Morning Innovators ⚡ In less than 5 minutes, we’ll cover…

🥳 The best funding opportunities, events and jobs in the Start-Up world this week
📰 This week’s biggest news stories in the Start-Up world
🚴 How this Start-Up is making bike safety more convenient
👟 How a divisive marketing campaign can get you millions of eyeballs
🎥 An AI tool that turns your screen into recordable demos

✨ Last week’s most clicked link, was this link taking you through to the DFF Ventures fund 3 with which they’re backing software that is highly defensible and touches the world at the Pre-Seed stage.

Happy hustling,

Rich

🎤 Opportunities + Events

🧱 Baltic Ventures have launched the next cohort of their accelerator with successful applicants getting up to £100k in funding - apply here!

🏦 Haun have just raised $1bn to invest in early-stage FinTech and Crypto companies - contact the team here!

🚗 BMW i Ventures have just raised a $300m fund to back AI startups changing the automotive world - contact the team here!

We now have a community of thousands of Start-Ups and Founders, here are the hottest Start-Up job opportunities from the Innovators Uncensored community on our very own Start-Ups Job Board!

💼 Start-Up Jobs

📝 Product Marketing Manager, Skillvue
🎥 Director of Brand Marketing, Vapoura Rum
🎨 Product Designer, Pearl Social

🤝 SAP agrees to acquire German AI startup Prior Labs. Sifted

🚕 Nuro receives driverless testing permit ahead of Uber robotaxi service launch. TechCrunch

🔌 Volkswagen becomes Rivian’s top shareholder, displacing Amazon. TechCrunch
 
🚁 UK Government pledges £46.5m to drone sector. UKTN

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We’ve got a more controversial campaign this week from none other than Nike themselves.

With all the build up to the recent London marathon, all eyes were on the race. This, of course, is a great opportunity for athletic brands to get some attention from prospective customers.

So, how did Nike do that? They ran a campaign that read “Runners Welcome. Walkers Tolerated.”, which has been hugely divisive! On the one hand, people are saying that Nike are just trying to speak directly to their audience. On the other hand, people are saying they’re devaluing people’s achievements and excluding people.

What are your thoughts? Great campaign or a bit of a mistake?

Each week we highlight our favourite tools - either something we’ve been using in our businesses, or tools that our Start-Up community have recommended.

Velo 2.0 is a whole new way to make video messages. It turns raw screen recordings into polished videos and docs, with a chat-native editor, real-time processing, voice cloning, and smart script rewriting. Edit by chatting, not timelines. Record once and get both a video and a doc. Write a script even when there is no audio. Change tone anytime. Everything updates live, so the whole experience feels faster, easier, and more natural.

🚀 Newlane: Rethinking Helmets for Everyday Use

In a category that’s barely changed in decades, Newlane is tackling a simple but stubborn problem: people don’t wear helmets because they’re inconvenient. Founded by Dom and Josh, the company has developed a patented folding system called Flip-Clip, allowing helmets to collapse to half their size without compromising safety.

The insight is straightforward - protection isn’t the issue, portability is. By making helmets easier to carry, Newlane is removing one of the biggest barriers to everyday use, particularly for urban riders using bikes, e-bikes, and e-scooters. With over 10,000 units already sold, the concept is clearly resonating.

But the ambition goes beyond cycling. Long term, Newlane is positioning itself as both a product company and an ingredient brand, licensing its technology into other categories like industrial safety, climbing, and snow sports - anywhere portability matters.

Built from a Real-World Frustration

Newlane didn’t start with a grand vision, it started with a near miss.

Dom and his Co-Founder Josh had worked together previously, and the idea came after Josh was almost knocked off a hire bike while not wearing a helmet. At the same time, Dom was carrying his own helmet awkwardly clipped to a bag.

The conclusion was obvious: helmets weren’t designed for real life. So they set out to fix it - a journey that would take the better part of eight years!

Early Traction: Trying Everything, Learning Fast

In the early days, Newlane took a broad, experimental approach to growth.

One of the smartest early decisions was hiring a head of content, which helped them consistently punch above their weight across both organic and paid social. Alongside that, they built out email, affiliates, partnerships, and even tested more unconventional channels, from branded cargo bikes at stations to a TV ad during the Tour de France.

There was no single silver bullet. Instead, progress came from trying multiple channels, measuring what worked, and iterating quickly.

Scaling: Focus and Strategic Partnerships

As the business matured, the strategy became more focused.

Newlane doubled down on the channels that were already working, particularly direct-to-consumer. At the same time, partnerships became a key growth lever. Collaborations with brands like Brompton Bicycle and Forest gave them instant access to highly relevant audiences, along with credibility in the micromobility space.

It’s a classic shift from experimentation to optimisation. Broad at the start, then narrow and deliberate once patterns emerge.

The Reality of Hardware: Slow, Expensive, Relentless

If there’s one theme that defines Newlane’s journey, it’s this: hardware is hard.

Getting from idea to a fully certified safety product took over five years. Along the way, the team failed safety tests repeatedly, an experience that was not just frustrating, but financially draining. At several points, the company came close to running out of money entirely.

Unlike software, where iteration can be quick and cheap, hardware forces you to make high-stakes decisions early. One key lesson Dom highlights is around manufacturing tooling - committing too early made later changes expensive and difficult.

Funding: Backing a Hard Problem

Newlane’s funding journey reflects the realities of building a hardware business.

They started with £20k of their own money and a £20k grant from Innovate UK, before raising £150k from friends and family. Since then, they’ve raised around £2m from a mix of angels and funds, including British Design Fund.

Raising hasn’t been easy. Hardware businesses have previously often sit outside the typical venture playbook, which has traditionally heavily skewed toward software. That means fundraising comes down to conviction, clearly articulating the problem, the opportunity, and why it matters.

Key Lessons: Commitment, Patience, and Partnership

One of the clearest takeaways from Newlane’s journey is the importance of commitment.

This isn’t a business you start casually. It takes years to bring something like this to life, and the path is rarely smooth. Progress is slow, setbacks are frequent, and quick wins are rare.

Another lesson is the value of having the right Co-Founder. When things get tough, and they will, having someone to share the pressure with becomes critical.

Next week I’ll be highlighting another awesome Start-Up, as well as sharing all the usuals including funding opportunities, Start-Up news, plus plenty of awesome tips, tricks and tools.

P.S. Connect with me on LinkedIn…