A lack of data: for 70% of investors, it’s the biggest barrier to making investments that support rather than degrade biodiversity. With our backing, as part of a £6.5m investment, NatureMetrics can expand its DNA bio-monitoring business into new sectors and geographies, and can help shift capital into protecting our natural world.
NatureMetrics has a revolutionary technique for rapidly increasing the availability of biodiversity data to investors. “Our technology can identify tiny fragments of DNA and pinpoint exactly which species it is from”, explains Dr Kat Bruce, the company founder and CTO. The surveys can detect a whole range of species, from bacteria to blue whales. And the science is the same, whether you’re surveying the Amazon, or pond-dipping in your local park.
The company already works with businesses and conservation groups, from surveying coral reefs in Mozambique to supporting environmental impact assessments for wind farms, hydropower and mines. Now it plans to move up the value chain and deliver nature data to ESG investors, consumer supply chains and governments. The investment will fund an expanded team to engage with global clients, spanning current sectors such as marine, mining and renewable energy, and new areas including natural carbon storage and agriculture.
“We’re losing nature at a rapid rate, but we’ve not had the ability to measure nature at scale, to enable businesses to set targets and measure their progress”, said SYSTEMIQ partner Irena Spazzapan. “NatureMetrics can replace nets and binoculars with scalable, comprehensive monitoring technology, allowing business to understand and manage their impact on nature.”
SYSTEMIQ and NatureMetrics recently announced their shared BIOSTREAM project with Dendra Systems, and are looking at further collaborations as part of our regenerative land and ocean work. With Partnership for Forests, SYSTEMIQ partners with more than 150 companies to protect over 2 million hectares around the tropical belt and have mobilised around £250 million into sustainable land use and forestry. SYSTEMIQ also works closely with the Blended Finance Taskforce and others on innovative solutions for ecosystem protection and payment for nature services
The Series A Investment round was led by Acuity Investments, and investors include the Green Angel Syndicate as well as SYSTEMIQ.
