UK-based environmental software startup Verna has raised $4 million in funding to scale its nature recovery platform as demand grows from organisations seeking measurable, on-the-ground impact in biodiversity and ecosystem restoration. The round was led by Berlin based NAP and Zurich based Übermorgen, with participation from UK investors including Vanneck, Love Ventures, Concrete Ventures and Climate VC. The investment comes amid mounting environmental pressures that make nature restoration not just an ecological imperative but a strategic business priority for resilience and long term growth.
A New Approach to Nature Recovery
The accelerating degradation of natural systems such as soils, forests, wetlands and grasslands presents major risks to businesses, communities and global supply chains. Conventional approaches to environmental reporting can focus heavily on risk identification and compliance, but often struggle to translate commitments into practical actions that deliver measurable biodiversity outcomes. Verna’s software is designed to bridge this gap by helping organisations plan, implement and monitor effective nature recovery programmes.
Verna’s platform does not generate new environmental data. Instead, it integrates existing data sources such as satellite imagery, government datasets and corporate monitoring information to give organisations a unified, science backed view of their natural assets and restoration progress. The software’s AI driven capabilities help teams make informed decisions over long timeframes and provide clarity on outcomes rather than only reporting on risk exposure.
From Risk Reporting to Verifiable Action
According to Rafi Cohen, co-CEO of Verna, nature related commitments are increasingly central to business strategy as the impacts of environmental change grow more visible and severe. Many companies depend directly on land for production, or indirectly through complex supply chains that rely on healthy ecosystems for water, pollination, flood control and climate regulation. Without meaningful investment in nature recovery, these businesses face rising operational risks.
Verna was built to help organisations move beyond traditional risk frameworks and achieve verifiable outcomes in biodiversity and ecological recovery. The platform provides tools for planning nature based projects, implementing interventions on the ground and tracking ecological results over time. By enabling long term monitoring, Verna helps demonstrate whether interventions such as habitat restoration, rewilding or soil health improvements are succeeding in meeting ecological goals.
Adoption Across Sectors
Verna’s software is already used by more than 3,000 users within over 100 organisations, spanning sectors such as construction, mining, agriculture, consultancy and conservation. Many users value the platform’s emphasis on replicable, data driven insights which allow teams to justify investments, meet stakeholder expectations and report ecological performance with confidence.
Initially, the company focused on projects that align with the Biodiversity Net Gain framework, a methodology developed in the UK that requires development projects to leave natural environments in a measurably better state than before. This standard has gained traction not only in the UK but internationally, as regulators and companies seek frameworks that encourage investment in ecological enhancement rather than simple mitigation.
As Verna expands globally, it plans to support additional frameworks beyond Biodiversity Net Gain to accommodate diverse regulatory environments and corporate sustainability standards. This will enable organisations operating in multiple regions to use a single, consistent platform for planning and reporting their nature recovery work.
Enhancing AI Capabilities
The fresh funding will be used to further develop Verna’s software, with a particular emphasis on expanding its AI capabilities to optimise nature recovery plans. By harnessing advanced machine learning and data integration, Verna aims to provide users with predictive insights that help identify the most effective restoration strategies for specific landscapes and ecosystems.
This could include recommendations on where to focus interventions to maximise biodiversity benefits, how to sequence restoration activities over time and how to allocate resources most efficiently to achieve ecological targets. As ecosystem data becomes more abundant and complex, these AI driven tools will be essential for organisations seeking to translate big data into actionable plans.
Strong Investor Backing
Investors in this round recognise the urgent need for better tools to support nature positive outcomes and the broader trend of corporate commitment to environmental resilience. The involvement of climate and technology focused funds underscores confidence in Verna’s vision and the commercial viability of software solutions that help organisations manage natural capital effectively.
Looking Ahead
With its new funding, growing global user base and strategic emphasis on measurable outcomes, Verna is positioned to become a leading platform for nature recovery planning, implementation and monitoring. As regulatory pressure increases and organisations compete to demonstrate real environmental impact, software that connects strategy to action will be central to both ecological success and long term business resilience.
By integrating data, enabling long term monitoring, and supporting multiple recovery frameworks, Verna aims to equip companies with the tools they need to ensure their nature commitments yield real, positive, lasting change.