Manuela Zoninsein

Indoor farming has attracted over $6 billion in investments since 2019: It's a year-round method of crop production that optimizes space through its use of vertically stacked layers. It’s projected to grow (10% by 2032, reaching $96 billion*), yet many are struggling to deliver returns. Notably, AppHarvest recently filed for bankruptcy after reporting a net loss of $177 million, highlighting the challenges in achieving profitability in this sector. ⬆️On the up - Plenty® is one to watch - they are flush with funding from SoftBank and have formed a JV with Abu Dhabi-based Mawarid Holding Investment .They are building a network of indoor farms, likely starting with an indoor strawberry farm in Abu Dhabi. If successful, it would help elevate indoor farming as a more marketable proposition - particularly in locations that are too dry for traditional farms. Indoor farming has appeal for sure..but they an infrastructure-heavy, pricey endeavor that has proven incompatible with venture exit time frames. This begs the question around the sustainability of funding models in industries focused on longer-term growth. #VentureCapital #IndoorFarming #Investment #Sustainability #Agriculture *Statista

14

The Washington Post just posted an article about "mushrooms as the darling of sustainability" and showcased various industrial applications of fungi. Among other, they showcased the pioneering work of our friends on MycoWorks with philip ross, and Ecovative - the mycelium technology company, both paving the way for fungal applications for a more sustainable trajectory. It was also mentioned how scientific researchers are "pioneering new ways for fungi to better manage environmental problems such as transforming food waste into novel edible materials, eliminating toxins like heavy metals at contamination sites, devouring plastic pollution, or improving soil as an impressive organic fertilizer". I caught one new solution that was new to me - PACT Outdoors makes kits for backpackers with mycelium tablets that breaks down 💩 quickly, killing bacteria that can disturb ecosystems. The usecases of mycelium and fungi are - endless! https://lnkd.in/diZPyqYY #Fungi #Mycelium #Biotechnology #Pioneeers #NewFuture

71

4 Comments

Landing back from #nyc and a great week at the Global AgInvesting conference, it’s clear that the weather has changed since last week and the presence of the winters #flooding has started to subside. When we ran a farming academy in Northumberland with the Understanding Ag, LLC - Experts in Regenerative Ag in October 2022, one of the profound comments was around the suitability for #agriculture and #regenerativeagriculture in the UK’s climate. Yesterday WIRED published an article on ‘the rise of the carbon farmer’ which provides a positive lens on the potential impact of agriculture to sequester carbon. If soil health beneficial practices are used to generate regenerative outcomes. Quoting UK #organic farmer Patrick Holden. “My farm’s been farmed organically for 51 years,” says Patrick Holden “I’ve built up soil carbon, my operation is now carbon-negative—if I was to switch to intensive methods then theoretically I could burn up that carbon stock. But if I was paid to be a carbon steward, I’m not going to do that.” Having experienced one of the wettest winters on record, let’s not forget the value of slowing down and filtering water with #healthysoils. Ryan Cameron Nicholas Burlington Addy Windsor-Clive Paul Benjamin Alvaro Aguirre Taimur Malik Jeremy Stroud Ananya Manna Jackson Baris Matt Jordon Regenerate Asset Management Regenerate Outcomes Rodale Institute https://lnkd.in/e8cP6AAu

44

3 Comments

🌍 Launching Bramble Intelligence: an advisory business, committed to transforming the global food system. While working on the National Food Strategy, one thing became clear - no one had a full grasp of the entire food system. From innovative startups to governments, NGOs, academia, and business - the system is complex, and yet, understanding this complexity is crucial if we’re serious about creating real change. That’s exactly what Bramble Intelligence is here to do - help governments, NGOs, and businesses navigate and accelerate the shift we desperately need in our food systems. I’m incredibly fortunate to have two brilliant minds leading this mission with me. Chris Mitchell, who founded BCG’s food system practice in Africa, joins us as Managing Partner in November. Alongside him is Archie Mason, former Head of Business Development and Strategy at Waitrose, whose experience in food strategy is unparalleled. As Donella Meadows said, “We can't control systems or figure them out. But we can dance with them!” Our hope is that Bramble Partners (with both Intelligence and Investments) can dance the food system to a healthier, more sustainable future. If you want to be part of this journey, reach out at [email protected]. Let’s reshape the food system for the better. 🌱

668

52 Comments

The fastest growing RIAs are independents and hybrids (growing 9.8% and 13.5% respectively). Much faster than the large wirehouses. A big change that creates an opportunity. Because these types of RIAs have a high degree of control over their tech stack they can adopt technology far more easily than the larger incumbents. For the RIAs, this means they can deliver better services to their clients but operating on newer tech. For wealthtech entrepreneurs, this is a fast growing market to which you can sell new tech. Will be a very interesting decade for wealthtech!

127

15 Comments

KlimaDAO Japan's launch of the KlimaDAO Japan Market, a new platform for trading carbon credits in collaboration with Progmat, I believe this could be a game changer in the fight against climate change. This innovative initiative has the potential to revolutionize how companies and local governments trade carbon credits using a Progmat stablecoin, with the prospect of expanding globally. As a dedicated organization committed to combating climate change, KlimaDAO's foray into carbon credit trading on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and eventually on Carbonmark, where it already has a presence, is a significant step forward. With the global carbon credit market predicted to reach $172.9 billion by 2030, and Japan contributing $1.9 billion, this collaboration could mark a pivotal moment in the transition towards a more sustainable future. Backed by Mitsubishi Corporation UFJ Financial Group and operating on the Polygon Labs network, KlimaDAO's ambition to start overseas trading and support financial institutions in creating their own marketplaces further solidifies their commitment to driving positive change on a global scale. In my view, this collaboration could mark a significant step towards a more sustainable future setting a precedent for others to follow. #japan #ai #tech #dao

10

🌍 Exciting news! Apparel Impact Institute (Aii) has just announced the newest round of Climate Solutions Portfolio (CSP) grants, part of the $250 million Fashion Climate Fund aimed at unlocking $2 billion in blended capital for industry-wide decarbonization. These grants provide essential funding and support for scalable, science-based solutions that help the fashion industry reduce its environmental impact.🌱 This round of grantees – Pozzi, Grant Thornton, and Amphico – are tackling unique supply chain challenges with innovative technologies, offering measurable greenhouse gas reductions. Collectively, these projects have the potential to save over 24,000 tCO2e within their first year of implementation! 💡 Highlights include: * Pozzi's advanced heat recovery system for the textile wet processing sector * Grant Thornton's innovative approach to energy conservation in the lubricant industry * Amphico's cutting-edge color-mixing technology for textiles, creating vibrant fabrics with reduced environmental impact A huge congratulations to these trailblazers for their commitment to a sustainable future. Learn more about their projects and how Aii is driving decarbonization efforts across the industry #Sustainability #ClimateAction #Decarbonization #FashionIndustry #ApparelImpactInstitute #InnovationForImpact #CSPGrantees #SustainableFashion #Decarbonization

63

🌱🚀 Exciting News! Xefco, one of our portfolio companies, just secured A$10.5 million in funding to revolutionize the textile industry and reduce emissions! 🌎💡 With their innovative water-free textile finishing and dyeing solution, Ausora, Xefco is poised to make a significant impact. Their technology not only preserves precious resources but also cuts energy consumption and costs. Plus, it's already gaining traction with leading apparel brands like Zara and The North Face. At Investible, we're committed to backing visionary companies like Xefco that are driving positive change. This investment reaffirms our belief in their potential to transform industries and tackle pressing environmental challenges. #ClimateTech #SustainableInvesting #ImpactInvesting #MandiriInvestibleGlobalClimateTechFund 🌿📈

30

3 Comments

Comprehensive #FoodTech VC Directory. Access a list of over 250 venture capital firms, featuring more than 1,400 VC professionals, including partners and principals, along with 1,200 email addresses. https://payhip.com/b/9T4P0 #startup #startups #vc #venturecapital #investmentbanking #privateequity #managementconsulting #b2b #founders #entrepreneurs

1

I am consistently reminded of the pivotal role the entire food chain and especially agriculture play when it comes to climate challenges. Agriculture players suffer from the impact of climate change in various aspects of their businesses (think weather for example), at the same time agriculture contributes negatively to climate change (soil health anyone?) and finally agriculture holds the potential to help mitigate climate effects (so many examples but carbon sequestration as an immediate one). It gets even more interesting when one considers the amazing technological tools that actively help transform this complex space. Interesting piece covering carbon sequestration challenges featuring our portfolio company Groundwork BioAg. Jack Levy MoreVC https://lnkd.in/dWy5FnZv

33

3 Comments

Bonkers and not bonkers. Here's some OpenAI info reported by the good folks at GSV. Very recently this would have just been seen as bonkers. Not just the amazing growth from zero to $3.7B in revenue in a blink of an eye but also that a tech co. would still be losing $5B with that revenue. The only bit that I think is still bonkers is the idea that they could raise the $20 a month fee to $44 over the next few years. Three things will prevent that: -plain old simple increased competition/choices - the massive improvement in free options - this tech often being submerged below the waterline in platforms, apps, ecosystems. The Open AI Info: OpenAI is reaching $300M in monthly revenue in August and projecting $3.7B for 2024, with plans to hit $11.6 billion next year. Despite significant revenue, OpenAI anticipates a loss of approximately $5B this year due to high operational costs, including expenses related to computing power. It has 350M monthly active users (up from 100M in March). Approximately 10M users pay a $20 monthly fee, with plans to increase the price up to $44 over the next five years Exciting times...

17

1 Comment

Heirloom Carbon raises $150M to remove CO2 from the air using rocks | TechCrunch https://buff.ly/49uuPFv Heirloom Carbon has successfully secured $150 million in funding to advance their innovative carbon dioxide removal technology, which captures CO2 from the atmosphere using mineral-based processes. By utilizing naturally occurring rocks, Heirloom aims to address climate change by sequestering carbon more effectively and sustainably. This substantial investment highlights the growing interest and urgency in developing scalable carbon capture solutions to mitigate global warming. #CarbonCapture #ClimateTech

2

I'm looking forward to moderating a panel on June 17th at the Future Food-Tech Alt Protein Conference titled: "Boosting Investor Confidence: Adapting Innovative Financing Models to Overcome the Trough of Disillusionment" ___________________________________________________________________ I'll be joined by a great group of investors in the space, including: Shayna Harris of Supply Change Capital Ashley Hartman of Bluestein Ventures Nadav Berger of PeakBridge Rosie Wardle of Synthesis Capital We plan to hit on various topics: 🔵 Current fundraising environment for alt protein companies 🔵 How this varies by stage 🔵 What investors are looking for that help a company stand out 🔵 What needs to change in the space 🔵 Innovative financing approaches being taken beyond VC 🔵 and more Should be a great discussion, and I'm looking forward to hearing questions from the audience as well - from startups to corporates to other investors - hoping to get questions about what's really on everyone's minds If you'll be at the conference, let me know, as I'd love to connect! 💻 PS: If you were wondering what AI Image Generators create if you type in "Boosting Investor Confidence in Alternative Proteins" the pic below is one of the ones you get. Good? Bad? Odd? Not sure - but who knows what actually goes on within AI

79

20 Comments

#GreenDisruption Environmental impact is no longer a side hustle, it's a main stage act. Cleantech startups like EcoRatings are securing funding (Source: Inc42, "Cleantech Startup EcoRatings Bags Pre-Seed Funding To Help Firms Meet ESG Goals") to help businesses navigate this new reality. Read : https://lnkd.in/g83WKzmy But are we, in the construction industry, truly embracing change? India faces a plastic waste crisis, generating a staggering 3.3 million tonnes daily (Source: CPCB, 2023). Landfills overflow, and traditional methods are failing. Isn't it time we stopped clinging to outdated practices that pollute our environment? At Paving+ we believe recycled plastic is the future of construction! We transform unsegregated waste plastic into high-quality building materials, offering a solution with a positive impact. Know more about us : https://paving-plus.com/ Also, A 2022 survey revealed 78% of youth prioritize sustainability and are willing to invest in eco-friendly businesses. In other words.. Invest in sustainable businesses. Together, let's build a future where waste becomes a resource, not a burden. #SustainableConstruction #WasteManagement #MillennialInvestors #BuildingAGreenerFuture #PavingTheWay #Circularity P.S. Share your thoughts! Are we bold enough to revolutionize construction with recycled materials? What incentives could encourage wider adoption? Aaquib Hussain Anish Malpani Sameer Shisodia Sameer Joshi PhD♻️ Ashok juneja Ved Arya Swati G Tulika Jain ROHIT BAFNA Dinesh Babbar Ajinkya Dhariya

16

2 Comments

Excellent blog post on the realities of Climate & VC. While these are "tough times for the transition," there are also many opportunities. Significant capital will continue to flow, with Corporate VCs playing a larger role in financing this transition. Through this process, they will strengthen their LP positions in funds tackling climate challenges. I receive weekly calls from large Holding & Corporate VCs seeking introductions to Climate / Energy / Infra VC Funds. When I ask about their target sub-verticals within Climate / Energy, they often mention that they default to focusing on specific regions due to limited resources and coverage. In other words, rather than evaluating whether a DACH VC is better positioned for solar or grid-tech compared to a Nordic or US VC, they simply pursue whichever regions they can access—a haphazard approach at best. I always advise LPs to evaluate VCs within their operating market context. Since sourcing is crucial in venture capital, Holding Cos. and Family Offices should carefully assess a VC's location, regulatory context, and market environment before investing and building a portfolio of Funds. I've heard "I wish I had discovered this VC / region sooner" far too many times... * At ComposeVC's Built World Fund, we do not invest in Climatetech or Energytech directly, only as it relates to our Built World thesis.

8

Let's talk #AgTech, and more specifically: sustainable rice farming. 🌾 It's a staple crop for more than 1/2 the population. Yet traditional rice farming methods contribute significantly to methane emissions (it's nearly 30x as potent as carbon dioxide in warming the atmosphere). Water usage is significant too @ 20 million liters per hectare. NYC based Mitti Labs aims to slash methane emissions by 50% and cut water usage by 30%. As the second largest rice producer: #India is their primary market; a country facing imminent threats in water levels and methane. They plan to work with over 40,000 smallholder farmers by helping them adopt and implement sustainable farming techniques. With 10 more projects underway, they're expanding to Bangladesh, Thailand, and Vietnam by 2025. Working with local partners is a key part of their strategy. 💰 This is worth noting: Mitti Labs isn't just cutting environmental impact—they're boosting farmers' incomes up to 30% via carbon credit sales. The tech looks like this: 🌾 Mitti Labs buy high-res imagery using synthetic aperture radars from SAOCOM and Umbra, and fuse with satellite imagery to understand water level, soil moisture and plant growth, etc. 🌾 They also capture methane and nitrous oxide fluxes coming out in the field, using greenhouse gas chambers on the ground. This chamber data is processed by third party labs via a software model in order to calculate emissions. 🌾 On the carbon credit front: they worked with Cornell University, the International Rice Research Institute and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to test and experiment with satellite imagery, gas chamber data and advance measurement practices. Transforming traditional farming practices is a complex task. It will be interesting to see how effectively these solutions can be implemented & scaled. Mitti Labs initial round was co-led by Lightspeed and Voyager Ventures, and supported by Harvard Innovation Labs. #ClimateChange #ImpactInvesting #SustainableFarming Jagmeet Singh

11

🙌 Huge congrats to portfolio company Emidat for closing their $4M seed round, led by General Catalyst, with participation of BOOOM💥 , Auxxo Female Catalyst Fund, Übermorgen Ventures, and incredible angels. With NP-Hard Ventures we're proud to double down! 🌍 Construction and real estate amount for around 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Emidat has built a software platform for automating the generation of validated Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) certificates for this sector. Basically, they help the construction industry understand their environmental impact and support them in reducing it. 👩‍🚒 The speed of execution of this team is incredible. Lisa Oberaigner & Florian Fesch started Emidat a bit over a year ago, and already have 25 customers who have used or are using its platform for some 350 construction plans. Their database of materials contains information on over 150,000 construction products, spanning 13 product categories so far. But it’s just getting started. Thanks for having us on your journey! NP-Hard Ventures // Paul Veugen, Micha Hernandez van Leuffen // Melissa van den Brink - Romero More on TechCrunch: https://lnkd.in/ezctG2GU

122

7 Comments

Bleu Capital had 2 majors fundraises in its portfolio the last 3 weeks. 🔥 We're seeing early signals that our climate strategy is working. Both in the food industry, a nice little throwback to my previous role as a food operator. Indeed, the 2 companies that raised 25Me and 15Me are both in the food sector and both in climate! LA VIE™ 🐷 ☘ No need to introduce you to the fast-rising plant-based startup that makes turning vegan finally cool and without taste compromise. As I often tell Nicolas Schweitzer ⓥ🥓, its CEO, he has developed much more than a solid, fast-growing plant-based business in Europe, but a company with three major assets:  1 - A very inspiring brand 2 - An exceptional management team 3 - Great internal systems that offers total sales visibility and exceptional execution This fundraising will help La Vie to further accelerate in France and the rest of Europe, leveraging its efficient partnership with Sodebo, which allows the team to focus on the sales/marketing execution to continue to promote more plant-based consumption. More to come but definitely one of our favorite investments. HUBCYCLE: Turning food waste into tomorrow's Ingredients. ♻ When we invested in the company less than 18 months ago, the company was still figuring out a great GTM strategy and was missing an experienced execution team around Julien Lesage to deliver his brilliant vision to focus on B2B upcycling. Things have now dramatically evolved; the product fit was found, and a number of great managers came on board. The $100M sales target is achievable in the coming years with their newfound positioning, market understanding, business model and global presence. This new fundraise, with ETF Partners, RAISE Venture, Techmind and all historical investors, will give them all the necessary support to make Hubcycle a fast-growing, profitable company, the Graal! We are pleased to have several companies with promising trajectories in our concentrated portfolio, which currently supports 13 active investments. However, as you're all aware, the past 18 months have been challenging for venture investors, including us. We continue to focus on execution and are committed to assisting our portfolio in navigating these difficult times with boldness and support. Special thanks to Marc OIKNINE and @Julien-Jack RAGAZ of ALPHA CAPITAL PARTNERS UK. Thanks to all our great co investors in these 2 companies for their active supports. ZINTINUS Capagro SONAE Partech Oyster Bay Management GmbH Seventure Partners Anne-Valérie Bach Fabio Ziemssen daphni Citizen Capital SWEN Capital Partners Julien Lepleux Pierre-Eric Leibovici Stanislas Lot Remy de Tonnac Stéphane PESQUE Olivier Tilloy Olivier Mougenot Anatole Maizières Laurence CHAMBAUD

92

6 Comments

🌍💡 Embracing Interoperability: The Evolution of Carbon Markets 💡🌍 The landscape of carbon markets is rapidly evolving, with a significant shift towards fungibility and interoperability. What does this mean? We (at the SoHo Global Climate Fund) spoke with leading climate fund manager, Charles Bedford of Carbon Growth Partners, to shed light on this important trend in the carbon markets. It's about creating seamless connections between compliance and voluntary markets, allowing for the exchange and recognition of carbon credits across borders and sectors. This trend marks a pivotal moment in our collective efforts towards combating climate change. By enabling carbon credits to be fungible and interoperable, we're fostering a more efficient and scalable approach to carbon pricing and emissions reduction strategies. Companies and organizations now have greater flexibility to participate in markets that align with their goals. #CarbonMarkets #ClimateAction #Fungibility #Interoperability #Sustainability #Innovation #GlobalImpact

30