Zinc is an accelerator programme, developed to support founders and researchers working in three mission areas: helping people live healthy lives for longer; helping people build economic resilience; and reducing environmental harms.

Since 2017, Zinc has supported more than 350 founders through their talent-led Venture Builder, with diverse cohorts including individuals from a range of backgrounds. The fifth Zinc cohort, focused on reducing environmental harms, included a chef from a Michelin Star restaurant, a lifestyle journalist, and architects - as well as people from more traditional start-up backgrounds spanning technology, development, engineering, academia and product design.

Assistance provided by Zinc includes access to visiting fellows working in fields related to the accelerator’s key missions, and targeted coaching to help founders work through challenges associated with building a sustainable, impactful business.

Through the Venture Builder platform, Zinc helps founders to identify their own skills and gaps, connect with others, explore mutually exciting problem areas and experiment together, before committing to a co-founding partnership.

Alongside the work to support founders, Zinc has developed a platform which supports the translation of R&D into scalable solution solutions to global challenges. As part of this, since 2020 Zinc has worked with UKRI on a Healthy Ageing-focused Catalyst programme that helps entrepreneurial researchers unlock the commercial potential of their science and technology research