Exciting (AD)ventures
Over the last 20 years I’ve invested my time and money into all kinds of ventures, but there are three in particular that I’m especially proud of:
Worn Again is by far the venture that will hopefully have the biggest positive impact on the planet.
The Beyond (film) gave me invaluable experience and insight into Hollywood and the film industry.
The Next Practice, a consulting company I set up, which proved that purpose-driven businesses focused for consumers at the bottom of the pyramid can still be profitable.
WORN AGAIN TECHNOLOGIES
When I first met Cyndi Rhoades, a creative entrepreneur and activist, I could instantly see her determination to put an end to textile waste and I also saw an opportunity to put purpose-driven capitalism into action. Worn Again Technologies was born from a vision to eradicate textile waste and a world where resources are kept in constant circulation. The advanced recycling technology that has been created recaptures raw materials from non-reusable products (textiles, PET bottles and packaging.)
For ten years I invested my own personal funds into Worn Again, and in 2007 I became the Chairman of the company until 2020.
With my hard-earned network of business leaders and global brands behind us, I was able to connect Worn Again to some of the biggest names in venture capitalism and sustainability, such as H&M and Sulzer Chemicals. And in 2020, in the middle of a global pandemic, I helped to lead the Board in securing the industrial investors it needed to bring its environmentally-friendly technology to the market.
THE BEYOND
I’ve always been a film buff. So when I saw the chance to play in the world of movies, I jumped.
In 2016, I became an investor and Executive Producer on the successful sci-fi film, The Beyond. The film was a commercial hit, trending on Netflix for a month and returning five times its original budget – and winning the Best Visual Effects Award at the Berlin Sci-fi Filmfest.
Watch the trailer here.
THE NEXT PRACTICE
In 2004, I co-founded The Next Practice, an international development strategic advisory firm. With my partners Jeb Brugmann and CK Prahalad, we created and supported two thriving businesses for people living in poverty. This was some of my most meaningful and impactful work. First Energy is a leading provider of clean energy stoves for businesses and kitchens throughout India. We created this together with BP back in 2004-2007.
And RML was an early-stage tech company that gave farmers throughout India access to personalised agricultural data analytics.
This venture was started by Reuters.
Very innovative.
