Nature Positive Solutions Accelerator
AboutTweaking business practices such as procurement decisions is not addressing the impact of business on nature at the speed and scale required to meet 2030 nature targets. Transitioning to nature positive aligned business models can accelerate the action needed while addressing companies’ risks and enabling new economic opportunities. New CISL report Better Business: Re-thinking Business Models for Nature Positive Outcomes highlights the need for businesses to undergo a fundamental transition to nature positive aligned business models, aligning with nature-positive principles rather than focusing solely on incremental environmental improvements. Published in October 2024, the report is the first in a series exploring how these business model shifts can be operationalised and scaled as part of the EU-funded A-Track project. Read the reportRead the business briefing | Who’s it for?Through this programme, we aim to identify, support, and scale startups with business models that exemplify or enable nature-positive outcomes, restoring and protecting nature through their operations. With a history of accelerating over 500 sustainability-led startups in areas like net zero and circular economy, Canopy is uniquely positioned to foster impactful collaborations across industries, finance, and government. We are eager to explore partnerships that can enhance the accelerator’s reach and unlock transformative solutions, aligned with the European Green Deal and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Let us know if you want to be notified when applications open. |
Coming soon in 2025
Coming Soon. This initiative will empower startups working towards nature-positive solutions, providing them with the resources, mentorship, and partnerships needed to scale their impact. The accelerator will also serve as a practical testing ground for the nature-positive business model archetypes developed in CISL’s groundbreaking study, "Better business: Re-thinking business models for nature positive outcomes".
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The Delivery Team
Jie Zhou
Jie Zhou is a circular economy expert with over 15 years of experience driving sustainability through a systems-thinking approach. At the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), she co-founded The Canopy, an incubator and innovation hub, and leads initiatives like SME decarbonization toolkits and global accelerator programs. Jie also heads the Sino-UK Centre for Sustainability Innovation, fostering collaboration between the UK and China. A DE&I advocate and recipient of the University of Cambridge Vice-Chancellor’s Social Impact Award, she advises institutions globally and champions sustainable innovation across cultures and industries.
Viola Jardon
Viola is currently working as a Senior Programme Manager with CISL Canopy where she has worked with more than 150 early-stage start-ups with sustainability innovations. Her expertise and experience are in business innovation, go-to-market strategy and sustainability storytelling for the creative industry, tech industry, and the built environment. She is a business mentor for Tech Nation, Digital Catapult, Plug & Play, MSDUK and L Marks Corporate Accelerators and a business advisor for a few tech businesses. Before joining CISL, she was part of the founding team establishing the London Fashion Fund, which supported start-ups and entrepreneurs to address innovation and sustainability in the fashion industry.
Sam Laakkonen
Senior Programme Director of the Canopy & Accelerator Team at CISL, Sam started his career as a management consultant in the City of London. He was headhunted to his first startup, FirstMark Communications Europe, which raised one of the largest Series A rounds in European history, over $1 billion. He has since been an early employee at Spotify, privately invested in 25+ startups, had 3 further exits from his own companies, helped 250+ startups accelerate growth, and works as an expert for the European Commission to distribute EIC equity and grant funding. Sam has been active in the Techstars ecosystem for a number of years, having been an Entrepreneur-In-Residence for Techstars Amsterdam, and a Lead Mentor on a number of programmes including Techstars Lisbon, Techstars Korea, Techstars Boulder and Techstars Energy in Oslo.
James Cole
James Cole brings over 15 years of expertise at the intersection of business, sustainability, and innovation. As a senior leader at CISL, he oversees business policy and finance initiatives, empowering leaders and institutions to drive systemic sustainability. In 2022, he founded The Canopy, CISL’s Cambridge-based incubator for impact-driven startups and innovators. Previously, James worked at Friends of the Earth, launched a digital media startup, developed Vodafone UK partnerships, and implemented sustainable agriculture projects in Peru. He also serves as a trustee for The Partnering Initiative and PECT, with academic credentials in Rural Estate Management and Leadership for Sustainable Development.
Zoë Loughlin
Zoë manages the Canopy, CISL’s Cambridge workspace and global community for impact-driven startups, small businesses and entrepreneurs. Zoë has over 10 years experience working in sustainability across the public and third sector and in the innovation ecosystem. She has specialised knowledge on waste reduction, recycling and sustainable food systems, previously working at Sustain (the Alliance for Better Food and Farming), the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Waste Partnership, WasteWatch, Glopolis, and Green Alliance. Zoë also cofounded a social enterprise focused on food waste reduction and held voluntary positions as Hub leader at Cambridge FoodCycle and on the Board for Cambridge Sustainable Food. Zoë joined CISL in 2016 as part of the Marketing, Communications and Corporate Relations team, working across programme marketing, external communications, publications, Network development, and the Unilever Young Entrepreneur Awards, before moving to her current position in 2022. Zoë has a BA in Geography from the University of Leeds, and a certificate in Business Sustainability Management from the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership.