Hey friends,
I hope you’re having a strong start to September.
This week’s podcast episode is a special one — a deep dive into climate VC strategy, regenerative economics, and what it really means to fund “exponential solutions for nature.”
I sat down with Matthew Stotts, Co-Founder & Partner at Cerulean Ventures, a pre-seed firm backing radical thinkers building AI-driven solutions for planetary health. This conversation reshaped how I think about climate finance and the next wave of nature-based innovation.
Plus — the news section is stacked this week: from biochar in emerging markets to sustainable plastics, energy grid upgrades, a new stablecoin funding round, and some powerful corporate collabs around economic equity. As always, thanks for being part of the Causeartist community.
Let’s dive in.
— Grant
Podcast Interview
In episode 90 of the Investing in Impact podcast, I sat down with Matthew to dive into his journey, Cerulean’s unique investment lens, and the transformative startups reshaping everything from agriculture to renewable energy.
Matthew shared several examples of startups in the Cerulean portfolio that embody this vision:
- EarthBank – A vertically integrated platform restoring degraded lands and coastlines through biodiverse reforestation. By making nature an investable asset, EarthBank is helping create long-term value for both communities and ecosystems.
- Meridia – Providing land titling and mapping services to smallholder farmers in the tropics. With accurate data and secure land rights, farmers gain assets and generational wealth, while global buyers gain supply chain transparency.
- Abeyya – Connecting cacao farmers in West Africa directly with markets through mobile technology, cutting out opaque middlemen and ensuring fairer prices at scale.
- Asoba – A decentralized energy company building demand-response and micro-grid solutions across Southern Africa. By digitizing energy usage and generation, they’re helping leapfrog outdated infrastructure and enable renewable adoption.
The full Cerulean portfolio list can be found here.
These companies illustrate Cerulean’s thesis: meeting people where they are with advanced, yet accessible, technology that scales globally while improving livelihoods locally.
Featured Content - Case Study: Toms Shoes
Toms Shoes, founded in 2006 and headquartered in Los Angeles, California, is a for-profit social enterprise known for its pioneering One-for-One mission – donating one product for each product sold.
The company’s core offerings include casual footwear (notably the alpargata canvas slip-on), as well as eyewear, coffee, and apparel, all tied to charitable causes.
Toms experienced rapid early growth and global recognition by marrying commerce with philanthropy: within its first year it sold 10,000 pairs of shoes and gave away 10,000 pairs to children in need.
Over the next decade, Toms scaled into a $300–400 million business with products sold in 500+ retail locations worldwide.
By 2019, the company had donated nearly 95 million pairs of shoes in 70 countries.
However, Toms’ journey also illustrates the challenges of sustaining momentum in a competitive, evolving market.
After its initial success, growth plateaued and debt mounted, culminating in a 2019 debt restructuring in which creditors took control of the company and founder Blake Mycoskie relinquished ownership.
In response, Toms pivoted its giving strategy – moving from a strict one-for-one donation model to pledging one-third of profits to a charitable fund addressing a broader range of issues.
New management refocused the brand on product innovation (e.g. sneaker-style footwear) and on younger consumers (Gen Z), aiming to rejuvenate sales and relevance.
The brands story offers key lessons in balancing purpose with profit, adapting to consumer trends, and the importance of responsible financing.
Causeartist
📰 News & Funding
Xampla Raises $14M to Replace 10B+ Single-Use Plastics
Funding: $14 million
Goal: Scale production of plant-based materials to replace microplastics in packaging
Impact: Eliminating over 10 billion single-use plastic items with sustainable alternatives
WasteLink Raises $3M to Upcycle Food Waste into Animal Feed
Funding: $3 million
Goal: Expand operations converting food surplus into livestock feed
Impact: Reducing methane emissions from waste and creating a circular food economy in India
Terraton Raises $11.5M for Biochar Carbon Removal
Funding: $11.5 million
Goal: Scale biochar production in emerging markets
Impact: Remove carbon permanently from the atmosphere while improving soil health for farmers
Rain Raises $58M Series B to Advance Enterprise Stablecoins
Funding: $58 million (Series B)
Goal: Become the enterprise-grade stablecoin platform for global corporations
Impact: Modernize cross-border payments, payroll, and treasury operations through stablecoins
Splight Raises $12.4M to Reduce Energy Grid Congestion
Funding: $12.4 million
Goal: Optimize energy flow and reduce congestion in the power grid
Impact: Accelerate integration of clean energy sources into national and regional utility networks
Finnfund Closes €80M Digital Access Impact Fund
Funding: €80 million (first close)
Goal: Invest in digital infrastructure to increase connectivity in underserved markets
Impact: Bridge the digital divide across Africa, Asia, and Latin America with gender-lens investing
Grant Trahant
Founder | Causeartist + Causeartist BackOffice
Host | Disruptors for Good + Investing in Impact
Venture Partner | Pay it Forward Ventures
Connect: LinkedIn | X
