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Pitch Pod is the new spin-off from Forest Invest, hosted by Shauna Matkovich, showcasing investment-ready forest and nature-based solutions opportunities.

Each episode features a project pitch followed by a practical Q&A exploring strategy, impact, scalability, and commercial potential, giving investors, founders, and practitioners a behind-the-scenes look at real-world nature finance deals.

New episodes drop alongside Forest Invest, with video versions available on YouTube.

Pitch Pod is an awareness platform only and does not provide investment advice or endorsements.

Founding Director and Host: Shauna Matkovich - The ForestLink

Producer and Editor: Magdalena Laas - Unscripted Creatives

Sound Library

Ecology-Agriculture-Environment via Pixabay

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Symbiosis Coalition

Today, I’m joined by Julia Strong, founder and executive director of Symbiosis Coalition. In this conversation, Julia explains how buyer-led demand can help scale high-integrity forest carbon projects and mobilize capital into nature-based carbon removal. We talk about the role of long-term offtake agreements, the quality criteria Symbiosis uses to evaluate developers, and the common reasons projects fall short in the RFP process. Julia also shares what investors and project developers need to understand about readiness, benefit sharing, and the future of forest carbon as an investable asset class.

00:13 Introduction to Forest Invest

00:34 Julia Strong’s favourite tree

01:21 Julia’s background and the launch of Symbiosis

03:13 Sending a clear demand signal for high-integrity carbon removals

04:17 The four core components of Symbiosis

05:20 Unlocking capital through buyer confidence and quality

07:17 The 20 million ton commitment by 2030

09:42 What makes a developer a good fit for Symbiosis

12:17 How developers can access the Symbiosis RFP

14:42 The chicken-and-egg problem in project finance

17:03 Symbiosis quality criteria and project evaluation

24:01 How the RFP process can help shape the market

25:23 Symbiosis’ role after offtake agreements

26:39 Common reasons projects do not advance

31:01 Why pilots and local track records matter

32:16 Bridge capital and the valley of death

35:01 How long the diligence process can take

37:53 Living Carbon and Mombak project examples

41:27 Building a diversified carbon removal portfolio

43:47 How to accelerate buyer demand

47:09 What is next for Symbiosis

48:00 Advice for new forest investors

49:28 Where to learn more about Symbiosis

49:57 Closing thoughts from Shauna Matkovich

Founding Director and Host: Shauna Matkovich - The ForestLink

Producer and Editor: Magdalena Laas - Unscripted Creatives

Nature by MaxKoMusic/Soundcloud

Sopwell Woodlands and Scohaboy Bog SAC, Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary, IRELAND by wild_rumpus/Soundcloud

Ambient Documentary by Sound Guru (Pixabay)

Sign up now for the ForestLink’s newsletter, where you’ll receive technical advice, reflections, and best-practice guidance to support you with your forest-linked investment strategy or business straight to your inbox.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The ForestLink newsletter sign-up

BIOFIN

Today, I’m joined by Abbie Trinidad, Anabelle Plantilla, and Niran Nirannoot from the Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN), a UNDP-led programme now active in 131 countries. In this conversation, we explore how BIOFIN is tackling the biodiversity finance gap through practical ecotourism and conservation finance models in the Philippines and Thailand. We discuss community-led approaches in Sibalom Natural Park, tourist user charges and coral reef restoration on Koh Tao, and mangrove conservation in Phetchaburi. Along the way, we examine what it takes to attract private sector interest into biodiversity projects, the importance of policy and local institutions, and why conservation is increasingly an economic issue as much as an environmental one.

"Conservation is not just an environmental issue, it is actually an economic one" - Anabelle

00:05 – Intro & BIOFIN guests

00:36 – Favourite trees (icebreaker)

01:48 – What is BIOFIN?

05:53 – Why private investment matters

07:56 – Biodiversity investment opportunities

09:13 – Philippines: Sibalom Natural Park

12:11 – Community ecotourism model

18:36 – Early biodiversity outcomes

23:15 – Carbon credits & policy gaps

29:24 – Thailand: Koh Tao case

32:29 – Tourist fee & fintech system

39:00 – Impact: waste & coral recovery

42:03 – Mangroves, co-investment & carbon

48:36 – Key challenges & investor mindset

52:55 – Final takeaway: nature as investment

Founding Director and Host: Shauna Matkovich - The ForestLink

Producer and Editor: Magdalena Laas - Unscripted Creatives

Nature by MaxKoMusic/Soundcloud

Sopwell Woodlands and Scohaboy Bog SAC, Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary, IRELAND by wild_rumpus/Soundcloud

Ambient Documentary by Sound Guru (Pixabay)

Sign up now for the ForestLink’s newsletter, where you’ll receive technical advice, reflections, and best-practice guidance to support you with your forest-linked investment strategy or business straight to your inbox.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.