Nesta

What is Nesta?

Nesta is a global innovation foundation with the mission to invest in ideas that can help improve the quality of life for people in the UK and around the world.

With a clear focus on social good, they approach the challenges of climate change, inequality, and ill health by fostering innovation in various sectors. Founded in 1998 and based in London, United Kingdom, Nesta operates through Nesta Investment Management, the branch responsible for investments.

They back innovation both by creating and supporting new startups and by investing in early-stage ventures.

At its core, their investment thesis centers on the belief that meaningful change is possible through the creation of new and better solutions, including products, services, business models, and policies. Nesta’s investment activity is tailored towards ventures that aim to address societal issues and drive transformative change, with a particular interest in the IT & TMT and HealthTech sectors.

Nesta's investment parameters include a minimum and maximum investment size of approximately £6,680,000, aiming to support ventures that can potentially generate both financial returns and significant social impact. They implement their strategy by combining the expertise of designers, data scientists, and behavioral scientists to work with partners across public and private sectors.

This collaborative approach is applied to their missions, which include breaking the link between background and life chances, increasing healthy life expectancy while narrowing health inequalities, and reducing carbon emissions from homes. Nesta adopts a holistic standpoint towards social innovation, providing not only financial capital but also a strategic partnership to foster growth and innovation in ventures they support.