The First Thirty

It's fantastic to see increased interest and investment from various VC firms in the field of NatureTech. Thanks to Ollie Potter for featuring Antony Yousefian in this deep dive edition from The NatureTech Memos #venture #vc #nature #naturetech #sustainableinvestment #impactinvestment

Most of the Earth's biodiversity is found in our soils.... but soil biodiversity is declining. The good news is that the loss is reversible! What we can do to protect #SoilBiodiversity & our planet 👇 via FAO

"𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭". This statement is from a compelling new report highlighting the significant economic and environmental returns of investing in natural capital to achieve the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. 👍 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐬: The study suggests a required investment of $7.4 trillion in nature-related SDG targets could yield an economic return of $152 trillion—about $20 for every dollar invested. 🥗 🍃𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬: • Avoidance of 4.5 million premature deaths annually. • Prevention of over 27 million hectares of deforestation. • Reduction of natural resource extraction by nearly 18 billion tonnes. • Restoration of 250 million hectares of agricultural land. • Expansion of protected areas both on land and in marine environments. 🌐 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭: The focus was on 40 countries, representing 80% of global GDP, population, and emissions, highlighting the universal benefits of such investments. 🚨𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬:  • Ecosystem protection and restoration are top priorities, with the potential to close 34% of the natural capital gap.  • Addressing air pollution and resource consumption could yield significant benefits, especially in major economies like the USA, India, and China. 🌍 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: Sub-Saharan African countries, particularly, stand to gain from investments in water, sanitation, and land restoration. 📣𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: The report urges an end to harmful subsidies, increased protected areas, and the adoption of nature-based solutions. It emphasises shifting beyond GDP to measure accurate holistic returns, aligning with global frameworks like the COP15 Biodiversity Plan. Investing in nature goes beyond mere benefits—it's essential for sustainable development and a prosperous future. By prioritising our planet's health, we ensure environmental integrity and long-term economic & social well-being. https://lnkd.in/ez5DQG-M #SustainableInvesting #ImpactInvesting #ESGInvesting #GreenFinance #NaturalCapital #SDGs #Naturetech #ConservationFinance #Biodiversity #Naturebasedsolutions

What are 9 top investors excited about in NatureTech? 💸 🌴 We huddled up with some of the best to find out. They revealed the technologies they think startups should be working on next. And the solutions they're looking to back. Special thanks to: Xavier Lorphelin - Serena Heidi Lindvall - Pale blue dot Lena Thiede - Planet A Ventures George Darrah - Systemiq Capital Edward Thorne - Sand River Piotr Bukanski - Beringea Antony Yousefian - The First Thirty Iván Markman LAURA ORTIZ MONTEMAYOR - Regenera Ventures Want the full scoop when we publish in two weeks? Drop me a note!

This is a better way to view SDGs. Without the biosphere you can forget everything else in society and economy. #sdg #naturetech #impactinvesting

“I was definitely blown away by the energy and the stories from the entrepreneurs and the farmers. You can really feel like we are early in this but that it’s inevitable and it’s only gonna go in one direction. But it’s clear we need more money coming into this space; we need more entrepreneurs with a bit between their teeth, building and innovating.” said Saumeel Pachigar A great summary and write up of Groundswell from ag & food industry thought leader Louisa Burwood-Taylor https://lnkd.in/evJJkrgM

What an amazing week at Groundswell! There was so much energy, passion, and positivity focused on restoring and regenerating nature. Regenerative agriculture and food systems are at the center of this change, and it is the people who will drive it. We are confident that many of those who attended Groundswell last week will be involved. It was great to see many of the partners and friends of TFT there. If you couldn't make it this year, make sure you reserve 2-3rd July 2025 now. See you next year Groundswell 2025

📢 Exciting News for Nature and the Economy!🌳🌊 Yesterday the European Parliament officially adopted the Nature Restoration Law! This landmark legislation aims to restore 20% of the EU’s land and sea areas by 2030, and all ecosystems in need by 2050. 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬: - 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬: Restoration of forests, wetlands, rivers, marine habitats, and urban green spaces. A special focus on reversing pollinator decline and enhancing green urban areas. -𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬: Every €1 invested in nature restoration can yield €4 to €38 in benefits, boosting agriculture, tourism, and other industries. -𝐄𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭: Healthier ecosystems can mitigate floods, droughts, and fires, improving overall climate resilience. 𝐀𝐝𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 The final text includes an “emergency brake” to suspend targets affecting agriculture under exceptional circumstances that threaten food security, addressing concerns from the farming sector. 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐬 At The First Thirty, we are committed to investing in nature, this aligns with this new law’s goals, we hope now to see an acceleration on action within private sector too. #NatureRestoration #Sustainability #GreenEconomy #EU #EnvironmentalImpact

📢 Introducing this year's Entrepreneurs-In-Residence (EIRs)!    Our EIRs are an important part of the Biodiversity Accelerator+ - with extensive experience building strong businesses themselves, they provide an avenue for the cohort companies they are paired with to bounce off ideas, compare notes between different coaches and meetings, and hone in on their strategic direction.    In 2024 we are fortunate to be joined by:    🐞 Katrina Too: Katrina is the Resident Go-To-Market Coach at 500 Global, where she has worked with over 850 startups. She previously led marketing and sales enablement efforts at B2B software companies such as HubSpot, TradeGecko is now QuickBooks Commerce (acquired by Intuit), Scantrust, and Saleswhale, a 6sense company 🪼 Gerald Tock: Gerald is the operator-investor founder of venture builder, Kommunity Ventures. Since successfully exiting his startup, which was acquired by ASX-listed iCandy Interactive Limited (ASX:ICI), he now supports fast-growing, impactful technology companies across Southeast Asia on their commercialization and financing lifecycles, from strategy through to execution. Gerald is also a returning EIR, having advised Nika.eco and Guardians of Earth as part of the 2023 cohort. 🦆 Steve O'Connor Steve is a founder of pia Ventures and leads a startup advisory / consultancy with a focus on agritech Better Urban Farms. With over 26 years of focused experience in the aerospace, defence, and marine industries under his belt, he understands both the challenges and opportunities in venture building from the perspectives of engineer, product developer, operations / commercial execution as well as risk sharing as an investor. 🪨 Antony Yousefian: Antony is a Partner at The First Thirty, and brings over 17 years of experience in the financial and technology sectors, including as co-founder of several early stage companies developing data-driven solutions to turn extractive supply chains into regenerative ones.    Stay tuned - we have four more EIR profiles to share soon! 

Looking forward to HackSummit tomorrow, with the emphasis on #naturetech this year. Also joining the stage on the first day alongside Adrian Ferrero , Toby Parkes, Keely Anson Sadia Nowshin Discussing the link between “healthy soils and healthy planet”. Keen to meet those innovating to unlock the value of nature on the economy.