The First Thirty

Food is essential to life - but how often do we think about it? This month, we ran a full event about AgriFoodTech in collaboration with our partners at Innovate UK. With food being the foundation of society, we addressed the challenges of continually scaling food production while also working towards reaching net-zero by 2050. There were many great talks from our amazing speakers: 📈 Harry Langford who introduced the current market for AgriFoodTech (hint: it’s booming with new companies joining the sector every year!) 🌽 Antony Yousefian who gave a deep dive on how AgriFoodTech is affecting every part of our food supply chain - from our soil to the stock at our grocery stores. 💹 Alastair Cooper who opened a conversation on how we can make more capital available to allow Agri-Food tech companies to scale up. We’re running 7 more of these events in 2025 so if you’re an investor and missed this one, stay in the loop! 👥 Check out Innovate UK’s Investor LinkedIn Group to hear about the next one: https://lnkd.in/dGjnEYWE 📧 And also Climate Connection’s newsletter for other events surrounding London’s climate space: https://lnkd.in/dBTbrKbA Thank you to all the investors who attended and contributed their perspectives on how we can drive capital into AgriFoodTech. And a HUGE thank you to Sarah Tennison, Dr Stafford Lloyd, Joanna Gosling and Kienan Bruemmer. These events would not be possible without you! #investors #london #agritech

We are thrilled to open up applications for participation for the Regenerative Food Systems Investment Europe Forum Pitch Session! Open call to high impact companies working to advance the connections between planetary and human health. There are 3 categories for application 1. Ecosystem Health and Regeneration
 2. Intelligent Supply Chains
 3. Nutrition and Health Optimisation
 This year we want to give more time to elevate innovation in this important space, so there will be an online webinar with the finalists from each category. The winner from each category and an audience choice will get the opportunity to pitch on stage at RFSI in front of 300+ investor centric audience in Brussels, 26th & 27th February 2025. To apply or learn more here: https://lnkd.in/dZ5c-eFS Feel free to reach out to any of the TFT or RFSI team for more information. #agritech #agtech #foodasmedicine #foodashealthcare #foodtech #healthtech #regenag #regenfood

We recommend more than saving the date. Register and see you there!

The search for the winners of The Earthshot Prize 2025 has begun and The First Thirty is proud to be an Official Nominator. The Earthshot Prize is a global prize and impact platform designed to find and grow solutions that will repair our planet in this decade. As an Official Nominator, we are part of a global community invited to submit nominations, selected for our ability to identify the most impactful solutions across all sectors worldwide. The Earthshot Prize will consider solutions that will make tangible progress towards one of the five Earthshots. We naturally focus on Protect and Restore Nature prize submissions, with 3 areas of interest.... i) Protecting areas of high biodiversity such as forests, wetlands, peatlands and wildlife corridors ii) Restoring damaged ecosystems iii) Feeding people while protecting nature (our favourite!) They should be beyond the idea stage, have tested their solution in-field or with target audiences, and are at a ‘tipping point’ for scaling their impact within the next five years. If you have a solution that is inspiring, inclusive and impactful, please get in touch with either myself or any of the team, Naeem Lakhani Saumeel Pachigar or Amy Godfrey for further discussion. Or, if you know anyone who should apply, please do share or tag them below! #nature #investinginnature #naturetech #earthshot #oneplanet #planetaryboundaries #sustainability #impactinvesting You can find out more about the Prize, our role as an Official Nominator, and the process of selecting winners at www.earthshotprize.org.

Today marks the one month countdown before I hang up my stethoscope, at least for now, and leave the NHS. This is not a decision I have made lightly, I ultimately became a doctor to understand and cure sickness, helping people in the process. But I can't ignore the reality - chronic disease is plaguing our societies, workplaces and homes. People are taking more medications, undergoing more operations and yet are sicker, more infertile, less productive and unhappier than ever. Something isn't working. What we need is not more money poured into an NHS buckling under the strain, we need more focus on the sources of the issue and preventative healthcare so the NHS can function as intended. There is no denying that the modern food system has a considerable part to play in directly causing chronic diseases, many of which are underpinned by metabolic dysfunction, and contributing to the climate and biodiversity crises. Our health is a reflection of our planet's health. It is here that I have decided to focus my attention and career because I truly believe, as a doctor, that how we grow and produce our food is the biggest opportunity of our lifetimes to transform our health and the health of the planet. I am therefore thrilled to be joining the team at The First Thirty, who share my ambition to transform an incrementally changin system - investing in and supporting companies that will be the disruptors and game changers of the future, changing the modern food system to save our planet and ultimately, ourselves.

Conservation agriculture improves soil health and sustains crop yields even in warming conditions. In the face of climate change, adopting conservation agriculture (CA) is more crucial than ever. A recent study in Nature Communications reveals that CA practices—minimal soil disturbance, crop rotation, and permanent soil cover—not only enhance soil health by 21% but also help maintain crop yields even under long-term warming. By focusing on soil health, CA provides a resilient alternative to conventional farming, which often leads to degradation and productivity loss over time. This is why at TFT, we’re investing in healthy soils. It’s a powerful, sustainable path forward for agriculture, food security, and our climate. #SustainableAgriculture #ConservationAgriculture #ClimateResilience #SoilHealth #FoodSecurity https://lnkd.in/ek83frBS

🌍 Investing In Our Plate Panel Takeaways:  What if the future of food is already here and we just need to adopt it? Full house Tuesday night at Institut français du Royaume-Uni where we gathered thought leaders across food, finance, and agriculture to explore how we can transform our #FoodSystems. Replay here ➡️ https://lnkd.in/evJWQfr3 Some of the brilliant insights shared by our expert panel: 🔬 "Volume isn't the answer." – Katherine Nathan of RATCHET kicked off with a critical observation: creating more food doesn’t mean creating healthier populations. The key is understanding where our food comes from and how it impacts our planet. 🌱 "Healthy soil equals healthy people." – Antony Yousefian of The First Thirty emphasised that the connection between soil health and human health is undeniable. The science is clear: when we regenerate our soil, we get better yields, better nutrition, and ultimately, better human health. And the technology to do this exists today—we just need to scale it. 🚜 "Regenerative farming is about more than practices." – Liz Genever emphasised the importance of holistic farm management, including biodiversity, soil health, water quality, and community engagement. She discussed the challenges farmers face in transitioning to regenerative practices and the need for tailored support and regional solutions.  💰 "Financing the transition is key." – Charlotte Ward of Unilever highlighted the role of large corporations in driving sustainable change through investment and collaboration across the supply chain, starting with farmers. She also stressed the importance of consumer communication to drive demand for sustainably produced products. 👨🍳 "Technology for the food industry is here—but underutilised." – Benoit J. of Company of Cooks shared the challenges chefs face with disrupted supply chains and called for more live, tech-enabled connections to track ingredient availability and reduce waste. Camelia Ram of EDHEC Business School's Foresight, Innovation and Transformation Chair, gave us a glimpse into future scenarios for wellbeing and nutrition in 2034 and the Chair's upcoming event: https://lnkd.in/edxTubZB 💬 Are we ready to adopt the solutions that already exist? A huge thank you to our speakers and attendees for making this event a success! "Make an Impact for Good" is EDHEC Alumni UK’s #sustainability programme created by Estelle Levacher and supported by the French Embassy in the United Kingdom. Stay tuned for more events focused on building a sustainable future. Patrick Nédellec Damien Vialle Nicolas Ivan Estelle Levacher Audrey Haverkamp Clemence Bethencourt Simon Duchatelet Thomas DORTEL Karin Kollenz-Quétard René Rohrbeck Alix La Cotte Nina de Man Majda Helkoudia Judi Tseng Caroline BANQUET Margot Doye Caroline de Longvilliers Erwan Rouxel #SustainableFinance #FoodInnovation #RegenerativeAgriculture #SoilHealth #EDHECAlumni #proudlyEDHEC

Watch this from James Rebanks and Allen Williams, the best part is at the end. I love the quote from the botanist after James only found 30 species of plants in the riparian buffer fenced off area vs 200 on his farm Botanist said: “It’s not re-wilding; its abandonment” The point is that we need competition, just like in our economy. We can re-manage our landscapes to work with nature and food, too. It is not as simple as returning the land to the wild. Humans created the problem, but we can accelerate the regeneration too. Thanks to Carbon Cowboys for this video #naturepositive #rewilding #biodiversity #farming #food #regenerativeag #regenag

Is the tech needed to reshape the food system already here? How can regenerative agriculture, sustainable finance, and culinary innovation work together to tackle the dual challenges of food security and climate change? All topics we love to go deep on... We are excited and delighted to participate in a panel discussion next week at the INVESTING IN OUR PLATE: SOLUTIONS FOR THE FUTURE OF FOOD event, which is part of EDHEC Business School Alumni UK’s "Make an Impact for Good" sustainability programme, created by Estelle Levacher and supported by the French Embassy in the United Kingdom. Chaired by Katherine Nathan, CEO of RATCHET, presenter & writer of the Great Taste Podcast and featuring insights from the panel: Antony Yousefian, Partner The First Thirty Liz Genever, Independent sheep and beef consultant Charlotte Ward, Head of Financing & Operations, Climate and Nature Fund Unilever Benoit J. Head Chef at Company of Cooks We’ll also hear from Camelia Ram of EDHEC Business School's Foresight, Innovation and Transformation Chair, who will give us a sneak peek into their scenarios for the wellbeing and nutrition ecosystem in 2034. https://bit.ly/4dUgmEc — More information and how to register here. #makeanimpactforgood #impact #foodishealth #sustainablefood #sustainability #futureoffood #foodsystems #foodandagriculture #regenag #regenerativeag

We are excited for this! If you're interested in getting involved, apply below. But most importantly, share with someone who could really benefit from this.