Steward, a Portland, Oregon-based funding platform working to accelerate the growth of regenerative farms and food producers, raised $8.8m in Series A funding.
The round was led by Neglected Climate Opportunities LLC, The Grantham Environmental Trust’s venture capital vehicle, Tripple, an Australian private investment firm, and Ponderosa Ventures, an impact firm backing seed-stage companies in the food, agriculture, and ocean sectors.
The funding, which also included other mission-aligned angels, high net-worth individuals, and investors, will allow the company to ramp up its staff, customer support, technology, and marketing. Along with their investments, Eric Smith, Bec Milgrom, and Evi Steyer will join the Steward Board of Directors.
Founded in 2017 by Daniel Miller, CEO, Steward partners with sustainably-run farms, ranches, fisheries, and food producers to access the capital they need to sustain and expand their businesses. Through its online lending platform, users can participate in secured, interest-bearing loans that accelerate growth of regenerative agriculture. To date, Steward has provided over $7m in farm loans to fund 50 agricultural projects, backed by more than 1,200 participating lenders.
FinSMEs
22/09/2021