Blue Earth Summit

Private Capital at the Frontline

At New York Climate Week, during Regeneration VC’s Re:Assembly event, three leaders from the family office world explored an urgent question: how can private wealth accelerate the innovations we need for a sustainable future?

More than 90% of family offices now dedicate part of their portfolios to sustainability. Nearly a third of global startups in climate and impact innovation count on family backing. With governments pulling back, this patient, flexible capital is stepping into the gap.

“Families bring agility, long-term vision, and personal commitment. Those qualities make them uniquely suited to back bold ideas and sustain them over decades.”

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Investing with Values

For Jack Wielowitzki, CIO of One Small Planet, the starting point is simple: impact first.

“If you’re not solving a real problem for people and planet, we’re not interested—no matter the returns.”

One Small Planet runs a family of investment funds, owns regenerative farms, and manages a foundation focused on conservation and indigenous rights. The philosophy: align financial success as closely as possible with environmental outcomes.

Evie Steyer, co-founder of Ponderosa Ventures, emphasised urgency and commercial rigour.

“Doing something today is more meaningful than waiting for tomorrow.”

Ponderosa invests in food, agriculture, oceans, and forestry—sectors she says desperately need capital. For Steyer, innovation must be both mission-driven and commercially viable to scale.

Rosemary Sager, CIO of the Sager Family Office, drew on 40 years of experience to remind the room of the freedom family offices have to redefine risk and return. Her mantra: better, faster, cheaper. Solutions must be transformative, but also self-sustaining businesses.

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Beyond Borders

The conversation quickly turned global.

• Asia is emerging as a leader in compliance markets, with Singapore and Japan driving carbon removal adoption.
• Emerging markets offer enormous potential but demand careful navigation of political and regulatory risk.
• Value chains need rebalancing: in cocoa, 90% is grown in West Africa, but only 6% of the value stays there.

“If we can rebalance that distribution, we can help stop deforestation.” – Jack Wielowitzki

Family offices, the panel agreed, have the flexibility to make bets where institutional investors may hesitate.

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The Scaling Gap

One shared frustration: the pilot trap.

Startups secure small $50K–$100K contracts, but corporates rarely commit to the seven- or eight-figure agreements needed to scale. Without capital innovation to bridge this gap, promising companies stall.

Another overlooked area: resilience and adaptation.

“We’re behind on every planetary boundary. We need more innovation focused on how societies can adapt.” – Jack Wielowitzki

For investors motivated by returns, Steyer noted, the TAM is vast. “This is where you get trillion-dollar markets,” she said.

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Closing Lessons

As the session wrapped, the panelists offered clear takeaways for those ready to act:

• Align values with capital – build impact into the model.
• Act now – history will judge inaction more harshly than failed attempts.
• Invest in resilience – both urgent and commercially compelling.
• Work with people you love – personal connection sustains the journey.
• Look for win-wins – impact must hold up across multiple layers.

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From Capital to Catalyst

The message from New York Climate Week was clear: family offices are not just investors, they are catalysts. With freedom to move quickly, tolerance for risk, and the ability to align deeply with values, families can back the innovations that others dismiss as “too risky” or “too early.”

In doing so, they’re shaping a future where wealth and well-being are no longer at odds, but part of the same story.