Questions worth answering
Joining the studio
What kind of ideas do we back ?
Our first screen is simple: the idea has to borrow something from living systems. We back teams turning that borrowed logic into materials, hardware or process work with a measurable drop in emissions. Beyond that, the project needs a working prototype, roughly stage two on our own readiness scale, and a clear reason the next fourteen months will move faster with a studio behind it than without one.
Which founder profiles fit best ?
Two or three people who have already built something together, with at least one of them close enough to the science to argue with a reviewer. Solo applicants are read, but we will ask about the second seat early.
Where do new ideas reach us ?
About half arrive from university labs we visit each spring, a third from open applications, and the rest from builders our earlier founders send our way.
Can I bring a company I already run ?
Yes, if it is younger than three years and has not raised a priced round. Licensed technology is welcome as long as the terms let a new company hold the commercial rights.
I run operations, not research. Can I apply ?
Please do. Roughly 4 in 10 of the people we match into a venture come from operating roles rather than a lab bench.
When does the next cohort open ?
Applications open twice a year, in late February and early September, and stay open for five weeks each time.
How the cohort runs
How hands on is Nectary day to day ?
For the first seven months, very. Two of our people sit inside the venture part time, then step back to a monthly review once the team can hire on its own.
Who sits on the studio bench ?
Nine full time: three materials engineers, two designers, a regulatory lead, a recruiter and two people who have taken a plant to production before.
What does a typical week look like ?
One long build day together, two days in the workshop, a Thursday review with whoever has the sharpest questions, and Friday left deliberately empty.
What happens once a venture spins out ?
It keeps the workshop for another year at cost, and we stay on the board for two. After that we are simply a shareholder who answers the phone quickly.
Where do we meet ?
In a converted grain store on the north edge of the harbour, with the wet lab two doors down.
Money and ownership
How is ownership divided ?
Founders hold 62% at spin out, the studio 22%, and the remaining 16% sits in an option pool the team controls from day one.
Is 22% a fair trade ?
It buys 14 months of salary, the workshop, the regulatory work and the first two hires. Decide for yourself, but ask our founders before you do.