A New Wave of Tech is Helping Businesses Protect Biodiversity
Darwin, a pioneering tech company committed to tackling the global biodiversity crisis, has secured €1.5 million in funding. This exciting development comes from Astérion, a leading venture capital firm, alongside a group of climate-focused angel investors. Adding to the team’s expertise is Walid Chergui, formerly a Senior Engineer at Algolia, who joins Darwin as CTO.
This influx of capital will fuel Darwin’s mission to empower businesses in safeguarding biodiversity. Their innovative approach leverages a scientifically robust methodology aligned with leading international standards like SBTN (Science-Based Targets for Nature) and the TNFD (Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures).
Darwin goes beyond traditional approaches by providing a comprehensive toolkit for assessing both the impact a company has on nature and its reliance on ecosystem services. “At Darwin, we are convinced that the private sector has a crucial role to play in resolving the biodiversity crisis,” says Aurore Falque-Pierrotin, CEO and co-founder of Darwin. “This funding will allow us to accelerate the development of our product, designed to provide consultants and other software platforms with the necessary tools to enable companies to take action. Our indirect approach allows us to collaborate with established ESG players, meeting the growing needs for productivity and accuracy in this emerging market.”
In practice, Darwin evaluates the biodiversity footprint of companies by measuring how their activities contribute to the five primary drivers of biodiversity loss, as identified by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). Dependencies on nature are analyzed based on a company’s exposure to ecosystem services, providing a holistic view of its relationship with the natural world.
The increasing workload and the complexities of analyzing vast datasets have underscored the need for sophisticated algorithms. Darwin’s solutions provide the tools needed to navigate this challenging landscape, supporting businesses at every stage of developing a comprehensive biodiversity and nature strategy.
This encompasses everything from data collection and processing to impact and risk assessment, construction of action plans, and detailed reporting.
Marine Reygrobellet, Partner at Astérion, emphasizes Darwin’s transformative potential: “We chose to invest in Darwin because we strongly believe in their ability to transform the biodiversity sector. They provide a unique solution to overcome the challenges of managing the massive, complex, and heterogeneous data that hinders action on biodiversity. Through intelligent automation and robust infrastructure, Darwin goes beyond traditional approaches and facilitates impact analysis, paving the way for more effective biodiversity strategies.”
With the injection of funding, Darwin plans to rapidly expand its Tech and R&D team by recruiting top talent in development, data science, and ecology. This team will focus on enhancing Darwin’s data model, refining its algorithms, and ensuring the accuracy and efficiency of its solutions.
The rollout of their product across France and Europe is a key priority, leveraging their existing network of consultants and software platforms to maximize reach and impact. Crucially, Darwin is committed to developing new functionalities essential for safeguarding biodiversity, solidifying its position as a leader in this rapidly evolving field.
What role does technology play in Darwin’s approach to helping businesses protect biodiversity?
## A New Wave of Tech is Helping Businesses Protect Biodiversity
**Interviewer:** Welcome back to the show. Today we’re talking about the intersection of technology and conservation, and how businesses are being empowered to protect biodiversity. Joining us is Aurore Falque-Pierrotin, CEO and co-founder of Darwin, a tech company tackling this critical issue. Aurore, welcome to the show.
**Aurore Falque-Pierrotin:** Thank you for having me.
**Interviewer:** Firstly, congratulations on securing €1.5 million in funding. What does this mean for Darwin and its mission?
**Aurore Falque-Pierrotin:** We are thrilled about this new funding round. It will enable us to accelerate the development of our product and bring our vision of empowering businesses to safeguard biodiversity to life. This funding comes from Astérion, a leading venture capital firm, and a group of climate-focused angel investors, showcasing the growing recognition of the importance of biodiversity.
**Interviewer:** Can you elaborate on how Darwin is helping businesses protect biodiversity?
**Aurore Falque-Pierrotin:** We provide a comprehensive toolkit for companies to assess their impact on nature and their reliance on ecosystem services. Our approach goes beyond traditional methods by utilizing a scientifically robust methodology aligned with global standards like SBTN and TNFD.
**Interviewer:** Can you give us some specifics about your methodology?
**Aurore Falque-Pierrotin:** Absolutely! We evaluate a company’s biodiversity footprint by measuring how its activities contribute to the five primary drivers of biodiversity loss as identified by the IPBES. We also analyze their dependencies on nature, helping them understand how their operations rely on healthy ecosystems.
**Interviewer:** This is a complex challenge for businesses to grapple with. How does Darwin make this process more accessible and actionable?
**Aurore Falque-Pierrotin:** We believe that collaboration is key. Our indirect approach allows us to partner with established ESG players and software platforms. Our goal is to provide them with the necessary tools to guide their clients, the businesses, towards taking concrete action to protect biodiversity.
**Interviewer:** It sounds like Darwin is playing a crucial role in bridging the gap between conservation science and business practice.
**Aurore Falque-Pierrotin:** We firmly believe that the private sector has a crucial role to play in resolving the biodiversity crisis. We are confident that our work will empower businesses to become agents of positive change for the planet.
**Interviewer:** Thank you for sharing your insights, Aurore. We wish you and Darwin all the best in your important mission.
