Regenerative Agriculture

Avaana Capital is an India-based venture capital firm investing in climate and sustainability solutions across sectors such as energy, mobility, agriculture, and industrial systems. The firm backs early-stage founders building scalable technologies that address climate change while driving economic growth. Co-founded by Anjali Bansal, Avaana combines deep operational expertise with a strong network across government, corporates, and global investors. The firm focuses on enabling the transition to a low-carbon economy through innovation and technology.

The Catalyst Fund is a pre-seed VC fund and accelerator that invests $200K in early-stage startups and follows on at Seed and Series A rounds. As a thesis-driven investor, they focus exclusively on backing founders building climate adaptation and resilience solutions across Africa. The fund operates as both an investor and venture builder, with ex-founders and operators providing hands-on support spending 400+ hours with each startup to accelerate growth. Since 2015, they have accelerated 81 companies across 19 markets, connecting startups to their global network of 250+ investors and ecosystem partners. Their comprehensive approach includes tailored venture building support across key business areas including data, tech, sales, talent, product, fundraising, and growth.

The Common Fund for Commodities (CFC) is an autonomous intergovernmental financial institution established within the United Nations framework. Established in 1989 with its first project approved in 1991, the CFC provides impact finance to small and medium enterprises, cooperatives, and governments in the commodity sector across developing countries. The organization focuses on creating economic opportunities and unlocking potential in commodity value chains, with particular attention to least developed countries and vulnerable markets. With 101 Member States and 9 Institutional Members, the CFC operates through various mechanisms including direct project financing, technical assistance, and specialized funds like the ACT Fund for climate-resilient agricultural systems.

Conservation Resources is a leading alternative investment specialist focused on impact real assets, founded in 2004. The firm specializes in acquiring off-market timberland, farmland and downstream assets in North America, applying regenerative management and innovative deal sourcing to generate competitive returns and measurable environmental outcomes. Built with a vision that environmental and financial value are complementary and mutually accretive, Conservation Resources has been leading the way in natural capital investments that protect and restore the environment while seeking competitive financial returns for investors. The firm is registered as an investment adviser with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

EcoEnterprises Fund is an impact investment fund that has pioneered investing in nature-based solutions for over two decades. The fund uses tailored financial instruments including mezzanine equity and debt to drive growth in companies focused on natural climate solutions that preserve biodiversity while contributing to local economies in Latin America. Their investment portfolio spans regenerative agriculture, agroforestry, certified forestry, circular systems, blue economy, ecotourism, and emerging climate-tech opportunities. With a track record of generating $3.1 billion in sales, supporting over 150,000 smallholder farmers, benefiting 823,000+ local people, and protecting 24.9+ million acres, EcoEnterprises Fund demonstrates measurable impact. The fund emphasizes gender-inclusive and women-led companies, particularly those collaborating with Indigenous communities to boost incomes and create more equitable societies. As a certified B Corp and ImpactAssets 50 Emeritus Fund, they maintain high standards of social and environmental impact.

Finance Earth is a UK-based impact investment firm and FCA-regulated fund manager focused on unlocking private capital for conservation, climate solutions, and community development. The organization designs and manages innovative environmental finance vehicles that help scale projects delivering measurable benefits for nature, climate, and people. Founded on the belief that philanthropy and public funding alone cannot address global environmental challenges, Finance Earth develops blended finance structures that attract institutional, philanthropic, and private investors into high-impact environmental projects. The organization works across fund management, advisory services, and accelerator programs to create investment opportunities that support biodiversity restoration, sustainable land use, natural capital, climate resilience, and community prosperity. Through its specialist expertise in environmental markets and impact investing, Finance Earth helps governments, nonprofits, businesses, and investors build financing models that generate both environmental outcomes and sustainable financial returns.

Finnfund is Finland's development finance institution that invests in responsible and profitable companies in developing countries. The organization provides equity, mezzanine financing, and long-term loans to support sustainable business development. Finnfund focuses on solving major global challenges including poverty, inequality, climate change, and biodiversity loss through strategic investments in emerging markets. The fund operates across multiple sectors including forestry, agriculture, digital infrastructure, energy, and financial institutions, with a strong emphasis on impact measurement and sustainability assessment throughout their investment process.

INOKS Capital is an independent, alternative asset manager authorized by FINMA and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. Since 2006, the firm has provided secure and efficient financing for companies primarily in the Agriculture/Food sector through investment vehicles that apply their comprehensive impact framework. The company operates across emerging markets, targeting direct investments in agriculture, energy, and metals sectors with a focus on supporting tangible actors of the real economy. INOKS leverages a two-fold impact strategy combining Responsible Investing (ESG risk mitigation) and Impact Investing (positive impact generation) to channel capital to small and medium-sized companies that struggle to access traditional financing, particularly in emerging economies where they believe tomorrow's leaders will emerge.

Since 2010, Kuramo Capital Management has been a leading force in connecting global investors with Africa's dynamic markets. With strategic presence in Nairobi, Lagos, and New York, they deliver deep local insights and drive significant returns. The firm manages nearly $500 million under management and has catalyzed over $3 billion into high-growth businesses across sub-Saharan Africa, impacting over 3.5 million lives across 200+ companies in 30+ countries. Kuramo employs a results-oriented and data-centric ESG strategy that incorporates and oversees ESG factors throughout the investment life cycle. They focus on key sectors including Financial Services, Agriculture, Technology, and Power, using primary fund investments, direct and co-investments, and separately managed accounts to build sustainable prosperity across Africa.

Shell Foundation is a philanthropic foundation that enables millions of people in Africa and Asia to increase their incomes with clean energy solutions. The foundation focuses on three core people: smallholder farmers, transporters, and micro-entrepreneurs, working to impact their livelihoods through innovative partnerships and catalytic finance. The organization partners with public and private organizations to foster early-stage innovation and scale commercial clean energy solutions. Shell Foundation emphasizes its independence as key to delivering its mission and maintains strategic partnerships, including a unique partnership with the FCDO, to maximize impact across their target regions.

The UNICEF Venture Fund is UNICEF’s innovation investment vehicle that provides equity-free funding and support to early-stage frontier technology startups in emerging markets. The fund invests in open source solutions that have the potential to improve outcomes for children and young people globally. Focused on technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, climate technology, digital public infrastructure, data systems, and emerging technologies, the fund backs entrepreneurs building scalable solutions in countries where UNICEF operates. Beyond funding, portfolio companies receive mentorship, technical assistance, and access to UNICEF’s global network of partners, experts, and country offices. A core differentiator of the UNICEF Venture Fund is its commitment to open source technology and Digital Public Goods, ensuring that innovations can be adapted, reused, and scaled to benefit communities worldwide. Since launching, the fund has supported startups across Africa, Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and other emerging technology ecosystems.