Nature and biodiversity intelligence company Natural Capital Research (Natcap) announced today it has raised $10 million in a Series A funding round, with proceeds to be used to scale its technology aimed at helping companies to quantify and embed nature-related risks and opportunities into business strategy.
Spun out of Oxford University, Natcap was founded in 2018 by Professor Baroness Kathy Willis. Natcap’s platform guides businesses through measuring, reporting and acting on nature-related risks, dependencies, and opportunities in companies’ operations, products, and supply chains to help build resilient nature strategies.
The company said that it is focused on scaling the delivery of high-quality nature data to the growing number of companies in scope new regulations such as the EU’s CSRD, and SFDR, as well as those reporting voluntarily under the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) recommendations.
Natcap CEO Sebastian Leape said:
“It has been truly exciting to see the level of investor interest in our company, particularly in a less-than-optimal fundraising environment globally. We see our investors’ support as a further endorsement of the market need for what we offer: a simple, straightforward solution for companies grappling with nature risks and reporting needs under CSRD and TNFD. We look forward to scaling our offering, allowing more organisations to integrate nature into their decision-making, and accelerating the world’s transition to a nature-positive future.”
Investors in the new funding round included André Hoffmann, Norinchukin Capital, Yeo Ventures, Pelican Ag and former Refinitiv CEO David Craig. Previous investors also joined the round including Oxford Science Enterprises, funds advised by MW&L Capital Partners, and Alea Iacta Est, all of which participated in the company’s £2.5 million seed round in early 2023.
Natcap was recently selected as one of just four UK tech companies to receive government support from the UK-APAC Tech Growth Programme for expansion into the Japanese market.
André Hoffmann, Vice-Chairman, Roche Holding AG said:
“As an investor deeply committed to sustainability and environmental stewardship, I am thrilled to support Natcap. Their innovative and science-based approach to assessing nature risk and opportunity represents a pivotal step forward in our efforts to embed nature into how businesses make decisions. Through my role as a senior advisor to the Taskforce for Nature Related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) I have witnessed firsthand the gap that Natcap fills: helping businesses to measure nature risk and opportunity at scale. I look forward to working with the Natcap team to help them achieve their ambitious goals.”