Demand for concrete, the world’s most used material, is expected to grow to over 5 billion tonnes annually by 2050. But it is inherently prone to cracking, with up to $100 billion spent each year worldwide on concrete repair and maintenance, adding to the 8% of global CO₂ emissions linked to cement production. Mimicrete has developed self-healing concrete technologies inspired by nature that enable infrastructure to self-repair cracks before they spread. This reduces maintenance costs, extends the lifespan of structures and significantly cuts down on carbon.
Dr Liz Zijing Li is the CEO of Mimicrete, setting the vision and strategy for the company, leading the team and ensuring they stay true to their mission of making infrastructure more sustainable. She is responsible for fundraising and investor relations, building strategic industry partnerships and guiding Mimicrete’s path from research to commercial deployment.
She recognises that the Shott Scale Up Accelerator can help her strengthen her skills in managing and growing a high-performing team, leading through change and building the right culture as Mimicrete scales through the mentoring and coaching available. She also recognises how networking opportunities will help sharpen her approach to commercial negotiations and stakeholder management, supported by training workshops helping her to engage confidently, manage expectations and make strategic decisions under pressure. She says, “Together, these elements will help me step up as a leader, ensuring I can guide Mimicrete through its next stage of growth with clarity and confidence.”
Over the next 12 months, Liz’s vision for Mimicrete is to build a strong customer pipeline, secure their first commercial deals and launch their products into real-world projects. Alongside this, a critical milestone will be to successfully close a £6M fundraising round to support this vision. The Shott Scale Up Accelerator offers Liz the structured support, mentoring and peer network to develop the leadership and management skills needed for this shift. It comes at exactly the right time for her to grow into the leader Mimicrete needs as we expand from innovation into sustainable global impact.
