Strategy

Verde Ventures provides debt and equity financing to businesses that benefit healthy ecosystems and human well-being, such as agroforestry, ecotourism, sustainable harvest of wild products and marine initiatives.

The fund’s investments enable these partners to advance the important role of small business in conservation and responsible development. They employ local people in jobs that give them and their communities a personal and economic stake in safeguarding their local natural resources.

Verde Ventures contributes to successful conservation outcomes through economic incentives and efficient, people-focused solutions. Underlying its success is a set of principles that reflect the specific challenges of small businesses, as well as the need to engage people and businesses at all levels to achieve conservation in effective and lasting ways:

• Conservation-based employment is essential to provide economic incentives for conservation.
• The small business sector is a key partner in the intersection between human well-being and conservation.
• Available and affordable capital ensures the viability of the sector and enables these partners to participate in and benefit from sustainable conservation efforts.
• Positive changes in the triple-bottom line results of enterprises will build lasting business that will deliver long term conservation and economic benefits.