Innovate UK is a non-departmental public body established in 2007 and based in Swindon, United Kingdom. Funded by a government grant, it supports innovation in science and technology by providing funding services to businesses across various sectors and regions. The organization aims to drive productivity and economic growth by facilitating advancements that contribute to the UK’s economic landscape. In addition to funding, Innovate UK offers a range of services and information related to business and economic development, thereby fostering a supportive environment for innovation.
Programme Director of Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund
Will Drury
Executive Director, Digital and Technologies
Paul Gadd
Deputy Director
Dr. Tom Jenkins
Deputy Director
Scott James O'Brien
Director, Innovation Finance
Nigel Walker
Deputy Director, Lending and Investor Partnerships
Dave Wilkes
Director of Innovation Ecosystem
Past deals in Beauty
Brarista
Grant in 2025
Brarista specializes in AI-driven solutions tailored for online lingerie retailers, focusing on enhancing the customer experience through personalized bra fittings. The company has developed proprietary visual technologies that allow consumers to accurately determine their bra size from the comfort of their homes. By enabling users to take photos of their upper bodies using smartphones, laptops, or tablets, Brarista helps women better understand their bodies and make informed purchasing decisions. This innovative approach not only reduces sizing confusion but also significantly boosts retailers' revenues, with reported increases of up to 30%. Through its offerings, Brarista aims to make bra-fitting more accurate, accessible, and personalized for consumers.
Renude
Seed Round in 2024
Renude is a company that offers personalized skincare advice through advanced artificial intelligence technology. The business aims to make reliable and individualized consultations accessible to a broad audience by leveraging a team of dermatologists, formulation chemists, licensed aestheticians, data scientists, and machine learning engineers. Renude develops dermatologist-approved AI skin advisors that facilitate virtual consultations, allowing users to receive tailored skincare plans based on their specific skin goals, individual needs, preferences, budget, and lifestyle. Through this innovative approach, Renude seeks to empower individuals to achieve their skincare objectives effectively.
Brarista
Grant in 2023
Brarista specializes in AI-driven solutions tailored for online lingerie retailers, focusing on enhancing the customer experience through personalized bra fittings. The company has developed proprietary visual technologies that allow consumers to accurately determine their bra size from the comfort of their homes. By enabling users to take photos of their upper bodies using smartphones, laptops, or tablets, Brarista helps women better understand their bodies and make informed purchasing decisions. This innovative approach not only reduces sizing confusion but also significantly boosts retailers' revenues, with reported increases of up to 30%. Through its offerings, Brarista aims to make bra-fitting more accurate, accessible, and personalized for consumers.
Human Beauty
Grant in 2023
Human Beauty is on a mission to make cosmetics more accessible, with a particular emphasis on disability inclusion and adapted products.
Cocoon Wellbeing
Grant in 2023
Cocoon Wellbeing offer a range of luxurious treatments using premium products for great results.
Hexis Lab
Grant in 2023
Hexis Lab is a biotechnology company focused on the research and development of innovative natural skincare solutions tailored for diverse skin types globally. The company utilizes a discovery platform that combines big data cloud computing and in-silico computer modeling to analyze a comprehensive database of plant-derived compounds. This approach allows Hexis Lab to identify effective ingredients aimed at protecting and repairing sun-damaged skin while enhancing overall well-being. By employing proprietary AI techniques, Hexis Lab accelerates the development process for clients in the beauty, skincare, personal care, nutraceuticals, and pharmaceutical sectors, facilitating the identification of novel ingredients and formulation strategies.
Naturbeads
Grant in 2020
Naturbeads Ltd, established in 2018 and located in Malmesbury, United Kingdom, specializes in producing biodegradable cellulose microparticles designed to replace plastic microbeads commonly found in cosmetics, toiletries, and various industrial applications such as paints and adhesives. The company's innovative technology, developed at the University of Bath, offers an eco-friendly alternative that aims to mitigate the environmental impact of microplastic pollution in oceans and soil. By substituting fossil-fuel-based plastic with natural cellulose beads, Naturbeads enables its customers to adopt more sustainable practices and contribute to reducing pollution associated with conventional microbeads.
Naturbeads
Grant in 2019
Naturbeads Ltd, established in 2018 and located in Malmesbury, United Kingdom, specializes in producing biodegradable cellulose microparticles designed to replace plastic microbeads commonly found in cosmetics, toiletries, and various industrial applications such as paints and adhesives. The company's innovative technology, developed at the University of Bath, offers an eco-friendly alternative that aims to mitigate the environmental impact of microplastic pollution in oceans and soil. By substituting fossil-fuel-based plastic with natural cellulose beads, Naturbeads enables its customers to adopt more sustainable practices and contribute to reducing pollution associated with conventional microbeads.
Provenance
Grant in 2014
Provenance is a technology company that specializes in promoting sustainability and transparency in the consumer goods industry. It operates a platform that validates and communicates the sustainability credentials of consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands, enabling consumers to make informed, eco-friendly purchasing decisions. The platform tracks products from their origin to the point of sale, providing real-time, verifiable data that enhances brand trust and sales. Over 200 leading CPG businesses, including Cult Beauty, The Ordinary, and Shiseido, use Provenance to showcase their sustainability efforts. As a mission-driven, independent B Corp, Provenance aims to empower consumers to make choices that positively impact both people and the planet.
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