Providing sustainable economic opportunities must be at the core of successful conservation strategies.
CI Ventures is an investment fund that provides loans to small- and medium-sized enterprises that operate in the forests, oceans and grasslands where Conservation International works. Whether in sustainable agriculture or forestry, ecotourism or wild fisheries, these businesses share one thing in common: a commitment to practices that benefit ecosystems and human well-being.
Our plan
Fill the financing gap
Many conservation-conscious enterprises describe challenges in raising risk-tolerant capital and securing technical and other resources needed to demonstrate performance and meet investor expectations. CI Ventures provides capital and other resources to enhance “investment readiness” and enable larger additional investment.
Focus on impact first
Designed to leverage scarce public and philanthropic resources, CI Ventures’ investments will emphasize projects that have the potential for greatest impact in critical landscapes and seascapes in Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Kenya, South Africa, Indonesia and the Philippines. CI Ventures uses proprietary impact screening and monitoring and evaluation tools that assess impact throughout the investment lifecycle.
Our Portfolio
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Tamoa
Building an equitable food system that supports biodiversity, ecosystems, and culture
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SharkSafe Barriers
An eco-friendly alternative to lethal shark control measures
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Rainforest Expeditions
Ecotourism in the Heart of the Amazon
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SIMPLi
Transforming Our Food System
© SIMPLi -
INVERSA Leathers
Creating high-quality leather from invasive lionfish and reviving critical marine ecosystems across the Caribbean
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Café Capitán
Improving the livelihood of small producers through sustainable production of high-quality coffee
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Bureo
Collecting end-of-life fishing nets for marine protection, social benefit, and sustainable apparel.
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Nambu
Circular economy based on insect protein for a more sustainable food system
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SEADLING
Transforming sustainably farmed seaweed into high quality, nutrition-rich products
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Sway
Harnessing the power of seaweed to reduce plastic pollution
© Sway -
UCIRI
Expanding social justice and cultural empowerment through organic agriculture in Oaxaca
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Imlak'esh Organics
Partnering with local communities and Indigenous farmers to source regeneratively grown and wildly harvested products
© Imlak'esh Organics -
JALA
Using tech to improve shrimp-pond water quality
© Courtesy of JALA -
Thrive Compost
Fertilizing soils, restoring riverways and creating jobs in South Africa
© Creative Commons -
Blue Ocean Gear Inc.
Enabling fishers to track and monitor gear to protect marine ecosystems and biodiversity
© Adam Pardee -
SmartFish
Sustainable seafood commercialization in Mexico
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FlyWire Cameras
Fisher-first electronic monitoring at scale
© FlyWire Cameras -
Coast4C
Building back vibrant blue economies after a devastating typhoon through regenerative seaweed farming.
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Feedvax
Improved disease management for Brazilian tilapia
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BSF Breeding
Black Soldier Fly and Neonates
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Thrive Natural Care
Jobs for local communities, better soil – and healthier skin
© Thrive Natural Care -
Vuma Biofuels
Replacing firewood as fuel in Kenya and East Africa
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Horizon Business Ventures
Essential oils helping to conserve the Kaburu forest in Kenya
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SafetyNet Technologies LTD
A bright idea for reducing fish bycatch
© Courtesy of SafetyNet Technologies, Ltd. -
Victory Farms
Low-carbon, sustainable protein for East Africa
© Victory Farms -
Meat Naturally Pty
Empowering sustainable farming and rangeland rejuvenation in Africa
© Trond Larsen -
COOPBAM
Financing coffee farmers to help conserve forests in Peru
© Conservation International Photo by Ana Yi -
CorpoCampo
Green jobs for post-conflict Colombia
© Courtesy of CorpoCampo -
Komaza
Solving Africa’s wood crisis
© Erica Flemming
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OUR GOALS
Investments to date
- 34 deals executed
- 30 enterprises supported
- US$ 12.5 million invested by Conservation International
- US$ 86 million mobilized finance (co-financing and follow-on investments)
- US$ 30 million of near-term eligible pipeline
- US$ 19 million capital raised to date
IMPACT-FIRST INVESTING SETS US APART
CI Ventures Impact Report 2023
The CI Ventures team is pleased to present its 2023 Impact Report. In these past years, we have achieved notable milestones including investing US$ 15 million in impactful businesses, mobilizing US$ 160 million in follow-on and co-investments, and meeting two of our 10-year goals ahead of schedule.
As we reflect on the past year’s accomplishments and challenges, one theme stands out: the power of partnerships in amplifying our impact and propelling us toward a future where we can collectively have an even greater influence. We invite you to read the report and be part of our journey
Read our full report here
full-time jobs
livelihoods improved
of the portfolio has women founders or in C-suite
protected, conserved or restored
OUR IMPACT-FIRST MODEL
How CI Ventures financing works
CI Ventures’ capital supports enterprises that will generate profit, which helps to pay off the loans — returning principal and interest to the fund that can be used to make future investments. Over time, this revolving fund will grow and have additional capital to continuously reinvest in conservation efforts.
Typical investment: US$ 200,000-500,000
Typical investment duration: Up to 5 years
Types of investments
CI Ventures invests in startup and growth-stage enterprises seeking financing to support:
- Investment readiness: Targeted, relatively short-term interventions and investment to improve readiness to mobilize larger follow-on financing (e.g., improved financial control systems, export and/or market certification, third-party audit of impacts)
- Growth Capital: Investments in companies with mature business models that seek capital to expand or restructure operations or enter new markets (e.g, working capital lines, capital expenditures)
- Novel approaches: Innovative technologies, proof-of-concept and market-based approaches that disrupt or replace existing unsustainable production models
Eligibility
To be eligible for financing from CI Ventures, enterprises must demonstrate:
- A viable business model
- Potential for significant, measurable environmental and social impacts (e.g., biodiversity conservation, restoration of natural resources, jobs created, etc.)
- Potential to unlock future additional investment at scale
- Strong management capacity
- Alignment with Conservation International’s mission and values
African Conservancies Fund
In 2020, Conservation International launched the African Conservancies Fund as a rescue package for the critically important Maasai Mara landscape in Kenya. When the pandemic impacted the tourism industry, the loss of revenues created a devastating threat to biodiversity and people as pristine wilderness was at risk of being sold or farmed. CI Ventures' US$ 500,000 investment into the Fund leveraged $1.5 million in impact capital from partners; to date, $2 million has been disbursed to four conservancies across the Mara to support the ecosystem and its people through an economic crisis.
After demonstrating success with this pilot, CI Ventures aims to expand the model across Africa and invest $50 million in additional conservancies over five years to achieve the following impact by 2030:
- 1 million community members living near wildlife derive benefits from wildlife conservation
- Populations of indicator species within Conservation International priority areas are stable or increasing
- Ecosystems covering 2 million hectares within Conservation International priority areas benefit from increased biodiversity
- 1 million tons of CO2e/year (carbon dioxide equivalent) in climate co-benefits from rangeland restoration activities implemented by conservancies
In the news
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CI Ventures Named Small Asset Manager of the Year
by Environmental Finance
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Loan puts Victory on target for 60,000 tonnes of...
by The Fish Site
© Courtesy of Victory Farms -
Seaweed-Based Sway Is A Way For Single-Use...
by Forbes
© Sway -
Kenya’s Imperiled Wildlife Conservancies Receive...
by Afar
© Rod Mast -
CI Ventures Named Small Asset Manager of the Year...
by Environmental Finance
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Komaza Wins Environmental Finance Impact Award
Komaza named Impact Investment of the Year in the Biodiversity and Ecosystems category
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SafetyNet Wins Environmental Finance Impact Award
SafetyNet Technologies named Impact Investment of the Year in the Oceans and Coastal Zones category
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Fast Company
This environmental nonprofit just started a venture fund to put $200 million into conservation businesses
© Courtesy of JALA
Older Impact Reports
CI Ventures Impact Report 2022
In its first five years, CI Ventures has been able to deliver a successful portfolio of more than US$ 12 million, with companies mobilizing seven times that funding in additional capital. The fund has produced its first impact report, highlighting the progress toward our goals.
