Space4Good to expand rainforest protection with new funding

At Space4Good, our mission has always been 4good: to leverage geospatial technologies for the betterment of our environment and its people.

Today, we’re delighted to share an important update that will bring us closer to protecting 50 million hectares of tropical rainforest with data-driven insights.

Space4Good has successfully closed a funding round led by Arches Capital, with participation from Empower Impact and Indigo Ventures!

Figure 1. Space4Good team at The Hague Humanity Hub office

In this blog, we will share who these organisations are and what is in the roadmap for Space4Good ahead. 

Our investing partners

Arches Capital is a collective of angel investors in the Netherlands that focuses on Benelux-based B2B (or B2B2C) software companies. Empower Impact invests in SaaS B2B solutions in different areas, with core pillars around sustainability and impact. The contact was facilitated through the Space Investor network at the NL Space Campus (see article on the actual day of the event). 

Indigo Ventures is an independent investor initiative led by the founder of DutchChain and Odyssey, Rutger van Zuidam. We had met Rutger way back in our first Odyssey Hackathon, where he introduced us to the iconic Dr. Willie Smits, and we were now fortunate enough to connect again with an updated frame of goals.

A Major Step Toward Scaled Forest Protection

There was alignment between the investing parties and Space4Good as they believe in the Space4Good team, its innovative proposition, and its potential for global impact. Having a close alignment on the table, the newly invested capital will facilitate future growth for Space4Good. We are readying up our team and the local impact leaders to protect 50 million hectares of tropical rainforest at scale with satellite-based analytics and predictive AI.

Specifically, funding will enable us to:

• Further scale FORESTER in tropical regions across Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Africa, bringing trusted forest insights to teams on the ground.

• Have product learnings across varying customers, leading to ever ever-improving product suite.

• Grow Space4Good’s team and operations to meet growing international demand for verifiable environmental data.

Alex, our CEO and Managing Director, states: 

“This investment marks a major milestone for Space4Good as it enables us to leverage 8 years of project experience into scalable and therefore more impactful products. With backing from Arches Capital, Empower Impact and Indigo Ventures, we can make FORESTER more powerful and accessible, thereby empowering more and more businesses and communities to safeguard their forests and their people.”

FORESTER: Turning forest blind spots into insights

FORESTER is our forest intelligence platform helping forestry companies and conservation organisations detect deforestation early, predict risks, and have automatic reporting for compliance and enforcement. 

If you recall our past blogs, FORESTER was launched in 2024 with support from the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Netherlands Space Office (NSO), previously preceded by the ILDAP algorithm.

Designed to support those on the frontlines, FORESTER combines multiple satellite systems, AI analytics, and on-the-ground validation, empowering local forest guards and operations teams to succeed.

Figure 2. Field visit with the ARSARI operations team and Space4Good in Indonesia

FORESTER comes in at a moment that converges with an upsurge in regulations such as the European Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and emerging carbon verification standards in Southeast Asia that demand data-backed verification to remain compliant. This means European companies sourcing from tropical regions, as well as carbon project developers in Malaysia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand, now need verifiable, traceable data on deforestation rates and forest cover, which tools like FORESTER can provide. This, combined with a highly accessible technological landscape where advances in cloud computing and AI models have drastically lowered the costs of environmental monitoring, has enabled reliable, affordable digital services even for small entities on the ground.

FORESTER was first rolled out in Indonesia, integrating directly into the planning and operations of forest managers and security personnel, and the results have been remarkable:

• 60% reduction in deforestation rates among pilot clients.

• 80% lower monitoring costs, as teams move away from a sole field patrol basis.

• 350,000+ hectares of tropical rainforest protected in Indonesia and counting.

In this manner, by transforming satellite data into actionable forest intelligence, we help teams move from reactive forest managing to proactive protection. 

What Our Investing Partners are Saying

“Healthy forests are at the heart of our own health. Space4Good’s AI platform FORESTER is already preventing forest fires and illegal deforestation at scale. Their collaboration with rainforest engineer Willie Smits and partners in Borneo shows an inspiring ability to co-create with clients and local stakeholders." —Rutger van Zuidam.

“We see in Space4Good a rare combination of deep technical expertise and genuine environmental purpose,” says Diederik Stolk, Partner at Arches Capital. “Their ability to transform satellite data into actionable intelligence has the potential to redefine how organizations and stewards monitor and protect natural ecosystems globally.”

What’s next

The importance of our forests and protecting our ecosystems is now more pressing than ever. Space4Good aims to be at the forefront of this global mission, paired with global homogeneous data and especially crafted local partnerships. We are here to help you understand these environmental dynamics everywhere, anytime!

Managing a forest or a carbon project? Join our FORESTER Pilot Program! Reach out to Mathieu to find out more mathieu@space4good.com.