Seed 2 Growth (S2G) Ventures, an impact investing firm, launched a new fund to restore ocean health. Named S2G Oceans, the fund intends to address damage caused by climate change and improve ocean health.
More than 2 billion people around the world depend on seafood as their primary source of protein, according to Share America.
“Oceans are a natural extension of the food system,” Kate Danaher, Managing Director of S2G Oceans, tells FoodTank. She explains that marine ecosystems are integral to a healthy food system. Despite this, Danaher says that researchers only understand five percent of the ocean.
A goal of the new fund is to invest in companies that are trying to solve an array of problems that our oceans face including plastic pollution, carbon dioxide (CO2) absorption, unsustainable fishing practices, and poor ecosystem management.
These companies, which have yet to be identified, will use new data collection methods, plastic removal, aquaculture, and new seafood management techniques to address these issues.
Danaher says that the fund’s creation comes at an urgent time. “If we don’t want to live in a shell of this beautiful planet, we need to take action to save it,” Danaher tells FoodTank.
Danaher explains that S2G must monitor several factors to ensure each initiative is successful. In addition to determining how to measure the financial return of the investments, they also want to ensure that projects are scalable.
Another goal for the fund is to create others like it. Danaher says that many firms and organizations around the world see the need for funds like S2G Oceans, but don’t know how to get started. She hopes that S2G Oceans will lead the way for others interested in pursuing responsible investments in these sectors.
This is pushing S2G Oceans to consider a wide variety of investments that range from US$250,000 to US$10 million. They believe that investments of these sizes will distribute resources to more companies, help them grow, and in turn, attract other investors and funds with similar impact investment goals. Danaher hopes that this will increase the positive environmental and economic impacts that S2G Oceans hopes to create.
Danaher tells Food Tank, “We are excited to create a positive impact we can create while helping our investors with this new fund.”
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