“Cutting edge”: Regeneration.VC launches European fund and circularity strategy

Just weeks after Dutch impact heavyweight Narina Mnatsakanian joined Regeneration.VC as its Chief Impact Officer, the venture capital firm has announced a range of initiatives which it believes “firmly cements” the firm in the European venture ecosystem.

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The company has launched an Article 9 European Fund, which is a fund that adheres to strict EU sustainability regulations. According to the firm, this new fund will operate alongside their existing funds. In other words it is a parallel vehicle based on their current fund structure, created in response to what the company describes as "strong demand" from European investors.

Improved impact reporting

Regeneration.VC says it has also improved how it measures impact by working with The Circle Economy Foundation (a Netherlands-based organisation that promotes circular economy principles). These changes are designed to help the VC firm meet the strict EU sustainability rules (Article 9) and prepare for the upcoming voluntary Global Circularity Protocol (GCP), which should be in place by 2026.

The GCP is a new standard that will establish common methods for measuring and reporting on circular economy practices—like tracking material flows, resource efficiency, and waste reduction. It's being created by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and the One Planet Network, which is run by the United Nations Environment Programme.

The cutting edge of circular economy impact measurement

"Measuring circularity is more complex than tracking greenhouse gas emissions, yet it is just as critical,” says Mnatsakanian in a news release.

“Beyond reducing waste production and greenhouse gases, circular economy solutions can have profound benefits for biodiversity and freshwater conservation—critical planetary boundaries that need urgent attention,” adds Jacco Verstraeten-Jochemsen from The Circle Economy Foundation. He describes Regeneration.VC’s new impact and sustainability protocol as “at the cutting edge of circular economy impact measurement.”

Backed by Leonardo DiCaprio

Regeneration.VC is an early-stage venture capital fund and is already a strong player in the global impact ecosystem. Its existing impact portfolio includes companies such as Cruz Foam, which produces a sustainable alternative to Styrofoam, Greyparrot, an AI waste analytics company, and Pangaia, a materials science lab and global lifestyle brand commercializing seaweed-derived fibres and pollution-sequestering inks. The venture capital firm is backed by strategic advisors including Hollywood actor and philanthropist Leonardo Di Caprio and fashion scientist Dr Amanda Parkes.

Mnatsakanian became the company’s Chief Impact Officer in February. She previously had senior impact roles at organisations including UBS and Van Lanschot Kempen, the oldest independent financial institute in the Netherlands. She is also a Board Member of the Dutch Nature Conservation Society and an advisory board member at both the Dutch private equity firm BB Capital Investments and The Solar Impulse Foundation, which works with renewable energy and clean technologies.