What we are looking for
We back early-stage ventures that have proven potential to deliver shared prosperity and climate impact. We want new approaches, technologies, or business models that create livelihoods, new sources of income, or reduced costs — especially those that reach middle to lower income deciles.
Our current focus areas…
Livelihoods from land and ocean management
Land-use accounts for about 26% of emissions but receives 3% of climate finance. Ocean based solutions get 1% of climate finance but absorb 90% of human generated heat and around 30% of carbon emissions - if the ecosystem is healthy. We look for solutions that tackle these gaps and provide sources of livelihood or income.
Local benefits from renewables and electrification
Less than 5% of energy generation in the UK has any kind of community benefit. Yet the distributive nature of renewables provides an excellent opportunity for communities to benefit. The revoulution in energy technology also presents the opportunity for innovation to deliver wider benefits through new income or reduced costs.
What we are thinking about…
What does human + frugal AI look like?
There is a lot of excitement about replacing humans with machines. We are interested in how AI can be used as a tool to help people acheive what they could not before. Instead of power hungry models chasing frontiers we are interested in ‘frugal’ AI - solutions that deliver as efficiently as possible and with local benefits.
How can we be an “anti-enshittification” fund?
Energy is shifting from commodities we burn to technologies like solar, wind, batteries, and digital solutions. These can be distributed, connected, modular and therefore built, owned and run completely differently. It is also means they can succumb to ‘enshittification’ - the degradation of digital techologies as they prioritise profit over shared value. We look for solutions that ensure this does not happen.