a difference through their efforts to tackle climate change. The quality of this year’s cohort is outstanding, and we’re privileged to be working with entrepreneurs who share Slaughter and May’s passion for sustainability.”

Partner Oliver Moir adds, “As a firm we aim to be sustainable in everything we do. For that reason it’s a natural next step that this edition of Fast Forward is devoted entirely to climate tech. Our work with the Centre for Climate Change Innovation means we are able to support some of the most pioneering companies in the UK. We can’t wait to do our part in helping these entrepreneurial businesses do great things.”

The five businesses that will make up the cohort are working to tackle climate change in a number of ways:

• Carbon Infinity is developing a modular technology that removes carbon dioxide from the air to support the emergence of the carbon-tech economy, and help de-fossilise heavy industry .
• Construction Carbon provides carbon scoring and net-zero verification processes for anyone undertaking a construction project to clearly communicate that they have assessed, reduced and scored their embodied carbon and offset residual upfront emissions.
• Solaris Offgrid develops technology to scale up promising energy access solutions. It aims to positively impact the world's poorest communities and support entrepreneurs.
• Treeconomy aims to revolutionise the forest carbon offset industry by the use of remote sensing technology. It connects rural landowners directly to the global carbon offset market, shrinking the carbon supply chain, providing them with a new source of income from trees.
• BIO-F harness the power of microorganisms to produce high-quality nutrients for agriculture, suitable for organic soils, hydroponic systems, and conventional farming.

Naveed Chaudhry, Co-Founder and Head of The Greenhouse at the Centre for Climate Change Innovation said, “I am thrilled that these five fantastic companies get to benefit from the support and advice of such a prestigious, international law firm as Slaughter and May, in addition to the support that they’re already receiving from The Greenhouse. These five companies all have amazing potential and I hope that the Fast Forward programme will help them realise it.”