Entrepreneur’s diary World Economic Forum, Davos, May 2022

Julian Ellis-Brown, CEO of Saltyco

Entrepreneur’s diary

World Economic Forum, Davos, May 2022

By Julian Ellis-Brown, CEO of Saltyco

Founders of Deploy Tech, Saltyco and Treeconomy at the World Economic Forum

The opportunity for Saltyco to attend Davos, where the World Economic Forum is held each year, was a privilege. Not just because each hotel room in the quiet Swiss town will cost you at least £1,000 a night (we stayed a couple of hours outside of the town in an Airbnb) but because you get the feeling you’re at an event where real power for change can happen. As you walk down the central promenade, the patisseries, cafes, restaurants, ski shops, butchers and bakers have been replaced by every tech giant you could think of: Meta, Palantir, Salesforce, along with a remarkably large presence of crypto houses. For one week only, world leaders fly in and share tables with foundations and companies to try to collaborate on the year’s agreed agenda. Hopefully, through coming together, it will empower the advancement of a fairer, healthier and more sustainable planet. Saltyco joined as part of the Green Accelerator programme to pitch our startup to the packed room of investors in the Hotel Seehof. Adorning every wall were pictures of previous hotel attendees: ex-presidents, prime ministers and several of Bill Gates. Delayed from winter to late spring due to COVID-19, the event coincided with a heatwave so, despite the altitude, it was a very pleasant 26 degrees Celsius. This, combined with a lack

Events like these showcase the power, innovation and willingness of a new generation of companies wanting to make a difference to the environmental catastrophe we are all facing

of ventilation, provided the room of around 100 people with a stark example of why we were all there– the planet is heating up.

The four-hour Green Accelerator event showcased a series of expert panels, one of which included Gerry Van Der Sluys, CEO of Business Creation, on whose generosity we were attending. Following these were the startup pitches which included three Imperial representatives: Treeconomy, a nature-based carbon removal company; Deploy, a rapidly deployed water storage technology for developing countries; and, finally, Saltyco. At Saltyco we make textiles such as BioPuff® from plants that heal damaged land via regenerative wetland agriculture. The pitches were engaging, inspiring and bookended by critical calls to action.

The attending teams from Imperial made a herculean effort to be there, with a combined six flights cancelled and many more delayed, last-minute hotel transfers and very few hours’ sleep. Had it not been for the steadfast support and keen organisation of Victoria Entwistle, we never would have made it. Victoria is an Expert-in-Residence and mentor with the Imperial Venture Mentoring Service, and one of the many links to Imperial’s entrepreneurship ecosystem, which does an incredible job of supporting ventures such as our own.

Events like these showcase the power, innovation and willingness of a new generation of companies wanting to make a difference to the environmental catastrophe we are all facing. Hopefully with the right support and funding, and more events like these, we might just be able to stop it from happening.

Two years in: the qLegal Externship Programme working with Imperial founders

Forty-nine qLegal 'externs' (Queen Mary University of London postgraduate law students) have provided over 1,300 hours and more than £100,000 of pro bono legal and commercial research to 40 Imperial startups.

Placed within a startup for one day a week for six months, qLegal externs have been busy helping out on tech, legal and commercial matters including:

• working on privacy policies, cookie policies and website terms and conditions; • trademark searches in different jurisdictions to determine the availability of the trademark and identify any relevant previous registrations. Assessing feasibility of registration in said jurisdictions including possible costs, timeframes, need of a local attorney, scope of protection and best strategies to obtain registration; • data protection compliance including researching and reviewing GDPR and the

US equivalent (COPPA) and explaining the regulations the startup shall comply with in both jurisdictions; • market research, competitor analysis, supporting product development and business model development; • reviewing, annotating and explaining commercial contracts.

The beauty of the qLegal Externship Programme is that everyone wins. The law students placed have the chance to use their knowledge and experience for the good of others while developing their skills. Jessica Dhodakia, an extern at Stockhub, put it this way: “My externship gave me the opportunity to look at how to help clients with legal matters by reducing legal jargon, and explaining terms and legal situations that clients may not have come across before. It has also allowed me to develop my client service skills when working in a business context.”

Jessica is not alone. The feedback from all participants has been positive since the programme started. David Choveaux, externship host at SPARTA Biodiscovery said:

“Camilo fitted in seamlessly and maintained a similar work ethic to the team. His communication was great and he updated us regularly on his progress. He attended to all tasks and the insight he provided was valuable in progressing our understanding of legal documents. It was a pleasure working with our extern and we’re following his progress in the course he has enrolled in for the year.”

Clemence Tanzi, qLegal teaching fellow and programme manager, believes that the success of the programme is down to the goals shared:

Want to give yourself the best possible chance of gaining a qLegal extern?

Register your interest for the next intake here:

Check out other offerings like Idea Surgeries (earlystage business coaching which can get you access to Experts-in-Residence) and monthly masterclasses and programmes at www. imperialenterpriselab.com.

All of these help you develop your skills and the business you are working on so it becomes a compelling candidate for additional support.

“qLegal and Imperial Enterprise Lab share the same aim to support enterprises and innovation. We are very pleased with the exciting startups we’ve gotten to know and work with over the past two years, and love that several extern hosts have also sought one-to-one legal advice from our pro bono clinic.”