PRESS & MEDIA

Diane Gilpin Diane Gilpin

IWD 2024: We Asked The Experts – How Can The Tech Industry Better Support Women?

Dana Leigh - TechRound

“Inequality has been a defining feature over my 30-year career in tech – from being told by a government agency-appointed mentor that I’d never be recognised as the CEO of a tech company, to frequently being the only woman in a room full of male investors and entrepreneurs. However, the inequality has arguably been starkest as a female founder”, says Diane Gilpin, CEO of Smart Green Shipping.

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Diane Gilpin Diane Gilpin

Free childcare and an AI revolution: Spring Budget business demands

Richard Parris - Startups UK

Smart Green Shipping’s CEO, Diane Gilpin, says, “Without making real tangible changes at the Spring Budget, I worry that the government will miss out on a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transition to a clean, green, cheaper economy – which will be to the detriment of everyone. So far there has been speculation about the Chancellor announcing VAT relief on EV charging. This would be a small win, but it feels more like box-ticking than anything that’s going to have a huge impact on the climate crisis we’re facing today.”

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Diane Gilpin Diane Gilpin

Applying for a small business grant – everything you need to know

Anna Jordan - Smallbusiness

Having the match funding is a non-negotiable, as Diane Gilpin, founder of Smart Green Shipping, knows all too well. As her business designs wind-powered shipping solutions, she applies for research and development (R&D) grants for the most part. The company has applied for funding from Innovate UK, the European Space Agency, and from Europe Horizon.

“I found grant applications very difficult initially as a small business owner, because I wasn’t able to get everything down to however many characters or words they needed it to be,” she told Small Business. “It was much more difficult for me to be succinct about it because I’m thinking everything is really important.”

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Diane Gilpin Diane Gilpin

Europe’s government grant system is not fit for purpose. Startups deserve better

Diane Gilpin - Sifted

For many fast-growing businesses and SMEs, government grants are a lifeline. Not only do they allow startups to build and grow but they enable founders to secure a much-needed injection of cash without diluting their own share of the business.

Read more about the challenges with grant funding and our ideas for improving the process for everyone’s benefit.

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Diane Gilpin Diane Gilpin

Expert Predictions For Sustainability In 2024

Dana Leigh - TechRound

The urgent need for new climate infrastructure is evident, yet investments into this sector are still insufficient and inconsistent. There are logical reasons for this – big infrastructure projects are capital intensive, usually with longer payback periods and a high degree of uncertainty. But investors live on this planet too and they are beginning to feel the very painful economic shocks from a lack of climate action. Those who understand that protecting the climate is just as important as capital – and in fact necessitates making capital – will make green tech solutions a priority, whether the solutions are long or short term.

Read more about what Smart Green Shipping’s CEO, Diane Gilpin, has to say.

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Diane Gilpin Diane Gilpin

What I learnt… about putting sails on ships

Diane Gilpin, 63, is chief executive of Smart Green Shipping, which she founded in 2014 to develop 21st-century sails for cargo vessels to save fuel and cut carbon emissions. She has received support from Drax, the FTSE 250 energy group, and investment from Mitsui OSK Lines among others.

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