Backing the Builders: What 1,000 Pitches Taught One Investor About Impact

IW Capital's Charlie Lyon Carroll has reviewed around 1,000 pitch decks a year — and the deciding factor is rarely what founders expect. In this episode, Blue Earth co-founder Guy Hayler sits down with Charlie to unpack what early-stage investors are really looking for, why humility in a pitch can outperform polish, and how businesses tackling e-waste, flexible plastics, and neurological disease are finally hitting commercial scale. They also dig into the rise of AI-native companies, the growing impossibility of greenwashing, and why Charlie remains optimistic about venture despite a turbulent few years in the market.

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