The GuidePost: June 2023
HowGood's CEO speaks at the UN's forum on Forests, Vence featured in the WSJ, Trailhead Capital receives B-Corp Certification, and more
While it’s hard to believe we’re halfway through 2023, our portfolio companies have kept us busy.
HowGood’s CEO, Alexander Gillett, spoke on a panel at the United Nations’ forum on Forests in May to elaborate on the essential role of the private sector in helping with the UN’s goal of protecting 3% of forests by 2030. The fact of the matter, Gillett explained, is that in order for us to achieve our 1.5 degree goal, we need to take action now. While regenerative agriculture and agri-forestry are major players in climate change, Gillett emphasized the need for commitment from industry and government, and we couldn’t agree more.
Additionally, major congratulations are in order for Vence on its in-depth recent feature in The Wall Street Journal. Seeing their virtual fencing technology in action on farms across the U.S. emphasizes the hard work the team at Vence has put in up until this point and where they’re going next.
On the Trailhead front, we’re beyond excited to announce that we recently received B-Corp Certification! B-Corp Certification aims to, “[measure] a company’s entire social and environmental impact,” through analysis of, “verified performance, accountability, and transparency on factors from employee benefits and charitable giving to supply chain practices and input materials.” We are humbled by this recognition and will continue to work hard to make an impact on the planet and all of us who live here.
General Updates
CamoAg (formerly Tillable)
Farm Real Estate Platform for Farmers and Landowners.
Clean Crop Technologies
Breakthrough solutions for crop loss and food safety.
Funga
Harnessing forest fungal networks to address the climate crisis.
BBC: Costing the Earth - Save the Microbes! (Podcast)
Carbon Technology Research Foundation: Interview with Dr. Colin Averill, Founder of Funga and CTRF’s Advisory Board member
HowGood
The world’s largest product sustainability database.
Food Dive: Despite dire warnings in climate report, HowGood sees promise in food production
UN Web TV: UN Forum on Forests (HowGood CEO Alexander Gillett speaks at the 2h 35m mark)
New Hope: New Food Order: Cultivating a regenerative paradigm
Bloomberg Law: The US Should Follow the EU and Standardize Green Product Labels
LandTrust
The recreation access network.
Hunting Life: Nebraska Landowners List 260,000 Acres on Land-Sharing Marketplace
KTVQ: Montana startup becoming the Airbnb of outdoor recreation
Bis-Man INC!: Mr. Wonderful Sees Big Things in North Dakota
Ranching Reboot: Bridging the Gap Between People and Nature with Nic De Castro (Podcast)
Local Line
E-commerce for the local food system.
The Modern Acre: Commerce for Regional Food Systems with Cole Jones, CEO and Founder of Local Line (Podcast)
Provision Analytics
A single platform to capture and analyze all food safety and quality data.
AgInfo: Adding Value to Produce
SWARM Engineering
Supply chain optimization platform improving food quality and freshness, while reducing waste and environmental damage.
Press Release: SWARM Engineering Announces AgriFood Virtual Advisor (AVA), Powered by OpenAI and Microsoft Azure
Trace Genomics
Whole genome sequencing of the soil microbiome.
Business Insider: More than 25% of biodiversity is under our feet — but we're destroying it. A biotech startup that's raised $56 million has a plan to help save our soil.
Vence
Virtual fencing and autonomous animal control.
Wall Street Journal: Virtual Fences for Cattle Find a Home on the Range
White Leaf Provisions
Family food company with products sourced from regeneratively farmed and certified biodynamic ingredients.
Q2 ICM Partner Coffee - June 7, 2023
Trailhead Capital is excited to partner with Impact Capital Managers on the Q2 Partner Impact Breakfast in Boulder. This gathering will provide local ICM members a chance to catch up and learn about what all of them are working on.
Regenerative Food Systems Investment (RSFI) Forum - Sept. 26-27, 2023 - Denver, CO
The RSFI Forum is one of the largest events within the regenerative food and agriculture space, attracting investors, entrepreneurs and everyone in between. Focused on “how” the regenerative food systems works, this year’s RSFI Forum aims to tackle the most pressing questions facing investment in regenerative agriculture and food. Trailhead Capital is proud to be working with RSFI for the third year in a row to produce the forum.
AgFunder News: Bringing regenerative agriculture to Africa: Kenyan farmers are enthusiastic but need better packaged info – new report
Bloomberg Businessweek: Making Regenerative Agriculture More Accessible (Podcast)
Canary Media: Cattle are a huge climate threat. Smarter ranching can help
Climate Tech VC: Who are the climate tech VCs? (Including a mention of Trailhead Capital)
Food Tank: Without Farmers at the Center, Regenerative Agriculture Will Be a Slogan Not a Solution
Grand View Research: Regenerative Agriculture Market to be Worth $2,900.2 Million by 2030
The Guardian: ‘A wake-up call’: total weight of wild mammals less than 10% of humanity’s
The Hill: Putting regenerative solutions in the Farm Bill would benefit us all
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: Urgent climate action can secure a liveable future for all
Politico: The junk-food executive working on regenerative farming
Reuters: There’s gold in them hills: why money is flowing into nature tech
World Economic Forum: Explainer: Carbon insetting vs offsetting
Discover opportunities across our network of transformational companies, including:
Farm Loan Advisor - Mad Capital. Help finance and transition 10M acres of regenerative and organic farmland in the next 10 years by providing farmers with mission-aligned and useful financial products.
Landowner Success Manager - LandTrust. Help find new landowners with high quality land and ensure they are successful on the LandTrust platform.
Product Marketing Manager - Funga. Help translate complex science and technology into meaningful business outcomes, by creating compelling and differentiated product narratives.