Welcome to the twelfth edition of our newsletter - as we launch our challenge for Clean Air Day, get shortlisted for a sustainability award and pitch our business extensively. This newsletter is aimed at investors, collaborators, future hires and early adopters of our products.

Yesterday marked Clean Air Day in the UK. The focus of the campaign is on encouraging active travel options. The Environmental Research Group at Imperial College London (including acknowledgement of William Hicks' work) have highlighted the significant health risks posed by traffic-related air pollution - both vehicle exhausts and non-exhaust emissions such as tyre and brake wear. Meanwhile the Health Effects Institute has brought out its annual report showing air pollution is now the second leadest cause of death worldwide. Please join us on our mission - Personalising Air Quality, for everyone.

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Hot off the press

• as part of our preparation for launch of our premium AirTrack product, we have been undertaking user research based on our prototypes. This has been really insightful and helpful for our product development. On Clean Air Day yesterday, we included a challenge for our users to post their activities on Instagram and X, to be in the running for a month's free AirTrack premium once launched
• we have been shortlisted in the Climate Action: Sustainable Impact Award category of the BeLambeth Awards 2024! Voting opens on Monday so please look out for further posts and offer your support
• we've also moved forward with due diligence processes with various investors. Last week we were chosen as finalists in a CVC capital partners - Oxford Seed Fund pitch competition. We were up against much more established companies so didn't win, but were really happy with the feedback! And we met some great investors and fellow founders along the way. Alongside the Alma Summit, it was a great reminder of how valuable in person meeting is!

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Go with us towards clean air

• we loved pitching our product to Seed Run, and welcome all support to access running and cycling clubs. A QR code is available for easy sign ups (bottom of this page). Louise's interview for Seed Run is here, where she discusses the ups and downs of start up life, work-life balance and how we came up with the ideas behind Air Aware Labs
• we will be welcoming our second intern from the US next week and have been interviewing an incredible field of candidates for a late Summer internship from Oxford University. It's been great to hear their passion for tackling air pollution, climate change and health inequalities. We're already seeing huge value from these internships, with our marketing getting underway on platforms other than Linked In (they do exist...) including Instagram, X and TikTok
• we continue to be amazed by all the support we get from far and wide. Big shout outs to Dr. Zhong Wei Khor Tom Maverley Henry Yates Alex Piercy 💾 🚀 Jeffery Smith Shany Stephany Joseph Nwosu Jas Schembri-Stothart Jo Goodall Berthe Latreille James Bianco John Burley Moira Nicolson Sofia Falcão Alex Collins Travis Bramley Alexander Hirsch Nikos Melachrinos Sammy Rubin Ammar Khan Janet Martin Evan Slater Anna Molišová Anna Wyatt Tolani Thomas-Allinson Carl De'Athe Cherry Swayne Richard Payne Maria Paola Lia Gabriela Rothova Amy Varney Michael Hutson Carmel Rafaeli Ravi Nar James Murray Vanessa Neeff Paul Finch Maxx Turing Arif A. Wani Sam Simpson Billy Verian Salim Steve Markwell Tom Parkes Marjo Palanee Joanne Findlay . We hope you'll all continue with us towards clean air.

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Meet the team

This week we welcome our second intern, Mary-Julian Brewer joining via AES | Experiential Learning & Living. MJ is joining us as part of her summer study abroad experience.  She is a rising second year student at North Carolina State University majoring in Human Biology.  She is involved in several clubs through her university including ballroom dance, creating jewelry to sell, and the Women in Science and Engineering program. She will start with us next week for six weeks as research intern, working with Fallon who we introduced last time.

MJ says: I aspire to join the medical field, and I enjoy learning about how environmental issues impact human health.  I am looking forward to joining Air Aware Labs so that I can learn more about tracking air pollution and monitoring air quality.  As an asthmatic, I think it is very important to know what you are breathing in that can impact your lungs.  In order to fight against climate change, we need detailed research focusing on issues such as air quality to see what we need to improve.

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Get in touch

Please follow Air Aware Labs to stay in touch with our progress. If anything in this newsletter has piqued your interest, please send me (Louise Thomas) or William Hicks a message!

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More newsletters

Although the Venture Builder has finished, we will never forget our fellow ZINC teams.  Please read and subscribe to newsletters of others in cohort 7:

• Pavandeep Rai here
• Marjo Palanee here
• Donna Egan here
• Josh Piddock here
• Guy Naor here
• Veronika Bridgman here
• Lisa Rickers here
• Natalia Baltazar here