Invest in Progress

Hear how this company has a 9-year head start on utilising AI.David Jones, founder of digital-only marketing agency The Brandtech Group, tells Lawrence Burns how his company makes marketing better, faster and cheaper.The offering is simple. Brands need help maintaining their identity amid the noise of the digital world. They also need help keeping up with ever-increasing complexity and ever-changing trends on a global scale.The Brandtech Group provides end-to-end digital solutions to help global brands stay ahead of the curve, from in-house content creation, to hyper targeted digital campaigns, to influencer marketing.And the company has always had technological development at its core, meaning the recent craze around artificial intelligence comes as no surprise. In fact, they’ve been utilising AI for almost a decade. Because of this, Brandtech is now the leading generative AI marketing group – ‘not only can we create content 10x faster but we're seeing 2x the performance on it’. But Jones also cautions ‘we are in mile one of the marathon’ as ‘the rule of modern marketing is it will just get more complex.’Brandtech’s willingness to embrace technology and make strategic acquisitions not only gives it a substantial head start. But it also increases the likelihood of the company remaining a key player in a $750bn per year global industry, making it an attractive position in the Scottish Mortgage portfolio.Check the podcast description to ensure this content is suitable for you. Your capital is at risk.Credits:Presenter: Claire ShawAudio production agency: ListenProducer: Shannon DelwicheExecutive producer: Suzy GrantProduction manager: Niamh KiddEditorial lead: Malcolm Borthwick

Pioneering a potential trillion-dollar industry, Climeworks removes CO2 from the air and stores it underground.In the latest episode of Scottish Mortgage’s Invest in Progress podcast, Climeworks co-founder Christoph Gebald explains the role the company hopes to play in mitigating those emissions that cannot be reduced by other means.Climeworks’ dedication to its mission, its innovative direct air capture technology, and its commitment to scaling carbon removal make it a key player in the fight against climate change. As the first company to establish commercial-scale operational plants, its Iceland plant is the only one with third-party verification of its carbon removal capabilities.Scottish Mortgage invests in Climeworks as an early pioneer in an industry addressing a global issue – climate change – where the company could become a significant presence over time. Within 25 years, direct air capture facilities could be as commonplace as wind or solar farms are today, and the industry an equivalent size to today’s oil and gas industry.Although still early in its journey, if the company succeeds in scaling, it has the potential to create a multi-billion-dollar revenue stream.If you're interested in using Climeworks’ service as an individual, visit: https://climeworks.com/subscriptionsCheck the podcast description to ensure this content is suitable for you. Your capital is at risk.Credits:Presenter: Claire ShawAudio production agency: ListenProducer: Shannon DelwicheExecutive producer: Suzy GrantProduction manager: Rachel KayEditorial lead: Malcolm Borthwick

Stéphane Bancel believes Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine success could be the tip of the iceberg for its mRNA technology.In the latest episode of the Invest in Progress podcast, Moderna’s chief executive talks to Scottish Mortgage manager Tom Slater about the company’s remarkable achievements to date and what that means for its future potential.Moderna’s mRNA technology, which instructs cells to create proteins, allows it to develop effective solutions faster than traditional pharmaceutical approaches.The versatility of the company's mRNA technology means it can potentially address some of the biggest unmet health needs of our time. That includes respiratory illnesses, cancer and infectious diseases, offering hope for millions of patients worldwide.Bancel explains why the technology’s adaptability, along with Moderna’s innovative approach to scaling up manufacturing, could revolutionise how we treat disease and secure future revenues.The company's commitment to research and development and its relentless focus on science and innovation positions it as a leader in mRNA-based medicines. That, along with the many potential uses of mRNA earns it its place in the Scottish Mortgage portfolio.If successful, Moderna could have a significant impact on healthcare, preventing millions of deaths and improving access to healthcare worldwide. Check the podcast description to ensure this content is suitable for you. Your capital is at risk.Credits:Presenter: Claire ShawAudio production agency: ListenProducer: Shannon DelwicheExecutive producer: Suzy GrantProduction manager: Niamh KiddEditorial lead: Malcolm Borthwick

Joby Aviation’s Paul Sciarra on why we’re closer to the Jetson future of flying cars than people might think.The latest episode of the Scottish Mortgage podcast Invest in Progress features Joby Aviation. Its electric vertical take-off and landing (eVOTL) aircrafts are well-placed to revolutionise how people travel in modern cities.These aircrafts have features resembling an SUV, take off and land like a helicopter, but fly like a traditional aircraft. The fully electric vehicles deliver quiet, fast and green aerial transportation for trips anywhere between zero and 100 miles. And the end goal is to commercialise the aircraft as an “aerial taxi service” in busy city centres. In other words, to become the Uber of the skies.In developing this mode of transport, Joby have harnessed the opportunity to address congestion, decrease operating costs, limit the carbon footprint and reduce the noise of aircraft.Scottish Mortgage's investment reflects its recognition of Joby’s potential to disrupt the transportation industry. The company’s innovative technology, strategic partnerships and safety commitment position it for long-term success.Join investment manager Tom Slater as he welcomes Joby’s Executive Chairman Paul Sciarra onto the podcast, and learn more about the future of urban transport.Check the podcast description to ensure this content is suitable for you. Your capital is at risk.Credits:Presenter: Claire Shaw Audio production agency: Listen Producer: Shannon Delwiche Executive producer: Suzy Grant Production manager: Niamh Kidd Editorial lead: Malcolm Borthwick

Trucks transport almost every object, yet the industry has many pain points. Aurora’s CEO Chris Urmson talks solutions.In the US alone, 80 per cent of freight is transported by trucks. Without them and their drivers, the world would literally grind to a halt. But trucking is not for the faint-hearted. It’s a dangerous and strenuous job, leading to significant driver shortages. Meanwhile, demand for the movement of goods is only increasing.Chris Urmson, co-founder and CEO of autonomous trucking company Aurora, sits down with Scottish Mortgage manager Tom Slater to discuss how his company can solve the problem – by enabling trucks to drive themselves. Chris explains how installing autonomous software into trucks will make the industry safer and more efficient, and how the application of autonomous technology can transform transportation at large.Chris started his journey at Carnegie Mellon, moved on to Google’s self-driving vehicle project Waymo, and then co-founded Aurora with brilliant minds from Uber and Tesla. Hear how he has built the company from the ground up, formed partnerships with some big names, and what’s next on the road to autonomous trucks.Check the podcast description to ensure this content is suitable for you. Your capital is at risk. Presenter: Claire ShawAudio production agency: ListenProducer: Shannon Delwiche Executive producer: Suzy GrantProduction manager: Niamh KiddEditorial lead: Malcolm Borthwick

Invest in Progress from Scottish Mortgage is back. In season two, we head behind the scenes with the founders and leaders of some of the most innovative companies of our time. We welcome well-known brands such as Moderna and HelloFresh, as well as some you may not have heard of yet like Climeworks, who is on a mission to remove carbon dioxide from the air, Joby Aviation who is pioneering electric air taxis and Aurora who is developing technology to make trucks autonomous.Season two will be available from Tuesday 31 October 2024. Hit follow to never miss an episode.  Check the podcast description to ensure this content is suitable for you. Your capital is at risk.

All six episodes of the first season of Invest in Progress are available now!What lies behind the world’s most innovative and exceptional companies?The Scottish Mortgage team invites you behind the scenes to hear the extraordinary conversations that take place when business leaders and entrepreneurs meet Scottish Mortgage managers Tom Slater and Lawrence Burns.In season one, from ecommerce to Alzheimer’s treatments, drone delivery to cultivated meat, discover the real secrets behind building a great company, as well as what makes these businesses potentially great cases for investment.Check the podcast description to ensure this content is suitable for you. Your capital is at risk.Invest in Progress is a Listen production for Scottish Mortgage.Credits:Presenter: Claire ShawAudio production agency: ListenProducer: Phil SansomExecutive producer: Suzy GrantProduction manager: Niamh KiddEditorial lead: Malcolm BorthwickFor more information on Scottish Mortgage and the companies in its portfolio visit scottishmortgage.com where you can sign up to receive regular emails about recent articles, events, portfolio activity, and more.

We speak to UPSIDE Foods about how it makes cultivated meat. The product is genetically identical to the much-loved meat you find central to global cuisine, but avoids animal slaughter and could benefit the environment.In the final episode of Season 1, UPSIDE Foods’ co-founder and chief executive Uma Valeti tells Scottish Mortgage’s deputy manager Lawrence Burns how his firm developed a way to create meat without needing farmed livestock. They explore how the cultivation process works and discuss how a US regulator’s approval paves the way for the product to sell to restaurants and, eventually, supermarkets.The two examine the implications for the broader $2tn meat industry and the potential for the business to enhance the health profiles of different meats using its innovative technology.Valeti, a former medic, founded UPSIDE Foods in 2015. Almost a decade later, it takes stem cells from chickens and grows them in a controlled environment to create meat. The technology involved is species-agnostic. Fish, beef and other produce are on the company’s menu for future development.UPSIDE Foods opened its first large-scale production facility in Emeryville, California, a couple of years ago. It is now seeking final US government approval to let it sell its chicken for public consumption.Check the podcast description to ensure this content is suitable for you. Your capital is at risk.Read more:Op-ed: humans love animals but also love meat – Uma ValetiFDA completes first pre-market consultation for human food made using animal cell culture technologyCredits:Presenter: Claire ShawAudio production agency: ListenProducer: Phil SansomExecutive producer: Suzy GrantProduction manager: Niamh KiddEditorial lead: Malcolm Borthwick