Flash Forest receives Series A funding from the TELUS Pollinator Fund for Good and OurCrowd, which is leading global reforestation efforts using drone technology.

Flash Forest, a Canadian reforestation firm that makes use of drones and know-how to regenerate post-fire areas deemed too unsafe for human tree growers, at present introduced the completion of its $11.4 million (CAD) Sequence A funding spherical. Local weather change is rising the frequency and severity of wildfires, and we’re quickly shedding certainly one of our greatest mechanisms to fight it: timber. The world loses an average of 26 million hectares of trees every year. That’s an area roughly the size of Mexico, and it’s being lost every year. More than 30 percent of this loss can be attributed to forest fires. This new funding led by TELUS Pollinator Fund for Good And Our Crowdwill assist the event and deployment of Flash Forest’s speedy forest fireplace reforestation answer in North America within the combat in opposition to local weather change.

Regardless of the rising want for reforestation, tree planting remains to be largely accomplished by hand and shovel; this can be a technique that faces challenges in grueling, tough and limited-access terrains. This funding will contribute to automating resource-intensive apply by planting timber thrice cheaper and 5 instances sooner than conventional hand and shovel strategies, whereas additionally serving forest fire-affected areas that can’t be simply handled by standard strategies.

“With this funding from the TELUS Pollinator Fund, Flash Forest is partnering with a key social affect fund that, like many VCs, doesn’t function solely with a profit-first mindset, however clearly defines and helps our mission of 1D timber and past to mitigate local weather change and biodiversity loss. Bryce Jones, CEO and co-founder of Forest, mentioned: “This makes a distinction, particularly in difficult instances the place our clear alignment to satisfy the mission is paramount.” “Along with our dedication to being an organization, there are great inside assets and assist that make this such an thrilling and mutual partnership. We’re able to dive in and stay up for seeing what the longer term holds.”

Multi-year industrial settlement to speed up reforestation

Flash Forest has additionally signed a multi-year industrial settlement with the TELUS Sustainability and Surroundings staff to supply its clients with drone-planted timber. By this partnership, TELUS will supply Flash Forest know-how to assist companies throughout industries obtain their environmental objectives with end-to-end digital forestry options, and TELUS will leverage world-leading networks and distant connectivity applied sciences.

“Local weather change is among the world’s most crucial issues, and extra frequent, extreme wildfires are a symptom of an overheating planet,” mentioned Blair Miller, Managing Associate of TELUS Pollinator Fund. “By investing in Flash Forest, we will improve afforestation effectively and safely after wildfires. It’s a good match with the TELUS Pollinator Fund, as it’s uniquely positioned to unlock TELUS’ capabilities to additional scale sustainable options that tackle a number of the world’s most urgent social challenges. we have now.”

“The world has misplaced greater than 1 trillion timber within the final 100 years, and wildfires are taking part in an rising function in that. “We’re excited to affix forces with Flash Forest and co-lead this spherical with the TELUS Pollinator Fund, which helps speedy forest fireplace reforestation so essential to fight local weather change,” mentioned Liat Sverdlov, Funding Associate of OurCrowd.

About Flash Forest
Canadian drone reforestation firm Flash Forest prioritizes a data-driven, biodiversity-centric and community-led method to rebuild wholesome resilient forests at scale. By leveraging drone, AI, GIS and plant science know-how, they carry new ranges of accuracy, precision and velocity to the afforestation trade. Working to reforest areas after a forest fireplace, which is taken into account too unsafe for human tree growers, the staff goals to handle the rising impacts of local weather change with nature-based options.

Concerning the TELUS Pollinator Fund for Good
The $100 million TELUS Pollinator Fund for Good is among the world’s largest company social affect funds, focusing its investments on nonprofits and founders dedicated to driving social innovation. The TELUS Pollinator Fund is an extension of TELUS’ long-standing dedication to harness the ability of know-how to realize constructive social and environmental outcomes for all Canadians by financing the event of options to rework healthcare, take care of our planet, assist and allow accountable agriculture. inclusive communities. To be taught extra concerning the TELUS Pollinator Fund, please go to: telus.com/pollinator.

About OurCrowd
OurCrowd is an internet international enterprise funding platform that empowers establishments and particular person accredited buyers to spend money on and have interaction with rising know-how firms at an early stage. Acknowledged by PitchBook* and Startup Nation Central as probably the most lively enterprise investor in Israel, OurCrowd evaluations and selects firms from all industries and levels, invests its personal capital, and leverages its international platform of greater than 220,000 registered members from 195 nations with unmatched entry and entry to firms of their selection and freedom to spend money on funds with costs beginning at $10,000.

Based by CEO Jon Medved in 2013 with a imaginative and prescient to democratize world-class enterprise capital funding, OurCrowd has rapidly grown to turn out to be the world’s main on-line enterprise funding platform, with over $2.1 billion in commitments by 2023 and distributed capital to 380 portfolio firms and 42 funds throughout 5 continents. To this point, OurCrowd’s initiatives have recorded 61 exits, together with a number of public market listings: Past Meat (BYND), Lemonade (LMND), Innoviz (INVZ), Hub Safety (HUB), Arbe (ARBE), Alpha Tau (DRTS) , Freightos (CRGO); and plenty of high-profile acquisitions: JUMP from Uber, BriefCam from Canon, Argus from Continental, Crosswise from Oracle, Replay from Intel, Corephotonics from Samsung, CyberX from Microsoft and Kenna Safety from Cisco.

OurCrowd creates worth for portfolio firms all through their lifecycle, supplies mentorship, recruits trade advisors, navigates follow-up excursions, and creates progress alternatives by a community of multinational partnerships.

*Yearly since 2013