Carbon Cell – From Vision to Investor-Ready
Sector: Climate Tech / Sustainable Materials
Stage: Early-stage startup
The Big Idea
Carbon Cell is on a mission to replace polystyrene with a carbon-negative alternative, a game-changer for sustainable packaging. Backed by Carbon13 and Imperial College’s Greenhouse incubator, the team had deep technical expertise and a bold vision. But like many early-stage startups, they needed help turning that vision into a compelling commercial story investors could get behind.
That’s where we came in.
What They Needed
Carbon Cell approached Incrementa with two clear goals:
- Extend their runway through non-dilutive grant funding
- Get investor-ready for a pre-seed raise
But before we could talk pitch decks and data rooms, we needed to lay the strategic foundations.
Our Approach: Strategy First, Funding Follows
Clarifying the Commercial Strategy
We started by helping the team zoom out from the lab bench and look at the bigger picture:
- Who are the real customers?
- Where does Carbon Cell create and capture value?
- What’s the most credible route to market?
Together, we mapped out a focused go-to-market strategy, identified the packaging industry as the ideal beachhead, and built a scalable commercial model that aligned with their technical roadmap.
Building Investor Confidence
With the strategy in place, we moved into investment readiness:
- Crafted financial projections grounded in realistic assumptions
- Developed a land-and-expand market entry plan
- Created a pitch deck and one-pager that told a clear, compelling story
- Built a structured data room with everything investors expect
We also helped Carbon Cell build a targeted investor list, focusing on climate-tech and deep-tech funds aligned with their mission.
Unlocking Grant Funding
In parallel, we supported the team in identifying and applying for relevant R&D grants securing over £100K in non-dilutive funding to extend their runway and validate their approach.
The Results
£1.2M pre-seed round closed
£100K+ in grant funding secured
Investor-ready materials and strategy in place
Clear commercial roadmap aligned with technical development
