The US and Canada celebrate their Thanksgivings in late fall. But harvest festivals have been celebrated by cultures throughout the world for millennia. Producing food is hard work, but also an act of faith. Despite all the technology advances and the efforts of a farmer, there is still no guarantee the seeds planted will grow, that the rain will come, but not too much rain. That the crops will outcompete pests and weeds. The animals will thrive. Every successful harvest is gift not to be taken for granted.
Future harvests may be more uncertain as we navigate the polycrisis of pollinator decline, soil degradation, climate change, and a changing water cycle. For us at The Nest, the harvest season is one of gratitude for abundance, but also of reciprocity. Our future yield will depend more than ever on what we grow, both in the soil and the food system, and how we care for that land that feeds us all. We are grateful for our portfolio, our foundation, and our peers who share in this purpose.
From the Farm
There is much to celebrate with the fall harvest at Domaine de Graux. The orchards had an abundant crop, including apples. Our high-stem,heirloom tree varieties include 54 different types of apples and many varieties of cherries, plums, and pears.
Eve’s recent post explains how our unique orchard serves as a living museum that preservesdiversity and provides shade for the Angus cattle as part of an agroecologicalsystem. The harvest will be used for sustainable gift boxes for the holiday season, filled with products from the land, juice to jams,nut flours and walnut oil. For more fall updates, learn how Astrid keeps our livestock warm and safe for the cold months ahead, and the seasonal challenges for Armand and Justine, the farm’s market gardeners.
Food as Medicine Foundation
After months of hard work behind the scenes, the website of the Food as Medicine Foundation has been launched, along with the first project call.
The Food As Medicine Foundation is dedicated to building a resilient, regenerative food system where everyone has access to nutritious food and understands the connection between soil health, nutrition, and human well-being. They promote healthy eating habits, reconnect people to the origins of their food, and highlight the essential role of farmers, nature, and sustainable practices. They believe that food is medicine, not only for the body, but also for the Earth. Regenerative farming restores ecosystems, strengthens soil, improves water cycles, and captures carbon, making every bite a bridge between personal well-being and planetary health. By advancing agroecology and holistic farming, they aim to nurture communities, regenerate the land, and create lasting impact for both people and the planet.
The Foundation organizes two project calls each year. The first, at the beginning of the year, targets organizations developing sustainable solutions for a healthy and regenerative food system for children and their families. The second, at the end of the year, is dedicated to changemakers – education professionals who initiate innovative projects within their schools.
Make sure to follow the Linkedin page of the Foundation or learn more about their vision in the video below
The Nest Insights
Research funded by The Nest and published this month in Nature analyzes the current landscape of individuals and organizations advocating for regenerative agriculture in Germany, the Netherlands, France, Spain, and Portugal. The findings provide context on how regenerative agriculture principles and practices are discussed and who is driving the conversation.
The Nest’s Justine Verstraeten & Johanna Delmelle attended Impact Europe in Malmö. Here are their five key takeaways that we will be exploring in future Journal posts:
- We may only have about 25 harvests left in our soils.
- The worldwide impact investing market has surpassed $1 trillion in investments under management in 2022 and is expected to keep growing.
- We need intentional collaboration.
- It is not only about a fast transition, but we also need a fair transition.
- Foundations have made significant strides in innovating their programmatic work, yet a major opportunity remains within their endowment assets. The key question is now these assets can be leveraged more intelligently and with greater impact.
It is not only about a fast transition, we also need a fair transition
In November, The Nest also posted impact stories on Unbreaking the Food System. The five-part series covers our mission from soil to shelf:
- Chapter 1 Where it all begins starts with the land, sharing a case study from Clear Frontier.
- Chapter 2 Knowing how to grow focuses on farmer education at Domaine de Graux and ColemBIO.
- Chapter 3 Fueling the transition looks at the role of finance and systems change with Walden Mutual and Steward.
- Chapter 4 The missing link explores market access with Farm for Good.
- Chapter 5 From soil to shelf completes the chain with a focus on valued retail relationships and Biotope Group.
A new team member at The Nest
In October, a new team member joined The Nest. Annelies Deleu has over 12 years of experience in branding, communication and PR and will take on the role as Communication Coordinator for The Nest Family Office, Domaine de Graux and the Food as Medicine Foundation. Being an avid (vegetable) gardener herself, Annelies has a great love for sustainable agriculture and tasty healthy food. We are so excited to have her as part of our Nest to tell the story of regenerative food system transformation.
Portfolio News
Ardo
The latest from Ardo includes a video, “Get inspired for the festive season with Ardo’s culinary solutions.”
Biotope Group
UDEA
In their weekly update, UDEA provides transparent information on the sourcing, quality, and seasonal availability of fruits and vegetables.
Färm
The latest post from Färm discusses the increasing adoption of flexitarian diets, eating mostly plant-based foods, without completely excluding meat or fish (French and Dutch).
Agricarbon
Agricarbon shared six highlights from COP30 in Belem and the future of soil carbon strategies. The team also started a webinar series with the first event, “The Business of Soil Carbon: Turning Uncertainty into Market Confidence,” held on 25 November.
Quick Organics
The Quick Organics continues to share success stories from their partners, including a first-ever correction-free organic systems plan submitted to Natural Food Certifiers. As the company grows their partnerships, COO Katrina Stanislaw reflects on milestones achieved and lessons learned.
Steward
Steward’s latest lending opportunity supports Green Acres Milling, a farmer-owned oat mill, with expand regenerative grain markets and local economies across the Midwest.
Portfolio Funds
AgFunder
The latest posts from AgFunder include:
- Signs of maturity for biostimulants as market hits $4.7bn: Analysis by DunhamTrimmer
- Why the ‘regenerative organic’ certification exists—and why the food system needs it, an interview with Jeff Tkach, CEO of Rodale
- Thanksgiving Waste: The $640M Kitchen Problem
Arborview Capital
Arborview shared their 2024 Impact Report with highlights for the year on becoming a certified B Corp and portfolio impact of 1.2 billion pounds avoided CO2 equivalent emissions and 26.6 gallons of water saved.
Arborview was selected to the ImpactAssets 50 2025, the ninth consecutive year they were named as an Emeritus Impact Manager.
Aqua-Spark
Aqua-Spark shared their Sustainable Blue Economy Finance Initiative Annual Report – 2024. The report highlights investments made in aquaculture farming operations and the sustainability rankings for each.
Astanor
Astanor led a $22.6 million Series A round for Tractor Junction. The round included $17 million in equity funding led by Astanor and $5.6 million in debt. The investment is the first India-based investment for Astanor. Omnivore returned for this investment round. Tractor Junction enables farmers to research, buy, sell, finance, and insure tractors and commercial vehicles. Tractor Junction is also part of AgFunder’s portfolio.
Biotope by VIB
The 8th edition of biotope by VIB’s basecamp starts soon. Participating startups include a wide range of innovations from biopesticides to carbon-negative materials and alternatives to persistent PFAS chemicals. Meet the cohort:
- Abydos Bioscience, cocoa butter re-invented
- B-Sense, portable biosensors for toxic heavy metals
- Bionomic, biological pesticides against (fungal) pathogens
- Bloomineral, carbon-negative minerals grown using algae and light
- Demeter Bio, alternatives to persistent UV boosters and PFAS
- EveryCarbon, sustainable materials for chemical and plastics manufacturers
- Lifebloom, photosynthetic bacteria turned into next-gen bioingredients
- Plant Shield Solutions, plant-based particles that stabilize emulsions
- SymbioMatch, customized biostimulants
- Trilliome, gut–brain benefits through precision bioactives
- W'Ice, sustainable antifreeze technology
- Yngvi Bio, protein-based crop protection
Blume Equity
Blume Equity and Morgan Stanley Investment Management’s (MSIM) 1GT co-led a $30 million funding round for Vyntelligence, one of UK’s fastest growing AI-powered companies. Learn why Blume partnered with Vynintelligence.
Blume Equity also led a $43m Series B fund to scale Overstory, an AI-driven wildfire prevention and grid resilience platform. Energy Impact Partners and existing investors also participated. Overstory currently serves six of the ten largest utilities across the Americas and has raised $69M to date.
Blume Equity’s latest posts also include: The New Supply Chain Playbook: Leading Through the Unknown
Buoyant Ventures
Buoyant Ventures’ latest “Insight Unlocking Hidden Power” addresses a growing issue of power-hungry AI data centers and their investment in Hammerhead AI, a solution for smarter use of available power. Buoyant Ventures led the $10M, oversubscribed seed round with participation from SE Ventures, AINA Climate AI Ventures, MCJ Collective, WovenEarth Ventures, Bombellii Ventures, Clearvision Ventures, Stepchange, Acclimate Ventures, and individual contributions.
Buoyant Ventures was also featured in ImpactAssets 2025 Impact Report: Meeting The Moment (page 6).
Omnivore
Omnivore’s funds were awarded a Platinum rating by BlueMark and are featured on the BlueMark Fund ID Leaderboard. The leaderboard lists funds that meet the highest standards of impact accountability.
Pymwymic
Pymwymic participated in an €7.5M funding round for Vivent biosignals, a real-time crop health monitoring platform that enables early detection of stressors from water stress and nutrient deficiencies to pests and diseases and precision input use. Agri Investment Fund, Horticoop, and Swiss private investors also invested in Vivent. Notably, Astanor was an early investor in Vivent, in 2020.
Pymwymic’s participated in an €18.6 million in Series A funding round for TRACT, an enterprise platform that helps agrifood businesses build smarter, more resilient supply chains. The round was led by ICOS Capital, with participation from Invest International, Future Food Fund, and returning investors Rabo Ventures and The Working Capital Fund.
Synthesis Capital
Synthesis latest insight “Planetary Boundaries and Agriculture: Novel Entities” is the second part of their series exploring the impacts of agriculture systems. Novel entities are new substances like plastics, chemicals, and engineered substances and life forms introduced into the environment that disrupt Earth’s systems.
Walden Mutual
Walden Mutual enables an organic dairy to stay in a family, expand production, and contract with Stonyfield Farm.
Walden Mutual shares how their nonprofit partners CitySeed, Farm Fresh Rhode Island, the Kearsarge Food Hub stepped up to address food insecurity amidst the US government shutdown and gaps in funding for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Food as Medicine Foundation
Farm for Good
Farm for Good met with the EUfarms consortium, a group of 300 farms and organizations from five countries. The gathering helps foster education and scaling agroecology.
Hatch Blue
Hatch Blue completed field work in South America, visiting over 20 farms in Chile and Brazil, as well as processing sites and research facilities for their latest Seaweed Insights study. Researcher Karlotta Rieve presented the preliminary findings at a pre-COP event and participated in workshops to prepare the COP30 agenda for seaweed topics. The team published early insights from the study with an article featuring TIDE, a Venezuelan company that evolved from smallholder production to become the largest tropical red seaweed farming operation in Latin America.
Opportunities
Ardo is hiring for 47 job openings, including IT Support Engineer, Group Project Engineer, and Category Director Fruit.
AgFunder’s portfolio opportunities include roles for scientists and engineers.
Edacious is hiring an Analytical Chemist.
Buoyant Ventures portfolio has 37 job openings including roles for data and software engineers.
Monarch Tractor is hiring a Staff Controls Engineer.
Omnivore’s portfolio lists 230 jobs including roles in engineering, product development, and sales.