A Bath-based cleantech firm aiming to help small food and drink businesses create sustainable supply chains is poised to launch its platform after raising £142,000.
Greener, which was co-founded by a University of Bath doctor of philosophy, has developed a algorithmic matchmaking platform that makes it easier for firms in the food and drink sector to connect, saving them vital time and money.
Its mission is to make sustainability accessible and affordable for small businesses.
The pre-seed funding, which was led by Innovate UK’s sustainable innovation fund and included private investors, will allow it to test its core technology before launching it this summer.
The firm was founded in 2019 by Bath-based sustainability experts Mehrnaz Tajmir and Dan Yates, pictured. Mehrnaz has a PhD in Sustainable Supply Chain Management and a Masters in Engineering from the University of Bath while Dan founded Bath-based computer gaming firm Aio and Black and White Tech.
After their early successes in the research and development and testing stages, Greener is now focused solely on growing its user base and learning how to improve its platform as it plans for growth.
Dan said: “Research has shown that the vast majority of small businesses want to incorporate more sustainability into their practices. But we knew that the existing methods and processes were too time-consuming, too complicated, and too resource-intensive for them to implement.
“We also knew that SMEs are the driving force of the economy, especially in the food and drink industry. We had a clear problem, we had a large market, and the solution became apparent: we need to make sustainability simple.”
Mehrnaz added: “Ultimately, sustainability cannot be improved in isolation, whether by a single firm or a single person.
“Sustainability is about building better supply chains and working with the right partners.
“But finding those partners is actually really hard if you don’t know what you’re looking for, and knowing where to start – especially after a year like this – is daunting. That’s where we decided we can help.”
