Investing in early stage, scalable technologies that increase wild Pacific Salmon and Steelhead populations and/or resilience
Salmon Innovation Fund (SIF) is an early stage technology investment fund.
Our partners are the hundreds of organizations working to protect or rebuild wild Pacific salmon and steelhead populations.
We receive lists of problems and challenges from our partners, find early stage technology company's working to solve these challenges or problems, and invest in these early stage company's.
We expect our portfolio company's to ultimately exit outside of the fisheries industry, allowing for competitive returns to our investors.
What We Do
By pursuing things in this way:
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Our partners get access to technology that greatly accelerates their existing efforts or makes possible new ways to pursue their mission;
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Our technology investments get the chance to pilot their technology in a meaningful setting, and apply it to impactful environmental efforts;
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Our LP’s get the chance to earn competitive returns from investments that benefit salmon and steelhead conservation
Why We Do It
“The nation behaves well if it treats the natural resources as assets which it must turn over to the next generation increased and not impaired in value.”
Theodore Roosevelt
Wild Pacific Salmon and Steelhead are the iconic species of the North American Pacific Rim (California to Alaska). However, stocks have been reduced to a fraction of their historical levels, and in some cases, been completely wiped out.
This decline has materially impacted economies, communities, wilderness areas, food chains, water quality, soils, and culture across the North American Pacific Rim. Perhaps most importantly, allowing this decline to continue would strip us of a species that in many ways defines who we are as stewards of this unique part of the world.
Salmon Innovation Fund was created to provide the hundreds of organizations working to save these species with access to cutting edge technologies that make their efforts easier, cheaper, broader and more effective.
Our goal is simple…by arming these organizations with the best tools possible, we aim to increase populations where they are threatened (mostly lower 48) and increase resilience among those populations that so far have avoided large declines
(mostly Canada and Alaska.)
Ultimately, we live by the motto "more wild fish in more places"
Engage With SIF
There are two ways to engage with SIF.
Become A Partner
Becoming a SIF Partner is free to any organization whose goals align with ours, and requires no commitment. Simply fill out the form below and list the problem or challenge you are facing. If we can identify and invest in a technology that will help you solve your challenge, we will. If not, we maintain relationships with a global network of foundations, government agencies, investors and entrepreneurs who may be able to help.
Suggest An Investment
If you are a company whose technology may solve a challenge being faced by wild Pacific Salmon or Steelhead, or if you know of such a company, please let us know by filling out the form below. If you can attached a one page overview or Powerpoint, that really helps.
Our Partners
We have over 100 "partners" and counting, organizations we interact with related to our mission. Below are some examples. We applaud and support the efforts of any organization working towards increasing the population and resilience of wild Pacific salmon and steelhead throughout the North American Pacific Rim.
Team
Team
Brock Mansfield, Managing Partner
Brock Mansfield has more than 20 years of experience investing in Seattle and San Francisco early stage technology companies on behalf of a select clientele of high net worth families and family offices. Current environmental investments include Blue Nalu, Tidal Vision, Algenesis, Hilos, Oddli, Brightly, Legit Fish, and Sitka Salmon Shares.
In addition to running Salmon Innovation Fund, he is Founder and Chairman of Envest (www.envest.earth), former co-chair of CREO's Healthy Oceans and Sustainable Fisheries Investment Committee (www.creosyndicate.org), and a founding member of the Washington Maritime Blue Investment Committee. He obtained his MBA from Stanford GSB.
"As a lifelong Pacific Northwest resident, I have a deep respect and appreciation for our wilderness, rivers, and oceans…and the salmon and steelhead that call them home for generations. Given their role as an indicator species for the health of wilderness and water, a sustainable source of protein for a rapidly expanding population, and a key part of the regional economy, culture and identity of our great part of the world, wild salmon and steelhead are an iconic species I believe are worth fighting to save. We are bringing early stage venture capital to that effort."
Advisory Board
Salmon Innovation Fund is fortunate to have the support of four Advisory Board members, each a dedicated, respected and active member of the wild Pacific Salmon and Steelhead conservation community.
Ian Dutton, Nautilus Investing
Ian founded Nautilus Impact Investing LLC in 2015 to increase returns from social investments. Nautilus is currently partnering with private investors, philanthropists, government, research and international development organizations on fisheries, agriculture, climate adaptation and indigenous community projects throughout the USA and globally.
Ian previously served in executive leadership roles with Rasmuson Foundation, the Alaska SeaLife Center, The Nature Conservancy and the University of Rhode Island. Ian holds a Ph.D. in geographical sciences from the University of Queensland. He is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Pete Higgins, Partner, 2nd Avenue Partners
Pete is a founding partner of Second Avenue Partners, one of Seattle’s most experienced early stage investment groups. Prior to Second Avenue, Mr. Higgins spent 16 years at Microsoft, where he was a member of the Office of the President, reporting to CEO Bill Gates. He was group vice president of the Interactive Media Group at Microsoft from 1996 to 1998, responsible for Microsoft’s online, consumer software, and hardware businesses.
Mr. Higgins is the chairman of SEEQ Corporation, a director of WISErg Corp, and former chairman of Market Leader (OTC: LEDR), Insitu Corporation, and Modumetal. Mr. Higgins was a founding member of the Hoh River Trust, and serves on the board of trustees for The Brookings Institution and the advisory board for the Woods Institute for the Environment. Mr. Higgins holds an MBA and undergraduate degrees in economics and history from Stanford University.
Rob Masonis, VP Western, Trout Unlimited
Based in Seattle, Washington, Rob is responsible for management of TU's five western conservation programs: Sportsmen's Conservation Project, Western Water, Western Restoration, Alaska and California. Prior to joining TU, he ran the Northwest office of American Rivers as its Senior Director. Rob received his undergraduate degree from Bucknell University, and law degrees from Boston College Law School and the University of Washington School of Law. He is an avid fly-fisher with a particular interest in the Pacific Northwest's wild steelhead.
Guido Rahr, CEO, Wild Salmon Center
Under Guido's leadership, Wild Salmon Center has developed scientific research, habitat protection and fisheries improvement projects in dozens of rivers in Japan, the Russian Far East, Alaska, British Columbia and the US Pacific Northwest, raising over $100 million in grants, establishing eight new conservation organizations, and protecting eight million acres of habitat including public lands management designations and eight new large scale habitat reserves on key salmon rivers across the Pacific Rim.
Before coming to the Wild Salmon Center, he developed conservation programs for Oregon Trout, the United Nations Development Programme, the Rainforest Alliance and Conservation International, and is a member of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) Salmon Specialist Group.
Contact Us
For general questions and inquires, please fill out the form to the right.