Investor interview: Julia Davies

​In this, the next of our occasional series of Green Angel Syndicate investor interviews, we talk to Julia Davies about her motivation for investing in the green economy.

I am new to angel investing but not new to caring about environmental issues. As a mother my absolute highest priority is helping to protect my children’s future and I am trying to do that on a multitude of fronts, one of which is investing in green start-ups.”
Julia Davies, Green Angel Syndicate member.

How long have you been a member of the Green Angel Syndicate and why did you decide to get involved?
I joined Green Angel Syndicate as a way in to supporting green technology solutions to environmental issues such as the Climate Crisis. A contact at Greenpeace put me in touch and I attended my first pitch event in November 2018.
 
Despite declaring that we have a Climate Emergency, Parliament isn’t doing very much about it, so it comes down to the business community to support innovators who are developing the products and services that will help us reduce carbon emissions and live more sustainably.
 
Tell us more about your background as an angel investor and your interest in the green economy in general. Why does it matter to you?
I am new to angel investing but not new to caring about environmental issues. I’ve been campaigning about climate change since well before my children were born and they are now in their teens. As a mother my absolute highest priority is helping to protect my children’s future and I am trying to do that on a multitude of fronts, one of which is investing in green start-ups.
 
How do you choose which investments to get involved in?  How does being part of a group like GAS help you with your investment decisions? 
Being part of GAS has given me confidence to invest in early stage companies. The group has a very experienced membership who work together to carry out thorough due diligence and also get involved in the companies after investment to help them develop and grow.
 
My motivation is tackling environmental issues including the climate crisis and plastic pollution. I have invested in Powervault, the home energy storage company and Smile Plastics who produce beautiful decorative panels from waste plastic, an issue I have been campaigning on for years. I now have a Powervault battery installed in my house so that I can see at first-hand what I have invested in and feedback to the company my customer experience.  
 
 
What industries, sectors or business ideas do you think are most interesting / exciting right now and why?
I am most interested in innovations in energy storage and micro-generation of energy with the potential to tackle not only the Climate Crisis but also fuel poverty and national security through national fuel independence.  
 
I am keen to help stimulate the creation of jobs in green technology to replace the old fossil dependent industries. It is so important that businesses get behind a just transition from fossil fuel in a way that protects those communities with a workforce heavily reliant on the old industries.
 
I would love to see more companies coming forward with re-usable alternatives to the single-use containers generated through the huge take-away food and beverage industry.
 
 
What do you enjoy most about being a member of GAS?
Learning from very experienced investors with a wide range of knowledge and skills