Founder at Mission Studio

ManuMatch - an AI platform matching brands with UK manufacturers.

Interested? Have questions? Sign up to our webinar on 14th January to find out more!

Founder Role Overview

Mission Studio is Nesta’s mission-led venture studio, built to turn bold, validated ideas into venture-backable, impact-driven companies. When we develop a concept with real potential, we partner with an exceptional founder to co-build it with us and lead the business into the future.

As a Mission Studio founder, you’ll receive a living stipend during our intensive 6-month build, plus funding to create an MVP and test it with real customers. You’ll work shoulder-to-shoulder with experienced builders, designers, technologists, and founders - and finish with the opportunity to pitch for £200k in pre-seed funding to spin out your venture.

About ManuMatch - Our Latest Concept

The UK food system suffers from fragmented information and opaque manufacturing capacity, creating a structural choke point that slows healthy and innovative product launches.

ManuMatch solves this by providing an intelligent manufacturing matchmaking platform that matches brands with verified UK manufacturers in days.

By reducing brands’ switching costs, increasing competitive choice and product diversification, and cutting manufacturers’ downtime, ManuMatch reduces development costs and lowers unit costs - helping accelerate the shift to a healthier food environment whilst enabling competitive shelf prices.

As the industry faces a massive shift toward health-driven reformulation, legacy supply chains are too slow to keep up with the pace of new product development demanded by consumers. ManuMatch solves this by creating the missing data layer for food manufacturing. It maps the UK manufacturing landscape, allowing brands to instantly compare multiple manufacturing options.

Who We’re Looking For

For ManuMatch’s founder, we’re looking for someone who has:

• F&B and/or manufacturers network: Ideally you already have a network across food and beverage brands and/or manufacturing networks so you can hit the ground running.
• B2B experience: In either manufacturing or parallel industries, you have experience overcoming long sales cycles and converting conversations into sales in hard-to-reach industries.
• Manufacturing insights: Awareness and understanding of factory floor culture and common pain points.
• Familiarity with marketplace and/or SaaS models: You know how to build a two-sided marketplace and create software solutions.
• Test & learn mindset: You thrive in fast-paced, uncertain environments - rapidly testing assumptions and pivoting as required.
• Scrappiness and resourcefulness: You take initiative and proactively get things done with low resources when needed.
• Inspirational leadership: You’re exceptional at rallying teams to achieve shared goals in an inclusive environment.
• Skilled storytelling: You communicate effectively with diverse audiences and stakeholders.

At Mission Studio, we work with talented people who want to build ambitious, impactful ventures. You don’t need prior founder experience - just relevant skills, domain insight, and the drive to build a business in this space. If you care deeply about the problem and have the grit to bring a venture to life, we want to hear from you.

The Founder Package We Offer

• A de-risked concept: With initial inroads into relevant customer and partner networks.
• Living stipend: ~£4k per month for up to 6 months whilst you build with us.
• Build funding: £25k of additional funds to support the build and launch of the company.
• Hands-on operational support: Dedicated support from a team specialising in venture design and building, product development, fundraising, tech, and strategic partnerships.
• Network access: Access to Nesta’s mission-relevant internal and external networks.
• Spin-out opportunity: At the end of 6 months, the opportunity to pitch for an additional £200k investment, establish the venture as an independent company - and receive a majority equity stake in the new company.

How We Build with Founders

During the 6 month build, Mission Studio deploys a lean venture building approach - focused on fast, disciplined experimentation and learning. Every effort is purposeful, aimed at validating assumptions within the venture hypothesis and uncovering signals of scalable growth.

The studio and founders work together in a repeat rhythm of test and learn sprints, supported by a clear lean venture building methodology, practical tools, and a smooth operational backbone that gives every concept the best chance of success.

Making an Application

To apply for this role, please submit your application before 8pm on January 18th 2026.

Interviews will be held on a rolling basis, but will likely take place from w/c January 26th.

We want our startups to represent the diversity of the people and communities they serve. This means that when we are recruiting, we actively seek to reach a diverse pool of candidates. It also means that we are happy to consider any reasonable adjustments that potential employees may need in order to be successful. See our EDI commitments for more information.

ManuMatch is Part of Mission Studio

Mission Studio is dedicated to creating, launching and scaling startups that address some of the UK’s biggest social challenges. From achieving net zero to tackling obesity to striving for equal outcomes for children born into disadvantage, we’re not just building great businesses - we’re designing impactful solutions for a better future.

Backed by a world-class venture design and building process, dedicated capital, experienced operators providing hands-on support, and Nesta’s ecosystem of experts, research and partnerships, we partner with founders to build incredible companies.

Mission Studio is led by Kenny Ewan (ex-Founder of Wefarm, the world's largest farming network, reaching 5 million users and raising over $35mn in VC investment). Kenny and the wider team bring decades of startup experience to support you on your journey, doing whatever it takes to help you and your venture succeed.