Blue Earth Summit

From prototyping cotton in hydroponic greenhouses in Essex to transforming global fashion supply chains, Materra ’s journey is anything but ordinary.

We’re proud to welcome Materra to Blue Earth Ventures as part of their fundraising journey. Co-founded by Edward Brial, Materra is on a mission to decarbonise one of the world’s most polluting raw materials—cotton, by turning smallholder farmers into regenerative powerhouses, all enabled through an AI-native operating system.

Cotton Meets Code: The Birth of a Regenerative Platform

Materra isn’t your typical agritech company. Founded by three engineers from Imperial and RCA, the founding team took the long route—spending years in the field, quite literally. Before raising capital, they spent time farming cotton themselves, learning first-hand how broken the system was, and what needed to change.

Today, Materra works with leading fashion brands including H&M, Mango, and Kering, helping them trace and reduce the impact of their supply chains by sourcing verified regenerative cotton from smallholder farmers in India.

Their model brings together what was once fragmented: project management, farmer training, supply chain coordination, certification, and impact data—all under one roof.

Why Regenerative Cotton? Why Now?

Cotton sits at the intersection of fashion and agriculture—two industries that combined contribute to over a third of global greenhouse gas emissions. It also affects the livelihoods of millions of smallholder farmers. This is Materra’s leverage point.

“We believe if we can fix cotton,” says Edward, “we can drive transformation through two of the world’s most influential industries.”

Materra’s regenerative approach is outcomes-based, focusing on:

• Biodiversity restoration: Bringing life back to the soil and landscapes

• Resource reduction: Cutting down water and chemical inputs

• Farmer livelihoods: Making regenerative farming not just sustainable—but profitable

From Essex to Ahmedabad: Building a Global Operation

Materra is now a fully-fledged British-Indian company with teams in both London and across Maharashtra and Gujarat in India—one of the world’s largest cotton-producing regions.

Their impact is felt on both ends of the supply chain: • For brands, Materra offers verified, traceable, impact-positive cotton. • For farmers, they offer training, financial incentives, and AI-powered advisory tools in local languages.

This tech is not an afterthought—it’s the backbone. Through their operating system, Cofarm, Materra digitises fragmented, low-visibility supply chains, enabling better decision-making and deeper climate impact.

“Digitisation makes farmers visible,” Edward says. “And visibility is the first step to equity.”

Raising for Scale: Materra’s Late Seed Round

Materra is currently raising a £3 million late seed round, having already secured 40% of the target. Backed by the likes of H&M Ventures, Fashion for Good, and Invest FWD, they are now doubling down on expanding their technology platform and regenerative sourcing operations.

This raise will cement their evolution—from running pilots and proof of concept to delivering verified regenerative cotton at scale, and expanding their software-only model across additional brands and commodities.

With global regulation tightening and the race to 2030 heating up, brands are desperate to clean up their Scope 3 emissions. Materra is helping them do just that—by starting at the soil.

What’s Next: From Cotton to Climate Infrastructure

Looking ahead, Materra’s ambition is bold: to become a global agri-business for good, transforming how the world sources not just cotton, but a whole suite of climate-positive commodities.

By building supply chains that are transparent, regenerative, and profitable, Materra is proving that planet and profit can—and must—coexist.

“Farmers are on the frontline of climate change. They are our best chance to win this fight—and they need to be seen, heard, and supported,” says Edward.

Why Materra x Blue Earth Ventures?

At Blue Earth, we believe in backing the founders who are transforming the way the world works. Materra is doing just that—bridging the gap between tech and soil, data and dignity, brands and biodiversity.

We’re proud to support them on their fundraising journey—and excited to help them connect with the right partners, investors, and changemakers across the Blue Earth ecosystem.

Interested in supporting Materra’s raise or learning more? Reach out to the Blue Earth Ventures team and we’ll connect you.