It was excitement all round when Prince William made a recent on-site visit to Northstar portfolio company Low Carbon Materials (LCM), the 2022 Earthshot Prize finalist and Durham University spin-out. Northstar were delighted to attend the celebratory event along with other key stakeholders, such as Durham County Council and National Highways.
As the Earthshot Founder and President, Prince William has made no secret of his commitment to seeking sustainable solutions for our planet. This vision is shared by Northstar and we are committed to investing in and supporting businesses with innovative solutions to environmental, social and technological challenges.
We initially invested in LCM in 2020 via the North East Innovation Fund, supported by the European Regional Development Fund, at an early stage in the development of the business and have supported the company with continued investment since then. This has helped the founders, Dr. Natasha Boulding, Dr. Phil Buckley and Scott Bush, grow the business and continue to develop innovative solutions to help the construction sector achieve net zero.
LCM recently launched their latest product, ACLA®, which is a carbon negative asphalt material used in road surfaces. ACLA® was recently deployed for the first time by Durham County Council as part of the Elvet Hill road resurfacing works and we are excited by its potential.
Northstar were very pleased to be invited along to share such a special day with the company and are excited to see where the team will take things next.
Tom O’Neill, Investment Manager with Northstar, after attending the event, said: ‘It was great to speak to Prince William about his support for early-stage innovative companies tackling climate change and to celebrate the progress that LCM have made. The team at LCM have made great advances since our initial investment and we look forward to supporting them in the next stage of their development.’
Natasha Boulding, CEO and Co-Founder of Low Carbon Materials, said: “Everyone at Low Carbon Materials is immensely proud of receiving such distinguished guests and having the opportunity to showcase our innovative solutions for decarbonising the built environment.
