• greenworkx is building the net-zero workforce – getting people into green jobs that pay well without any degree debt
• Climate-focused edtech backed by Mangrove Capital Partners and Ada Ventures, as well as CEOs of Multiverse, MyTutor and Octopus Electric Vehicles

London, April 4 2023: greenworkx, a new UK edtech start-up tackling the green skills emergency, has announced a £600k pre-seed funding round to develop training and matching technology to get more people into green jobs.  

Mangrove Capital Partners led the funding round, with participation from Ada Ventures. Angel investors include sector leaders in both climate and education technology, including the CEOs of Multiverse (Euan Blair), MyTutor (Bertie Hubbard) and Octopus Electric Vehicles (Fiona Howarth).

There is a huge skills gap globally for net zero industries. Fixing Britain’s 28 million energy-leaky homes alone will require getting an estimated 500,000 more people into green retrofit jobs. greenworkx was founded by Richard Ng (ex-Multiverse) and Mat Ilic (former 10 Downing Street adviser) – who together bring nearly 25 years of  combined experience across education, technology and government – with a mission to get 10 million more people into green jobs in 10 years. 

“The problem is two-fold. Firstly, there is an awareness issue – these are highly accessible, meaningful and well-paid jobs but people are unaware that they pay well or that they even exist. Secondly, the current training systems in place cannot deliver at the speed and scale required,” comments Mat Ilic, co-founder and CEO of greenworkx.

The company is taking a new approach to tackling this green skills emergency: reaching a non-traditional audience with an app to make learning more interactive and accessible, using educational neuroscience and AI to grow and reskill a new workforce at scale. It will also be working closely with employers, trade bodies and training organisations to map industry needs onto skill pathways into the workplace and get people into green jobs.

“It’s really important for our economy, society and environment that individuals can get the right signposting, training and funding to access these careers. We’re thrilled to have the backing of such an esteemed group of investors for this critical mission,” continues Mat Ilic, co-founder and CEO of greenworkx.

greenworkx has already enrolled its first learners into a free, introductory retrofit course, attracting a diverse mixture of jobseekers and career changers – from backgrounds as varied as warehousing, nursing and the armed forces. The course is fully-funded for learners and jobs in retrofit can pay a starting salary of £25,000 without any degree, A-levels or GCSEs needed – making them accessible, well-paid and purposeful, much like many jobs in the net-zero revolution.

Nikolas Krawinkel, Partner at Mangrove Capital Partners, said: “We’re on the cusp of a green industrial revolution, which will require a huge rethink of our education and training systems. The greenworkx team have a deep understanding of digital-first learning methodologies and we’re excited to work with them to take on this profoundly important challenge.”

Matt Penneycard, Founding Partner at Ada Ventures, said: “The urgent ramp-up needed in the green workforce is a unique opportunity to build a fairer, more equitable future by bringing millions into a rapidly-growing sector of huge social and environmental importance. We’re incredibly excited about the double impact that greenworkx can have in empowering people to access well-paid, future-ready jobs, whilst simultaneously directly driving the net-zero revolution to address the climate crisis.”

You can find out more about green jobs and greenworkx here.  

Image credits: Virginia Rowe

ENDS  

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About greenworkx  

greenworkx is a climate edtech startup building the skilled trade workforce to deliver net-zero homes and roads. It is supercharging the human capital side of the green economy, targeting a non-traditional audience with an app that makes learning more interactive and accessible. Its mission is to get 10 million more people into green jobs in 10 years – building careers that are good for people and good for the planet.

greenworkx was founded by Mat Ilic and Richard Ng, who bring close to 25 years of combined experience across government, education and technology. The company is backed by European venture capital fund Mangrove Capital Partners and mission-driven UK fund Ada Ventures, alongside leading industry experts in education, technology and sustainability.

About Mangrove Capital Partners 

Mangrove Capital Partners is a contrarian, bold and patient venture capital firm helping innovative entrepreneurs start and grow global, disruptive tech companies. Based in Luxembourg, the firm chases transformational ideas around the world with a focus on early-stage startups from Europe and Israel.

As investors, Mangrove supports founders hands-on as they go through the ups and downs of the entrepreneurial journey. Since its inception in 2000, the firm has backed five unicorns at the seed stage: Skype, Wix, WalkMe, K Health, and The Bank of London. Other successful portfolio companies include Red Points, Flo, Sifflet, and Adverity.

About Ada Ventures 

Ada Ventures is the inclusive early-stage fund that supports founders with breakthrough ideas for the hardest problems we face, typically with a first investment of £500K to £1 million. Ada Ventures invests at pre-seed and seed across climate, economic empowerment and healthcare & ageing. 

Ada Ventures’ mission is to make venture capital accessible to the best entrepreneurial talent in the UK and aims to have the most diverse pipeline, and portfolio, of any fund in Europe. The fund was co-founded by Check Warner MBE and Matt Penneycard, who are equal partners, and have over 20 years combined experience in venture capital investing. 

Overall, Ada Ventures Fund I has invested in 28 companies, including Huboo, SideQuest, Oxford Medical Products, Organise and Spill.

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PRESS CONTACT  

Richard Ng, co-founder and CTO: [email protected]   

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