Design Thinking in Climate Tech with Prof. Coleridge
In a recent episode of the Experience Haus Podcast, our Creative Director Amit Patel sat down with Professor Chris Coleridge — a lecturer at Cambridge Judge Business School and founder of Carbon 13, an ambitious venture builder dedicated to solving the climate crisis through innovation and entrepreneurship.
From the start, it’s clear that this isn’t just a conversation about business — it’s about purpose. Chris shares how his background in teaching strategy and innovation led him to realise that the most urgent design challenge of our time is climate change. And not just in theory — in action.
From Theory to Practice: Building Ventures That Matter
Coleridge explains how he stepped away from traditional academic research to focus on building real, scalable impact. Through Carbon 13, he helped form over 120 climate tech startups, backing 64 of them with pre-seed funding. The approach? Blending deep entrepreneurial insight with a designer’s mindset.
He speaks candidly about why climate change became his focus — inspired in part by Greta Thunberg, but also driven by the sense that entrepreneurship is the right tool for problems we know are urgent, even if we don’t yet know all the solutions.
Design Thinking Meets Startup Thinking
A recurring theme in the conversation is the power of diverse teams. Chris didn’t just look for CEOs or CTOs. He intentionally included “venture catalysts” — people who didn’t fit traditional business profiles but brought new ways of thinking. For students of UX design, product strategy, or digital innovation, this is a powerful reminder: great ideas rarely come from just one person, or one perspective.
This philosophy ties closely to how we structure our own design courses at Experience Haus — hands-on, collaborative, and focused on building real products with impact.
Accelerators That Actually Accelerate
Coleridge doesn’t hold back when critiquing most startup accelerators. Many, he argues, are just funnels for one investor’s agenda — which can limit creativity and diversity. Carbon 13, in contrast, was built as a “real platform” that welcomed a wider network of investors and partners.
This openness allowed teams to explore broader, more experimental solutions — not just the ones that looked good on a pitch deck.
What Skills Will Matter Most?
When asked about what future entrepreneurs and designers need to thrive, Chris focuses not on tools, but on people. Curiosity, empathy, collaboration, and storytelling are the true superpowers — even more so in an age of AI and automation.
“I never really understood business until I studied social psychology,” he says — a reminder that no matter how advanced our tools become, the human element still drives everything forward.
For our UX/UI students and alumni navigating new careers, this insight couldn’t be more relevant. Whether you’re building a product or a company, it’s the ability to connect, to communicate, and to bring others along with your vision that sets you apart.
