Space4Good is successfully progressing its mission to use space technology for social and environmental good. New investment will enable expansion of rainforest protection with the delivery of its data-driven insights into Southeast Asia, Latin America and Africa. The company – a technical partner of SBIC Noordwijk – has closed a funding round led by Arches Capital to accelerate its mission of protecting 50 million hectares of tropical rainforest at scale with satellite-based analytics and predictive artificial intelligence (AI).
View the related blog on the Space4Good website
Commitment to sustainable forestry
The investment by Arches Capital, Empower Impact and Indigo Ventures represents a strong commitment to the growing market for sustainable forestry and climate intelligence and will enable Space4Good to focus on three areas. The company will scale its forest intelligence platform Forester, bringing highly accurate deforestation insights to tropical regions across Southeast Asia, Latin America and Africa. Both the team and its operations will be expanded to meet growing international demand for verifiable environmental data. Space4Good will also leverage customer insights to continuously enhance and diversify its product suite.
The investing groups believe in Space4Good’s team, its innovative proposition, and its potential for global environmental and social impact at scale.
Space4Good initially met Arches Capital via the Space Investor Event – click for report >>
Innovative tech with potential for societal impact
Space4Good has been providing local impact leaders with operational insights to support data-driven ecosystem management since 2017. In 2024, with support from the European Space Agency and the Netherlands Space Office, Space4Good launched Forester.
This subscription-based platform supports forestry companies and conservation organisations in their fight against illegal deforestation. Designed to support those on the frontlines, it enables targeted, proactive action by providing near-real-time alerts, deforestation risk predictions, and streamlined reporting for compliance and enforcement.
Since trained forest guards began using the platform, gaining data insights from multiple satellite systems, there has been a significant reduction in illegal deforestation rates, while also lowering associated security and surveillance costs. Forester is being piloted by forest managers in Indonesia and Brazil and is currently protecting over 350,000 hectares of tropical rainforest. Clients report a 60 per cent drop in deforestation rates and 80 per cent lower monitoring costs by integrating accurate, satellite-driven monitoring, thereby reducing their sole reliance on labour-intensive field audits.
“This investment marks a milestone for Space4Good as it enables us to leverage 8 years of project experience into scalable and more impactful products”
alexander gunkel, space4good ceo
Providing actionable environmental insights
The investors explained further about supporting this initiative. “We see in Space4Good a rare combination of deep technical expertise and genuine drive to improve natural ecosystems,” says Diederik Stolk, partner at Arches Capital. “Their ability to transform satellite data into actionable intelligence has the potential to redefine how organisations and stewards monitor and protect natural ecosystems globally.”
From Indigo Ventures, Rutger van Zuidam first met Space4Good via a Dutch hackathon and he introduced the team to Willie Smits. “The AI platform Forester is already preventing forest fires and illegal deforestation at scale. Their collaboration with rainforest engineer Willie Smits and partners in Indonesia shows an inspiring ability to co-create with clients and local stakeholders,” comments Rutger.
“This investment marks a major milestone for Space4Good as it enables us to leverage 8 years of project experience into scalable and therefore more impactful products,” said Alexander Gunkel, CEO of Space4Good. “With backing from Arches Capital, Empower Impact and Indigo Ventures, we can make Forester more powerful and accessible, thereby empowering more and more businesses and communities to safeguard their forests and their people.”
As several ecological tipping points approach and our planetary boundaries are exceeded, the importance of protecting and regenerating our natural ecosystems is more pressing than ever. Space4Good aims to be at the forefront of this global mission by providing actionable environmental insights everywhere, anytime.
This news was issued in a press release; details available on the Space4Good website.
NOTES FOR EDITORS
About Arches Capital
Arches Capital is is a collective of angel investors in the Netherlands focusing on Benelux business-to-business software companies. arches.capital
About Empower Impact
Empower Impact invests in business-to-business and software-as-a-service solutions that build around sustainability and impact. empowerimpact.nl
About Indigo Ventures
Indigo Ventures is an independent investor initiative led by Rutger van Zuidam, founder of DutchChain and Odyssey, that backs purpose-driven technology ventures. linkedin.com/in/rutgervz
About Space4Good
Space4Good is a social enterprise utilising earth observation technology for social and environmental impact. space4good.com
About Forester
Forester is Space4Good’s forest intelligence platform helping forestry companies and conservation organisations detect deforestation early, predict risks, and have automatic reporting for compliance and enforcement. space4good.com/forester
Media contacts
Elke Sauter (primary), elke@space4good.com
Alexander Gunkel (secondary), alex@space4good.com
Space4Good is a technical partner of SBIC; find out more in the interview with Alexander Gunkel
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