Argentine climatetech startup ReForest Latam, which uses drones to restore degraded ecosystems, has snagged an investment from Mercy Corps Ventures, the impact investing arm of global development organization Mercy Corps.
Based in Buenos Aires, ReForest creates biodegradable seed capsules containing native seeds, microorganisms, and biostimulants that are dispersed by drone in hard-to-reach landscapes. The composition helps seeds germinate and establish root systems in degraded soils where untreated seeds would typically fail to survive. The company uses artificial intelligence to select the optimal mix of native species for each restoration site.
It has partnered with The Nature Conservancy, Land Innovation Fund and other conservation groups on 14 projects in Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil. ReForest raised a $1 million pre-seed round last year led by iThink VC, AgriFood Tech, Antom.la, BP Soluciones Eléctricas Confiables and Amauta Inversiones Financieras.
“We are building the technology to make restoration viable at scale — not just for carbon markets, but for the communities whose livelihoods depend on healthy ecosystems,” said ReForest’s Damián Rivadeneira. Funding will help the company expand from pilot projects to larger multi-year restoration contracts.
Ecosystem restoration
Since launching in 2015, Mercy Corps Ventures has backed more than 60 early-stage companies and is raising its second fund, the $50 million Resilient Future Fund, to invest in climate-smart technologies, inclusive climate fintech and adaptive agriculture and food systems. The ReForest deal adds to Mercy Corps Ventures’ growing portfolio of Latin American climatetech startups.
Recent investments include Bio Natural Solutions, a Peruvian biotech firm developing crop protection products from agricultural waste, and Satellites on Fire, an Argentine wildfire detection startup that raised a $2.7 million seed round in April led by Dalus Capital and Draper Associates. (See, “Satellites on Fire lands $2.7 million to bring early wildfire detection tech to the US.”)
Beyond venture investing, Mercy Corps Ventures is also testing stablecoin-based humanitarian aid through its Venture Lab accelerator, piloting digital cash transfers for vulnerable women in rural Haiti.
