Events

About these events

Our Masterclass programme upskills founders through a series of all-day, interactive sessions with specific learning outcomes and knowledge-to-action points.

Our 2025 Masterclass Programme covers the following areas:

Developing Scalable Value Propositions
Business Planning for Market Entry
MVPs and Product Development
Lab Infrastructure and R&D Strategies
Building Skilled Teams
Effective Pitching and Investor Readiness
IP Strategy
Deep Tech Venturing
Innovation Leadership

Event

Masterclass

Event location

Virtual

Interested in our Masterclass programme?

If you are a start-up or scale-up with a focus on deep tech chemistry, you could be eligible to join our Venture Acceleration Programme and attend our Masterclass events on topics like this and more. Our Masterclass programme is developed with the specialised needs of deep tech chemistry ventures at the forefront.

Explore our Masterclasses

Events

Professional Services Support

Our regular opportunities to attend one-to-one sessions with our professional services experts.

Regular events

Virtual

About these sessions

We understand that it can difficult to find the support and expertise needed to develop a deep tech chemistry idea into a thriving corporate venture. That is why we have curated a community of professional services experts who are driven by a shared goal to see deep tech chemistry ideas thrive and create impact on societal challenges.

Together, these experts provide a regular programme of one-to-one drop in sessions where ventures can access free expertise and an expert opinion on the following topics:

Intellectual property and patents
Finance and accounting
Legal
Insurance and risk

We have a rolling schedule of sessions and all ventures on our Venture Acceleration Programme are eligible to join any drop-in.

Support

Drop-in

Event location

Virtual

Interested in hearing from our experts?

If you are employed in a start-up or scale-up with a focus on deep tech chemistry, you could be eligible to join our accelerator programme and connect with our experts.

Explore our accelerator support

Events

Investment Catalyst

Our pitching event for deep tech chemistry ventures

Regular events

Burlington House, London

Helping ventures find the funding they need to take ideas to impact.

The Investment Catalyst event series provides a selection of our deep tech chemistry ventures with the opportunity to pitch to an audience of investors selected for their experience investing in deep tech chemistry ventures and committed to the mission of Change Makers.

These events are run throughout the year and the dates are shaped by when our ventures are fundraising. In the run up to the event, we support these businesses with preparing their pitch, culminating in an exciting evening at our prestigious London location.

Our ventures will each be given 5 minutes to pitch their ideas, which will then be followed by a networking session.

We will invite a variety of businesses with technologies such as AI drug discovery, carbon capture, sustainable agriculture, and more.

Event

Investment

Event location

Burlington House, London

Interested in pitching

If you are employed in a start-up or scale-up with a focus on deep tech chemistry, you could be eligible to join our accelerator programme and attend our Investment Catalyst event.

Explore our accelerator support

Events

Venture Mentoring

Our regular event for pairing our experienced deep tech chemistry mentors with Change Makers ventures.

18/06/2024

Burlington House, London

Our Venture Mentoring matching events pair mentors from our industry expert community and selected entrepreneurs. At these events, the entrepreneurs will give a short pitch about their venture, the opportunities and challenges faced, and the type of support being sought from a mentor.

Over lunch, mentors and entrepreneurs will network and find out more about their individual skillsets and requirements and assess whether further discussions are needed before progressing to a formal mentoring agreement.

Please note that whilst we provide the opportunities for entrepreneurs to meet potential mentors, we cannot guarantee the matching of individuals. To have the best possible chance of doing so entrepreneurs should be very clear about the support they're looking for.

These events are by selection only, so please read the information about the programme and get in touch to take part.

Event

Mentoring

Event location

Burlington House
Piccadilly, London, W1J 0BA

Outline for the day

1. Introduction to the programme
2. Entrepreneur pitches and questions
3. Lunch and networking

Interested in being part of our Venture Mentoring programme?

To access our Venture Mentoring programme, you must first be accepted into the Change Makers ecosystem. Following a successful application, our Venture Mentoring events are by invitation only.

Events

Emerging Technologies Competition

Our annual innovation initiative identifies and supports entrepreneurs who are developing ground-breaking, chemistry-led technologies.

02/07/2025

Burlington House, London

This competition plays a vital role in promoting technologies that tackle societal challenges, support a sustainable future and drive economic growth.

The competition

Each year, we welcome applications from early-stage start-ups, spinouts and academic entrepreneurs, based in the UK, who are developing the most novel, innovative, and disruptive deep tech chemistry in each of these four categories:

Enabling Technologies
Energy
Environment
Health

We particularly welcome applications from companies, start-ups and spinouts led by Black and other minoritised ethnic scientists.

Applicants selected as finalists will receive:

Invaluable publicity and exposure
Constructive feedback on your application provided by our competition partners and judges
A programme of support, including an IP webinar and pitch training
An invitation to join Change Makers, which provides a package of support for SMEs that includes: Venture Mentoring, Masterclasses, Investor networking, and more.*

^{*This is only open to UK incorporated businesses meeting the eligibility for Change Makers for ventures.}

The in-person pitch final will take place in London on 2 July 2025 where the judges will select four winners (one per category), each of whom will receive:

A cash prize of £25,000
Post-event publicity and exposure

Key dates

10 February 2025	Applications open
7 April 2025	Applications close
7 - 11 April 2025	RSC review
11 April - 18 May 2025	Judging
Late May 2025	Finalists announced
2 July 2025	Pitch final

Event

Innovation

Event location

Burlington House
Piccadilly, London, W1J 0BA

Find out more about the competition

Outline for the day

Welcome
First category
Break
Second category
Lunch
Third category
Break
Fourth category
Winners' announcement
Networking and drinks reception

Interested in the Emerging Technologies Competition?

Find out more about the process and the benefits for winners and finalists.

Events

Venture Mentoring

Our regular event for pairing our experienced deep tech chemistry mentors with Change Makers ventures.

08/09/2025

Burlington House, London

Event

Mentoring

Event location

Burlington House
Piccadilly, London, W1J 0BA

Outline for the day

1. Introduction to the programme
2. Entrepreneur pitches and questions
3. Lunch and networking

Interested in being part of our Venture Mentoring programme?

To access our Venture Mentoring programme, you must first be accepted into the Change Makers ecosystem. Following a successful application, our Venture Mentoring events are by invitation only.

Events

Venture Mentoring

Our regular event for pairing our experienced deep tech chemistry mentors with Change Makers ventures.

26/11/2025

Burlington House, London

Event

Mentoring

Event location

Burlington House
Piccadilly, London, W1J 0BA

Outline for the day

1. Introduction to the programme
2. Entrepreneur pitches and questions
3. Lunch and networking

Interested in being part of our Venture Mentoring programme?

To access our Venture Mentoring programme, you must first be accepted into the Change Makers ecosystem. Following a successful application, our Venture Mentoring events are by invitation only.

Past events

Events

Founder Journeys

OMass Therapeutics

This series allows ventures in our accelerator to hear from, and engage with, experienced founders who are keen to share their experiences to inspire, motivate, and support others.

23/01/2025

Virtual

About this series

Embarking on an entrepreneurial career pathway can be an exhilarating, challenging and often daunting adventure.

Hearing from experienced deep tech chemistry entrepreneurs provides unique insights into the journey of building a company, including the challenges, successes, pivots and lessons learned along the way. The Founder Journeys series will provide you with opportunities to hear from, and engage with, experienced founders who are keen to share their experiences to inspire, motivate and support others.

About the speaker

This session gave our Change Makers ventures the opportunity to hear from Omass Therapeutics' Founder about their journey to identify new medicines using novel biochemistry techniques, native mass spectrometry and custom chemistry.

Event

Founders Journeys

Event location

Virtual

Interested in our Founder Journeys series?

If you are a start-up or scale-up with a focus on deep tech chemistry, you could be eligible to join our Venture Acceleration Programme and attend our regular Founder Journeys events.

Read more

Events

Venture Mentoring

Our regular event for pairing our experienced deep tech chemistry mentors with Change Makers ventures.

06/06/2024

Burlington House, London

These events pair mentors from our industry expert community and selected entrepreneurs. At these events, the entrepreneurs will give a short pitch about their venture, the opportunities and challenges faced, and the type of support being sought from a mentor.

Over lunch, mentors and entrepreneurs will network and find out more about their individual skillsets and requirements and assess whether further discussions are needed before progressing to a formal mentoring agreement.

Please note that whilst we provide the opportunities for entrepreneurs to meet potential mentors, we cannot guarantee the matching of individuals. To have the best possible chance of doing so entrepreneurs should be very clear about the support they're looking for.

These events are by selection only, so please read the information about the programme and get in touch to take part.

Event

Mentoring

Event location

Burlington House
Piccadilly, London, W1J 0BA

Outline for the day

1. Introduction to the programme
2. Entrepreneur pitches and questions
3. Lunch and networking

Interested in being part of our Venture Mentoring programme?

To access our Venture Mentoring programme, you must first be accepted into the Change Makers ecosystem. Following a successful application, our Venture Mentoring events are by invitation only.

Events

Strategic IP Management for Deep Tech Chemistry Ventures

Maximising IP value for investment, partnerships, and future exit strategies.

27/06/2024

Virtual

About the event

With scientific innovation being at the heart of every early-stage deep tech chemistry start-up, maximising the value of current and future IP assets is critical for commercial success.

Many early-stage ventures protect their innovations through registered IP but fail to develop a robust IP strategy that aligns with, and helps to drive, their overarching commercial goals.

This all-day, interactive Masterclass was split across three sessions and delivered by an engaging group of experienced professionals, including patent attorneys, an exited founder and a venture capital investor.

Event

Masterclass

Event location

Virtual

Interested in our Masterclass programme?

If you are a start-up or scale-up with a focus on deep tech chemistry, you could be eligible to join our Venture Acceleration Programme and attend our Masterclass event on this topic and more. Our Masterclass programme is developed with the specialised needs of deep tech chemistry ventures at the forefront.

Explore our Masterclass programme

Events

Emerging Technologies Competition

Our annual innovation initiative identifies and supports entrepreneurs who are developing ground-breaking, chemistry-led technologies.

04/07/2024

Burlington House, London

This competition plays a vital role in promoting technologies that tackle societal challenges, support a sustainable future and drive economic growth.

The competition

Enabling Technologies
Energy
Environment
Health

We particularly welcome applications from companies, start-ups and spinouts led by Black and other minoritised ethnic scientists.

Applicants selected as finalists will receive:

Invaluable publicity and exposure
Constructive feedback on your application provided by our competition partners and judges
An invitation to join Change Makers, which provides a package of support for SMEs that includes: Venture Mentoring, Masterclasses, Investor networking, and more.*

^{*This is only open to UK incorporated businesses meeting the eligibility for Change Makers for ventures.}

The in-person pitch final will take place in London on 4 July 2024 where the judges will select four winners (one per category), each of whom will receive:

A cash prize of £25,000
Post-event publicity and exposure

Key dates

19 February 2024	Applications open
15 April 2024	Applications close
15 April - 20 May 2024	Judging
Early June 2024	Finalists announced
4 July 2024	Pitch final

Event

Innovation

Event location

Burlington House
Piccadilly, London, W1J 0BA

Find out more about the competition

Outline for the day

Welcome
First category
Break
Second category
Lunch
Third category
Break
Fourth category
Winners' announcement
Networking and drinks reception

Interested in the Emerging Technologies Competition?

Find out more about the process and the benefits for winners and finalists.

Events

Founder Journeys

Interface Polymers

This series allows ventures in our accelerator to hear from, and engage with, experienced founders who are keen to share their experiences to inspire, motivate, and support others.

12/09/2024

Virtual

About this series

Embarking on an entrepreneurial career pathway can be an exhilarating, challenging and often daunting adventure.

Hearing from experienced deep tech chemistry entrepreneurs provides unique insights into the journey of building a company, including the challenges, successes, pivots and lessons learned along the way. As part of the Change Makers entrepreneurial ecosystem, the Founder Journeys series will provide you with opportunities to hear from, and engage with, experienced founders who are keen to share their experiences to inspire, motivate and support others.

About the speaker

This session gave our Change Makers ventures the opportunity to hear from Interface Polymers ' Founder about their journey to improve polymer adhesion and improve properties such as the recyclability of polymers.

Event

Founders Journeys

Event location

Virtual

Interested in our Founder Journeys series?

If you are a start-up or scale-up with a focus on deep tech chemistry, you could be eligible to join our Venture Acceleration Programme and attend our regular Founder Journeys events.

Read more

Events

Venture Mentoring

Our regular event for pairing our experienced deep tech chemistry mentors with Change Makers ventures.

24/09/2024

Burlington House, London

Event

Mentoring

Event location

Burlington House
Piccadilly, London, W1J 0BA

Outline for the day

1. Introduction to the programme
2. Entrepreneur pitches and questions
3. Lunch and networking

Interested in being part of our Venture Mentoring programme?

To access our Venture Mentoring programme, you must first be accepted into the Change Makers ecosystem. Following a successful application, our Venture Mentoring events are by invitation only.

Events

Founder Journeys

Oxeco

This series allows ventures in our accelerator to hear from, and engage with, experienced founders who are keen to share their experiences to inspire, motivate, and support others.

10/10/2024

Virtual

Our Founder Journeys series is open to all ventures in our Change Makers accelerator.

Find out more

About this series

Embarking on an entrepreneurial career pathway can be an exhilarating, challenging and often daunting adventure.

Hearing from experienced deep tech chemistry entrepreneurs provides unique insights into the journey of building a company, including the challenges, successes, pivots and lessons learned along the way. As part of the Change Makers entrepreneurial ecosystem, the Founder Journeys series will provide you with opportunities to hear from, and engage with, experienced founders who are keen to share their experiences to inspire, motivate and support others.

About the speaker

This session gave our Change Makers ventures the opportunity to hear from Oxeco's Founder about their journey to develop thin coatings and materials for the clean tech and technology sectors.

Event

Founders Journeys

Event location

Virtual

Interested in hearing from our Founder Journeys series?

If you are a start-up or scale-up with a focus on deep tech chemistry, you could be eligible to join our Venture Acceleration programme and attend our regular Founder Journeys events.

Read more

Events

How to build a B-Corp Venture

Learn how to establish B-Corp accreditation and demonstrate your sustainability credentials

24/10/2024

Virtual

About the event

Our guest speaker, Chief Revenue Officer and Co-founder at Notpla , was instrumental in Notpla’s journey to B-Corp certification and will be sharing useful insights and learnings from what is a very rigorous certification process.

B Corp Certification is unique because it measures a company’s entire social and environmental performance. From supply chain and input materials to charitable giving and employee benefits, B Corp Certification verifies that a business is meeting high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability.

Notpla has developed a regenerative packaging material from seaweed and plants, and are deeply committed to making the world a healthier place. During this session, we will learn about their process to achieve B-Corp accreditation, gain some their tips and tricks for those looking to follow in their path, and learn about some of the challenges faced along the way.

Event

Masterclass

Event location

Virtual

Interested in our Masterclass programme?

Events

Founder Journeys

Mimica

This series allows ventures in our accelerator to hear from, and engage with, experienced founders who are keen to share their experiences to inspire, motivate, and support others.

14/11/2024

Virtual

About this series

Embarking on an entrepreneurial career pathway can be an exhilarating, challenging and often daunting adventure.

Hearing from experienced deep tech chemistry entrepreneurs provides unique insights into the journey of building a company, including the challenges, successes, pivots and lessons learned along the way. As part of the Change Makers entrepreneurial ecosystem, the Founder Journeys series will provide you with opportunities to hear from, and engage with, experienced founders who are keen to share their experiences to inspire, motivate and support others.

About the speaker

This session gave our Change Makers ventures the opportunity to hear from Mimica 's CEO about their journey to develop the Bump technology with the goal to reduce food waste with their innovative temperature sensitive cap or tag.

Event

Founders Journeys

Event location

Virtual

Interested in our Founder Journeys series?

If you are a start-up or scale-up with a focus on deep tech chemistry, you could be eligible to join our Venture Acceleration Programme and take part in our regular Founders Journey events.

Read more

Events

Venture Mentoring

Our regular event for pairing our experienced deep tech chemistry mentors with Change Makers ventures.

03/12/2024

Burlington House, London

Event

Mentoring

Event location

Burlington House
Piccadilly, London, W1J 0BA

Outline for the day

1. Introduction to the programme
2. Entrepreneur pitches and questions
3. Lunch and networking

Interested in being part of our Venture Mentoring programme?

To access our Venture Mentoring programme, you must first be accepted into the Change Makers ecosystem. Following a successful application, our Venture Mentoring events are by invitation only.