Natural Capital Research Limited (Natcap) has announced that it has secured $10 million in an oversubscribed Series A funding round to scale its pioneering nature tech product.
This funding will help accelerate Natcap’s rapid growth supporting organisations to understand their nature-related risks and opportunities.
The company’s focus is to scale the delivery of high-quality nature data to the growing number of companies in scope for the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), the EU’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation, or those voluntarily reporting under the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) recommendations.
Natcap is one of the first nature and biodiversity intelligence companies globally to complete Series A financing in the nascent market.
Natcap has secured new funding from André Hoffmann, Norinchukin Capital, Yeo Ventures, and Pelican Ag. The round also includes investment from former CEO of Refinitiv David Craig, as well as follow-on investments from 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.
This is a notable endorsement of the positive work Natcap is doing and sets the stage for their trajectory as nature reporting becomes mandatory across the globe.
Pelican Ag founder partner, Christopher Ramsay, said, “We are thrilled to invest in Natcap and support the company’s work in the next generation of nature intelligence tools. Having gotten to know the team at Natcap, we are confident in their ability to lead the sector as nature reporting becomes more important than ever, particularly with respect to TNFD and CSRD. This investment sits perfectly in our growing portfolio as it addresses the ‘nature first’ mentality that is core to the Pelican Ag thesis, and our commitment to supporting innovation that promotes environmental stewardship. We look forward to supporting Natcap in their mission to bring nature to the forefront for companies across the globe.”
Natcap’s innovative platform brings together the world’s best science, data and technology, empowering companies to measure, report and act on nature-related risks and opportunities. The company was founded in 2018 by Professor Baroness Kathy Willis at the University of Oxford and others, and is on a mission to embed nature intelligence into business decision making.
Sebastian Leape, Chief Executive at NatCap, 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.”
The company has developed world leading technology to support 20+ organisations, including collaborating with Tesco’s Nature Programme, and a partnership with MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings. 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.
Nick Dixon-Clegg, a Partner at Oxford Science Enterprises, said, “Managing nature-related risks effectively is crucial for both companies and investors, and requires the development of new innovative nature-related technologies. This significant round of capital is a testament to both Natcap’s remarkable progress in this cutting-edge field and to the team behind it. We are thrilled to continue supporting the growth of their platform as part of our mission to scale the most promising technologies from the Oxford ecosystem.”