Beyond Investing

29/05/2026

We’re pleased to share that Claire Smith, Founder & CIO of Beyond Impact VC, will be serving on the jury panel at Re:Invest in Nature during EU Green Week in Brussels on 3 June 2026.

The event brings together startups, SMEs, investors, and policymakers focused on scaling solutions across the nature economy, from ecosystem regeneration and nature intelligence to innovative financial models linked to natural capital.

Claire will participate in the jury for Nature-Positive Production Systems, focused on solutions regenerating ecosystems through food, materials, and commodities production.

As interest in nature-positive investing continues to accelerate, events like this play an important role in connecting innovation, policy, and finance to support scalable impact.

We look forward to the conversations and the entrepreneurs presenting their solutions.

26/05/2026

ICYMI: Beyond Impact x UMITO Partners Inc.

We’re excited to be partnering with UMITO Partners Inc. to help mobilise capital for the blue economy and support a more resilient ocean.

This strategic collaboration brings together European, Japanese, and Asia-Pacific ecosystems to accelerate the development and scaling of ocean innovation, combining advanced technologies with industrial and implementation capabilities.

Together, we aim to drive investment into solutions that strengthen ocean health while unlocking sustainable economic growth.

🌊 Read the full press release here: https://umitopartners.com/en/2026/04/beyondimpact-partnership/

25/05/2026

The US Vegan Climate ETF (VEGN) had a standout month in April 2026, outperforming the S&P 500 consistently and decisively throughout the entire month. 📈

A hypothetical $100 invested in VEGN at the start of April grew to $118.10 by April 30, compared to $110.49 for the S&P 500. That's more than 7.5 percentage points of outperformance in a single month.

Unlike the broader year-to-date story, April showed no periods of weakness for VEGN relative to the market. From day one of the month, VEGN pulled ahead and never looked back, steadily widening the gap against the S&P 500 through month-end.

VEGN's differentiated screening methodology, excluding fossil fuels, animal exploitation, and other ESG concerns, continues to provide investors with exposure to high-growth segments of the U.S. equity market while staying aligned with vegan and climate-conscious investment principles.
April was a clear demonstration of what principled investing can look like when the market rewards companies built for the future. 🌎

Please see www.veganetf.com for important disclosures and standardized performance information.

22/05/2026

"What will be primarily an economic problem for some will be an existential one for others.” - Susannah Savage

Food security is often framed as a question of production.

In reality, it is deeply a question of energy and inputs.

Every part of the food system depends on energy:
→ Diesel powers machinery, transport, and logistics
→ Electricity supports processing, storage, and cold chains

And beneath that sits fertiliser.

Modern agriculture relies on nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, with nitrogen fertilisers produced from natural gas and phosphorus processing tied to oil and gas systems.

This creates a structural vulnerability.

When energy markets shift, food systems follow.

For some regions, that translates into higher prices.
For others, it becomes a question of access and stability.

At Beyond Impact, we see this as a clear signal for transformation.

The future of food will depend on reducing reliance on:
→ Fossil-based inputs
→ Linear supply chains
→ Resource-intensive production systems

Accelerating solutions that are more resilient, localised, and circular by design.

https://heyor.ca/V6r3VU

20/05/2026

Great to see Beyond Impact portfolio company Geltor at in-cosmetics Global in Paris.

The team debuted HumaColl™21 Select, the first Type XXI collagen-based matrikine peptide complex, designed to unlock enhanced biological signaling and performance in next-generation beauty formulations.

Alongside this, Geltor showcased new data on Elastapure®, highlighting elastin’s role in follicle longevity and the hair growth cycle.

As innovation in biodesigned, animal-free ingredients continues to accelerate, platforms like Geltor’s are helping redefine what’s possible across beauty and personal care.

15/05/2026

Encouraging progress from Swedish Algae Factory, which has secured more than SEK 18 million in new financing as it moves toward commercial scale and profitability.

The company cultivates microscopic algae and uses their shells as a bio-based ingredient for applications including skincare, helping replace less sustainable chemical inputs with high-performance biological materials.

At Beyond Impact, we are excited to support technologies like this that sit at the intersection of biotechnology, materials innovation, and sustainability.

Commercialising deep tech is rarely a straight line. Building production capacity, proving reliability at scale, and securing supply chain confidence all take time. It is encouraging to see the team now progressing with more than 50 projects underway with larger customers and their materials already appearing in around 80 launched products.

Congratulations to Sofie Allert and the Swedish Algae Factory team on this important milestone.

14/05/2026

From seedless bananas to cellular agriculture: where is the future of food heading?

In this talk, Sagar Tandon, Partner at Beyond Impact VC, explores how cellular agriculture and precision fermentation represent the next step in how humanity produces food, building on centuries of biological innovation.

He shares why:
→ These technologies can deliver cleaner, more resilient and humane food systems
→ Supply chain fragility is accelerating corporate interest
→ Achieving price parity is critical for mainstream adoption
→ Early success will come from high-value applications before scaling to mass markets
→ New financing models are needed to support the transition

As the sector evolves, the opportunity lies in moving from breakthrough science to scalable, commercially viable solutions.

🎥 Watch the full talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=525er_14gGI

Sagar Tandon, From Seedless Bananas to Cell agriculture. Innovating...

12/05/2026

Following the successful launch of NASA’s Artemis II mission, it’s exciting to see Beyond Impact portfolio company Emulate, Inc. playing a role in this next chapter of space exploration.

Through the AVATAR project, each astronaut is carrying a personalised bone marrow Organ-Chip, enabling researchers to study how deep-space radiation impacts human biology in real time.

Emulate is the pioneer of Organ-on-a-Chip technology, enabling researchers to replicate human tissue function and disease biology using next-generation in vitro models. Its platforms are already supporting leading pharmaceutical, biotech, and academic teams to generate human-relevant data, reduce reliance on animal testing, and accelerate the development of safer, more effective therapies.

This mission highlights how these technologies are extending beyond Earth, helping unlock safer, longer human space travel while advancing the future of human health research.

Image Credits: Wyss Institute at Harvard University

08/05/2026

We're proud to share that Claire Smith, CEO of Beyond Investing, has been nominated for the Investment Week Women in Investment Awards 2026! 👏

Now in its 10th anniversary year, this award celebrates women who are shaping the future of investment, and Claire is doing exactly that. As the architect of both the US Vegan Climate Index and the Europe Vegan Climate Index, Claire has created pioneering tools that screen out animal exploitation and fossil fuels from major market benchmarks, and these continue to grow in reach and relevance.

This nomination reflects not just her personal excellence, but the growing recognition that values-driven investing belongs at the forefront of our industry.

Congratulations, Claire!

Investment Week is pleased to announce the nominations for the Women in Investment Awards 2026 as we celebrate their 10th anniversary, in association with Amundi Investment Solutions.

07/05/2026

Innovation at the intersection of biotechnology and materials continues to accelerate.

Beyond Impact portfolio company Geltor has announced the launch of HumaColl™21 Select, the first Type XXI collagen-based matrikine complex for topical beauty applications.

Building on the success of its earlier platform, this next-generation ingredient unlocks targeted biological signaling pathways to support skin health, representing a step forward in precision-designed, functional proteins.

As demand grows for high-performance, sustainable, and animal-free ingredients, advances like this highlight the expanding role of biodesign and fermentation technologies across beauty, food, and materials.

At Beyond Impact, we see these platforms as core to the transition toward scalable, science-driven alternatives that can outperform traditional, animal-derived inputs.

Congratulations to the Geltor team on this latest milestone.

06/05/2026

A notable policy development from the Netherlands, with the European Commission approving €615.7 million in state aid to support a reduction in dairy farming intensity.

The scheme will enable farmers to voluntarily reduce herd sizes, contributing to lower greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions, while supporting a transition toward less intensive agricultural models.

This is an important signal of how policy can align climate, environmental protection, and agricultural transition, while also providing financial support to farmers navigating change.

Alongside broader measures promoting more plant-rich diets, this reflects a growing recognition that food systems must evolve to meet climate and biodiversity goals.

At Beyond Impact, we see these developments as part of a wider shift toward more sustainable, efficient, and resilient food systems.