Dalraj Nijjar is the co-founder and chief commercial officer (CCO) of Concrete4Change, a startup that captures and mineralises CO2 to develop sustainable concrete.
The Nottingham-based startup has developed technology that uses CO2 captured from the cement industry via carrier materials, which transfer CO2 into concrete as an additive. Concrete4Change says the result is concrete that is 20% stronger and can prevent additional carbon leaks.
The startup has raised £4.5m in funding, including a £2.5m round in January.
In this week’s Founder in Five Q&A, the Concrete4Change executive explains why you should work for another founder before launching your own venture, shares tips for motivating teams, and explains why the domestic energy industry is ripe for technology disruption.
1. What advice would you give to a first-time founder?
Dalraj Nijjar: I would encourage first-time founders to work for an established founder for a period of time. By getting work experience and exposure in a startup that already has a proven track record of innovation and creating immense value, inexperienced founders can take these learnings to their new venture....