Circular Refining

We're thrilled to announce that Circular Refining has officially become a supporter of the Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter this week! 🎉

As a micro-SME, we're deeply committed to building a strong foundation for our future growth, and that includes ensuring the fairest and most equitable conditions for our future workforce.

The GM Good Employment Charter sets out to promote and celebrate employers who demonstrate a commitment to:
🚀 Secure work: Providing stable and predictable employment.
🚀 Fair pay: Offering a real living wage and transparent pay structures.
🚀 Flexible working: Supporting work-life balance and individual needs.
🚀 Positive employment relations: Fostering open communication and collaboration.
🚀 Employee engagement and voice: Valuing employee input and feedback.
🚀 Excellent people management: Investing in training and development.

At Circular Refining, we believe these values are fundamental to creating a thriving and successful business. Even as we grow, we pledge to uphold these principles, ensuring equity and fairness in our workplace. We look forward to building a team where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered.

We're proud to be part of a community that prioritizes good employment practices and contributes to a better working environment for all in Greater Manchester.

Being a solo entrepreneur in the international energy sector is a wild ride. It's a landscape constantly shifting, a puzzle with moving pieces, and a relentless pursuit of innovation. As Managing Director of Circular Refining, I'm deeply immersed in this complexity, driven by a passion to simplify decision-making in this vital field.

We're tackling the challenge head-on by developing tools that streamline procurement across the energy sector. It's about empowering businesses with the clarity and efficiency they need to navigate this intricate space.

One of our most exciting projects, Hydrogen IQ, is nearing its alpha testing phase. This web platform, a collaborative effort between Circular Refining and Cloud Bridge, is designed to demystify hydrogen for non-technical businesses. Imagine enabling existing businesses to seamlessly integrate hydrogen into their operations, unlocking powerful decarbonization opportunities.

It's a huge undertaking, balancing the intricacies of international markets, the rapid pace of technological advancements, and the constant need to adapt. But the potential impact – a cleaner, more sustainable energy future – fuels our drive.

We'll soon be opening up invitations for alpha testing of Hydrogen IQ, and I'm incredibly excited to share this milestone with you. If you're passionate about driving change in the energy sector, stay tuned!



https://www.linkedin.com/posts/aboutshaw_energytransition-hydrogen-innovation-activity-7299336796268560384-eeS2?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAkIQE4BrOYwyHeWYNgPezXsh2-2ie0rwYM

A Week of Progress and Partnerships

This week at Circular Refining has been a whirlwind of activity, focused on advancing our product development and securing funding to fuel our growth. We're excited to share some of the key milestones achieved:

💪 Funding Resilience: We kicked off the week meeting with BidX.Ai to explore how their grant writing expertise can help us leverage our open £324k pre-seed investment round. Securing this funding is crucial for scaling our operations and bringing Hydrogen IQ to market.

💪 Hydrogen IQ Development: We continued our collaborative work with Cloud Bridge, our development partner for Hydrogen IQ. Discussions centered around strategic steps needed to gain market traction, attract investment, and accelerate the development of this game-changing platform.

💪 Fair Tax Commitment: We're committed to ethical and transparent business practices. This week, we connected with the Fair Tax Foundation to explore accreditation opportunities, demonstrating our dedication to responsible tax conduct.

💪 Investment Partnerships: We welcomed Marquee Equity, an India-based investment support firm, to discuss how they can assist Circular Refining in closing our £324k pre-seed round. Their expertise and network will be invaluable in connecting us with potential investors.

💪 Digital Twin Opportunities: We participated in a webinar hosted by the Connected Places Catapult (Energy Systems), learning about an upcoming Digital Twin grant scheme. This technology aligns perfectly with our vision for HySim and could significantly enhance its capabilities.

💪 Greater Manchester Combined Authority GM Advance Fund Application: Thursday was dedicated to preparing and submitting our application for the GMCA GM Advance Fund, seeking £30-50k in equity investment to further support our growth.

💪 Hydrogen Storage Innovation: Friday brought a productive meeting with PhD researchers at The University of Manchester, to discuss innovative design concepts for Type 5 hydrogen storage cylinders. This collaboration underscores our commitment to cutting-edge technology.

💪 Rolls-Royce AMR Collaboration: We had a valuable discussion with the Roll

We're thrilled to announce a period of exciting growth at Circular Refining! Our Managing Director, Mark Shaw, has been working hard forging valuable partnerships with key organisations across Greater Manchester to bring fresh talent into our team.

We've been collaborating with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, their T Level placement team, the Greater Manchester Associated Colleges network, and the The University of Manchester's Engineering School to onboard a fantastic group of interns.

We're looking forward to welcoming:
🧙 One Social Media Intern (from the Greater Manchester Associated Colleges network)
🧙 One Junior Software Developer (from the Greater Manchester Associated Colleges network)
🧙 One Engineering Design Summer Intern (from the University of Manchester)

We believe in nurturing the next generation of talent and providing opportunities for students to gain real-world experience. Stay tuned to see the amazing contributions our interns will make to Circular Refining!