The hook is baited, and private-equity and venture-capital fund managers are reeling in capital to finance next-generation fish-farming enterprises across the country and around the world. Several dedicated funds are targeting aquaculture investments specifically. At the same time, many broader venture capital and private-equity funds, focused on food and agriculture and even technology, are adding […]

MANA Nutrition delivers 500,000 packets of calorie-enriched peanut butter to malnutritioned children every day. Solidarium has equipped 25,000 artisans in Brazil to connect with buyers and corporate distributors. And Mosaic, the solar project financing platform, has raised a whopping $41 million. Those are some of the highlights of the new impact report from the Unreasonable Institute, a leading early-stage […]

Fish 2.0, the sustainable seafood business competition, is seeking judges and advisors to help identify the standout ventures that will present their business plans to investors and industry leaders at the final event at Stanford University in November. Judges and advisors, who must have five or more years of business or investment experience, get an […]

The idea of roasted, pulverized black soldier fly larvae may not make your mouth water. But farmed fish and other livestock are starting to feast on feed made from these fast-growing maggots, which means you’ll likely be eating more of them as well, at least indirectly. It gets even better: the black soldier fly larvae […]

The Economist’s World Ocean Summit last week in Cascais, Portugal highlighted ‘blue economy’ opportunities for jobs, economic growth and investments in healthy ocean and coastal environments. We’ve pulled together some of the thinking driving the conversation in Portugal: Marine Protected Areas: Smart Investments in Ocean Health. A healthy ocean is a natural economic engine and an asset to […]

Obvious Ventures closes $123 million fund for “world positive” companies.  Twitter co-founder Ev Williams’ new venture capital firm Obvious Ventures confirmed the close of its first impact investing fund. The fund raised $123,456,789 for what it calls “world positive” venture capital. “It’s the idea that world positive businesses have advantages in the market and can outperform their more traditional peers,” the firm states […]

For some early-stage ventures, a small loan at the right time is more valuable than a large investment (which may take months). In the third and final installment of The Real Deal: Getting Impact Investments Done, David Bank of ImpactAlpha hosted Joe Demin and Rachel Connors of Yellow Leaf Hammocks, a social enterprise that creates livelihoods and social justice […]

Ecotrust Forest Management has gone where most other sustainable timber funds fear to tread: the Pacific Northwest. The Portland-based investment manager has successfully closed a $52 million fund for the purchase and sustainable management of northwest forests with an approach it says can both benefit local communities and the environment and deliver market-rate returns for investors. The […]

Tracing seafood back to its source has turned out to be a maddeningly complex challenge, with conflicting technology, standards and even definitions. The lack of transparency has made it impossible to identify illegal and unreported fish and has made it difficult for sustainable suppliers from being able to charge premium prices. The Global Food Traceability […]

The F.B. Heron Foundation has a goal to mission-align 100 percent of its $300 million in assets by 2017. Two years out, Heron’s president, Clara Miller, and vice president, Toni Johnson shared some of what they’re learning in the process in “Mission-Aligned Investing: More Complex Than It Seems,” in the Stanford Social Innovation Review. The takeaway: Easier […]

The second episode of Impact Alpha’s three-part Real Deal webinar series, “Getting Impact Investments Done – Coming to Terms,” explored how investors and entrepreneurs can work together to create simple, efficient financing agreements that meet the needs and interests of both parties. Listen to the replay of the 30-minute show. Joining David Bank, editor of […]

When we last left Acelero Learning, the pioneering early childhood education provider was struggling to repay its early impact investors after the company’s Head Start programs generated impressive academic gains but modest returns. A year later, those investors are staying in and Acelero has $30,000 each month to spend on expanding its services for low-income […]