Wull Technologies wins £75,000 innovation funding boost

Wull Technologies has secured £75,000 in project funding after co-founder Ruth-Marie Mackrodt won a Women in Innovation Award. She was one of 61 female founders selected by Innovate UK from more than 1,500 applications.

The funding will support the Manchester-based business as it moves its sheep wool insulation panels into the next stage of commercial development, including manufacturing scale-up, independent testing and product demonstration.

Wull Technologies is a joint venture between Vector Labs and Wool Insulation Wales. It is developing rigid insulation panels made from British sheep wool under the patent-pending LAMDA brand.

The panels are designed for internal and external solid-wall applications. They are aimed at buildings where insulation upgrades must improve thermal performance without trapping moisture, including heritage and traditional properties, as well as private retrofit and social housing projects.

Millions of solid-wall homes across the UK remain uninsulated, creating a large potential market for products tailored to older building types. During the 12-month project, Wull Technologies plans to demonstrate the panels in live building projects to support the evidence and certification needed for wider use in the construction sector.

The award also includes a 12-month package of business support, training and networking opportunities. Innovate UK's Women in Innovation programme is marking its 10th anniversary and attracted a record 1,590 applications.

Since its launch in 2016, the programme has backed 260 female founders with more than £15 million in investment. According to Innovate UK, previous winners have gone on to secure a further £358 million in funding.

For Wull Technologies, the latest funding adds to earlier public and institutional backing. Last year, the University of Manchester Innovation Factory and Greater Manchester Combined Authority's GM Advance Fund invested a combined £300,000 in the company, contributing £150,000 each.

Before that, the business received an Innovate UK grant of £214,000 for its initial research project. That support helped the company develop the basis of its current insulation panel work.

Mackrodt co-founded Wool Insulation Wales in 2022 and leads the Wull Technologies team alongside Technical Director Liam Britnell. The award gives the company additional support as it seeks to move from development to broader market adoption.

Commenting on the award, Mackrodt highlighted both the company's progress and the wider case for wool-based building materials.

"I am extremely proud to have received this award, but I see it primarily as recognition of the work being undertaken by the whole Wull Technologies team and of the wider potential of British wool as an advanced material.

"Britain has a vast number of older solid-wall buildings that urgently need to become warmer and more energy efficient. That work must be carried out in a way that respects how those buildings manage moisture, rather than creating new problems that may only become visible years later.

"This award will help us move LAMDA through the next critical stage - strengthening our manufacturing process, building the independent evidence required by the construction industry and demonstrating the material in real buildings.

"It also gives us an opportunity to show that an overlooked British agricultural resource can become part of a modern, technically credible and circular manufacturing industry," said Ruth-Marie Mackrodt, Commercial Director, Wull Technologies.

National programme

Innovate UK's Executive Chair highlighted the scale of this year's cohort. The programme is intended to support women building early-stage businesses across a range of sectors.

"This year's Women in Innovation cohort represents some of the UK's most exciting entrepreneurial talent. These founders are developing the ideas, technologies and businesses that will drive economic growth, attract investment and tackle some of the world's biggest challenges.

"Many of today's most successful companies started with bold ideas and the right support at the right time. Through Women in Innovation, we are backing founders with the ambition, talent and determination to develop the UK's most promising companies. Many congratulations to every member of this exceptional cohort," said Tom Adeyoola, Executive Chair, Innovate UK.