The Pioneer interview with... Eleanor Ford

Pioneering through start-ups that tackle the world’s biggest problems

Anthropologist-turned-entrepreneur, Ellie’s career has spanned documentary filmmaking, founding and selling a start-up to Time Out and leading innovation in the charity sector. Today, she is shaping one of the UK’s most mission-driven venture builders. Ellie’s journey is a thread of curiosity, purpose and people-centric innovation.

Q: Tell me a little about your background and how it led you to where you are now. 

I actually started out as an anthropologist. Anthropology is all about curiosity and I’ve always been innately curious about how people behave in different environments, cultures and conditions, their stories, the different voices and perspectives. 

This led me into documentary filmmaking. This was a natural extension – how we bring other people’s stories to life and how they shape our understanding of the world. From there, things took a slightly unexpected turn. While I was travelling around, I was thinking ‘how do I find things that people like me would appreciate when I arrive somewhere new?’ This was back in 2005-06 and there wasn’t an easy way to find personalised recommendations. 

My partner was working in early machine learning, and we thought that this was something we could solve together. So, we built a start-up based on personalised recommendations. We were lucky enough to receive early support from Nesta’s Creative Pioneer Programme, and five years later sold the company to Time Out Group. I then led innovation at Time Out for another five years. 

Q: What did that experience teach you about innovation? 

Innovation happens when you bring together different skill sets and perspectives. My background was in culture and storytelling; my partner’s was in technology. The combination created something new. 

And at its heart, innovation always starts with understanding people – their needs, motivations and experiences. 

Q: After Time Out, you shifted into the not-for-profit sector. What drew you there? 

I really wanted to combine the innovation side with something that felt purposeful, that had meaning. I set up and led The Good Lab which helped charities see how they could raise money differently. So often charities have amazing engagement and missions, but they don’t always have novel ways of raising funds. We brought together people from outside the sector – service designers, technologists, entrepreneurs – to co-create ventures with big, ambitious goals. 

What was fascinating was how that process changed culture. By working with 12 of the UK’s biggest charities, we didn’t just generate ideas; we shifted mindsets. Now you see more charities running innovation or venture studios – that’s part of the ripple effect, not just of the Good Lab obviously, but certainly aligned with the changes we were working towards. 

Q: And now you’re at Zinc. Can you tell us what Zinc does? 

Zinc is a mission-led venture builder and fund. It was founded about eight years ago by Saul Klein, Paul Kirby, and Ella Goldner to help talented people create start-ups tackling major societal challenges – what we call the ‘health of people and planet’. 

Our venture builders bring together 50-70 people for six months to form teams and build solutions from the ground up. We then invest in those early-stage ventures and support them through their first critical stages. How we deliver this investment and partner with Founders has evolved over time, but the central mission of Zinc still holds. 

I am drawn to Zinc because of how much we focus on the human factor of entrepreneurship – supporting founders not just with capital but with coaching, community and development. Starting a company is risky and emotionally demanding. We help founders build both financial and emotional runways. It is an area of de-risking that needs more focus. 

Q: That sounds very human-centred. How does your anthropology background show up in your work today? 

It’s everywhere. Anthropology teaches you to listen deeply and look at context. At Zinc, we think of founders not just as entrepreneurs but as humans in the middle of a complex journey. We support them through different kinds of capital – financial, intellectual, social and human. That last one is often overlooked. Every founder has individual coaching, team coaching, and reflective spaces to learn and grow. As I often say, pain plus reflection equals growth. The journey is challenging. We can’t remove the pain, but we can create the space for reflection that enables transformation. 

Q: How do you help founders stay close to their customers as their ventures grow? 

All our ventures are still young, but the principle is clear: if you’re not customer-obsessed, you’re not doing your job. We encourage constant experimentation, testing and feedback loops – learning outcomes as well as performance outcomes. 

We also apply this thinking to new areas of the business. For example a new product we are creating, Inflection, supports individuals through this transformation, but with a different set of end points, not just starting a company. It helps people design the next chapter of their careers with the same iterative, experimental approach a start-up would use. 

Instead of prototyping products, you prototype versions of yourself. You talk to people, test ideas, and build awareness of what feels authentic. It’s for people asking, “what’s next?” - often mid-career professionals who want to apply their skills to something with more purpose. 

Q: That’s a fascinating idea — applying start-up principles to personal growth. How does it work? 

We run small, supportive pods where people explore what they might want to do next — whether that’s founding something, pivoting careers, or changing how they work. 

One of the biggest barriers to change is isolation. The people closest to us are invested in the current version of us, not necessarily in who we’re becoming. So we create groups where people support each other in exploring and experimenting with that next version. 

My belief is that talent unlocks innovation, but community unlocks talent. Inflection gives people the structure, inspiration and accountability to move forward, together. 

Q: You talk a lot about connection and community. Why is that so important right now? 

Because the world of work is fragmenting. Careers are less linear, and people are putting their lives and work together in new ways. But that can also be lonely. 

We need spaces that combine connection, experimentation and purpose – where people can explore without fear. And we need to stay close to those we serve, whether customers, users, or communities. 

In the rush to scale, it’s easy to light the fire and move on. But success comes from stoking the fire – staying engaged and nurturing what you’ve started. 

Q: Finally, is there an organisation you think really embodies this customer-led mindset? 

Yes, a friend of mine founded Little Village, a charity that supports families in need through baby banks– a bit like food banks but for clothes, toys and equipment. What’s special is how it centres the dignity, human-ness and creativity of its users. 

Rather than seeing people as victims of circumstance, Little Village treats them as whole, capable individuals with agency. Everything they do, from how donations are given (“only what you’d give your sister or best friend”) to how the community sustains itself, reflects that belief. There’s just something about the customer, or the end user, being completely reimagined in this environment, which has impacted the whole way in which the brand comes to life.