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In this Investor AMA, our monthly series showcasing investors in the tech for good ecosystem and early-stage venture capital space, Reece Chowdhry from RLC Ventures shares some insights into what VCs are looking for in founders, practical tips for how founders can make meaningful connections with investors, and discusses RLC’s unique venture pledge.

Steven Clarke is the independent chair of BGV’s investment committee. He joined us three years ago, bringing a wealth of investment experience with him. He’s been involved as Chairman or Board Member in seven growth businesses - three with successful exits. He’s also spent 21 years in the European Technology investment space, including roles with 3i, August Equity, and ICG.

March marks B Corp month - an annual campaign for certified B Corporations to join together and raise awareness about the global movement to use business as a force for good. Since BGV became a B Corp as the first UK VC in 2015, there has been a steady rise in companies certifying, including BGV portfolio companies, with every business committing to higher standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability.

Kelly Kalaitzaki has been at Morgan Stanley for almost a decade. She recently became Vice President lead of its Multicultural Innovation Lab in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The Lab is an in-house, start-up accelerator programme promoting financial inclusion, and providing access to capital for early-stage technology and technology-enabled companies led by women and multicultural entrepreneurs.

BGV invested in Head Set in 2020 and since then, they’ve hit some incredible milestones, including 80 people accessing their civil unrest VR SMART module. In this interview, Kate touches on being an impact-driven business, talks about her vision for the future of Head Set, and shares some valuable insights into what it takes to be a successful startup founder.

The BGV team share the books that have shaped their thinking on tech for good. At BGV one of our principles is ‘understand the problem’. We seek to understand the big challenges faced by people, society and the environment. Arguably nothing can beat a well researched, well written, and well timed book for learning about these problems.Here we’ve curated eight books that have had a big influence on how the BGV team thinks about impact, innovation and investing.

In 2020 non-British nationals made up 16% of the UK’s national workforce. Hiring outside the UK presents huge opportunities for companies to recruit top international talent and fill skills shortages. However, the process is often complicated, admin heavy, and time-consuming.

Earlier this month we held a Demo Day for the twelve ventures who completed our latest programme in Autumn 2021. If you missed the Demo Day event but would like to watch the presentations, hear more about their achievements, or connect with any of the founders, you can find all the information you need here.

Join leading tech for good VC Bethnal Green Ventures (BGV) as their Managing Partners, Investment Committee, and some of their top portfolio founders share insights into these questions and more.Read more about the agenda below and sign up now!

For those of you new to the terminology, Web3 is the updated name for distributed technologies such as those based on blockchains. It follows on from the idea of Web 1.0, hyperlinked pages of information as invented by Sir Tim Berners-Lee, and Web 2.0, the interactive web defined by large social networks and marketplaces.

2021 is almost coming to a close. And whilst it’s usually a time for reflection, we’re currently in a state to look forward, gearing up to invest in the next batch of amazing founders wanting to tackle to world’s pressing social and environmental problems with tech.

Earlier this year we started a ‘10 Questions With’ interview series with some of the most successful founders in our portfolio. They gave a rich insight into just what it’s like to launch, run, and scale a tech for good startup. Here are seven key lessons that emerged.