Blue Earth Summit

On the latest episode of the Blue Earth Podcast, Guy Hayler sits down with Mat Ilic, Founder and CEO of Greenworkx, a company tackling one of the most overlooked challenges in the journey to net zero: people.

While trillions are being committed to decarbonising homes, transport and energy systems, a critical bottleneck remains. We simply don’t have the workforce, or the skills, required to deliver the transition at speed and scale.

Greenworkx exists to solve that.

• Listen to the full podcast on Spotify
• Watch the full podcast on YouTube

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A mission rooted in people

Greenworkx is on a bold mission: to power 10 million people into green jobs over the next 10 years.

The opportunity is vast. Decarbonising the built environment alone accounts for nearly a quarter of UK emissions and will create hundreds of thousands of new roles by 2030, from retrofit installers and surveyors to project managers and energy advisors.

But as Mat explains, this isn’t just a recruitment challenge.

“This is a human capital bottleneck. The transition is structural, not temporary, the biggest shift since the industrial revolution, and we don’t currently have the skills or capacity to deliver it.”

Greenworkx positions itself as the workforce operating system for a low-carbon future, enabling employers to hire, train and upskill the talent needed to deliver the transition, while building careers that are good for people and good for the planet.

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From public service to net zero infrastructure

Mat’s journey to Greenworkx spans public service, policy, and social impact.

From training as an accountant to consulting, working as a civil servant in City Hall, delivering welfare-to-work programmes, supporting the London Olympics, and later serving as a Special Adviser to Theresa May during the period when the UK legislated for net zero, Mat has spent his career at the intersection of systems, people and policy.

That perspective shaped the founding insight behind Greenworkx:
the transition will only succeed if it brings people with it.

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What Greenworkx actually does

Greenworkx works directly with employers, from utilities and construction firms to regional retrofit providers, to solve two connected problems:

1. Upskilling the existing workforce

2. Training new entrants where talent doesn’t yet exist

The platform combines:

• Subscription-based learning and skills analytics

• AI-enabled training scenarios that simulate real-world customer interactions

• Formal certifications and compliance pathways

• Talent pipelines aligned to real employer demand

Today, Greenworkx trains around 500 people per year, certifying more than 120 workers annually, with a lean team of just seven, demonstrating how technology can unlock outsized impact.

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A huge and growing market

Across construction, transport and utilities in the UK, EU and US, Greenworkx is operating in a £165bn total addressable market.

And crucially, demand is increasing, driven by:

• Rising energy demand

• Ageing workforces

• Electrification of everything

• Energy security and affordability pressures

As Mat puts it, this isn’t about ideology or incentives, it’s about necessity.

“The transition is already happening. The question is whether we have the people and skills in place to deliver it well.”

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Built to scale, designed for impact

Greenworkx is already revenue-generating, capital efficient, and operating with strong customer retention. With product-market fit emerging and demand accelerating, the company is now entering its next phase of growth.

Current raise via Blue Earth Ventures

• Stage: Seed

• Target raise: £2 million

• Valuation: £8 million

• Structure: EIS eligible

The round will fund:

• Product development and platform expansion

• Go-to-market growth

• Customer success and distribution

• Continued scaling without heavy headcount growth

Greenworkx is seeking a mission-aligned lead investor to support its next phase of scale.

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Why this matters now

As governments, businesses and households navigate rising energy costs, climate risk and infrastructure transformation, workforce capability will determine whether the transition succeeds, or stalls.

Greenworkx sits at the centre of that challenge, aligning:

• Economic opportunity

• Climate ambition

• Social mobility

• Business productivity

Or as Mat summarises it:

“If we get this right, everyone benefits, businesses, workers, and society as a whole.”