On Thursday 24^th September, Elbow Beach hosted an investment readiness session in partnership with Eco Ventures Counsel (EVC) - a pro bono legal programme connecting early-stage climate and green technology ventures with free, full-service legal support from top-tier international law firms. The session brought together founders, legal experts and investors for an afternoon of practical guidance on what it really takes to be investment ready - followed by networking drinks for those who joined in person.

How Eco Ventures Counsel Supports Climate Technology Founders

EVC was founded in 2024 by Mitesh Jagatia, a former senior in-house lawyer at large international companies in London and Hong Kong, who spent almost two decades in the profession before deciding to build EVC full-time. Mitesh saw a clear gap in the market: a huge and growing climate tech ecosystem that needed better access to legal support to scale. EVC was registered in November 2024, with its first UK cohort launching in May 2025.

The programme spans the breadth of the climate tech sector and the whole of the UK, supporting early-stage (pre-Series A) startups and spinouts, as well as planet-positive social enterprises and charities, all looking to scale their impact with free legal and IP support. Across EVC UK Cohorts 1 to 4, the programme has supported 56 ventures - including one of Elbow Beach’s own portfolio companies, Fermtech, which joined EVC UK Cohort 1. The programme is scaling fast, with two more cohorts and a first international expansion inEurope on the horizon.

At Elbow Beach, we believe building successful climate technology companies requires more than just funding. EVC's work supporting founders with expert legal and IP advice reflects our shared commitment to helping climate innovators scale, making this session a natural opportunity to bring together founders and investors.

The Investor Lens: JP on the 5 T's of Investment Readiness

The heart of the session came from our CEO Jonathan Pollock (JP), who walked the room through what he called "The Investor Lens: The 5 T's of Investment Readiness" - a practical framework for moving from business to investment case. These T’s consist of technology, team, timing, TAM and traction. JP opened by challenging the idea that investors hold all the power: the best founders shift the balance by creating competition for their round.

In Conversation: JP and Andy Clayton, CEO of Fermtech

We closed the session with a fireside chat between JP and Fermtech CEO Andy Clayton - an EVC UK Cohort 1 venture and one of our own portfolio companies, offering a founder's perspective on what investment readiness looks like in practice.

Echoing JP, Andy said customer traction - who you're working with and how close you are to signed orders - decided most investor conversations. He reflected on moving from technical founder to commercial CEO, where selling and building pipeline became his priority. He also highlighted how EVC's legal support during Fermtech's seed round was extremely valuable, easing the pressure of legal fees when cash was tight and providing guidance on market-standard terms.

A big thank you to Eco Ventures Counsel and Andy Clayton for a brilliant afternoon of insight - and to everyone who joined us in the room.