Projects
Nature-Based Solutions
New Product and service development:
Working alongside Dr Mark Everard, Sparkgeo , Hill Stone Wood, and Responsible Risk, Insta Associates led the development of a novel insurance business model to facilitate investment into nature-based solution complimenting the other natural capital tools including biodiversity, carbon and other payment of ecosystem services.
Vision development. Nature based solutions
Ouse and Adar Catchment Partnership and the Ouse and Adar River’s Trust. Insta Associates supported the Ouse and Adar Catchment Partnership and the River’s Trust with workshops to support the development of their catchment vision and the role of nature-based solutions. This work has help to engage and align a broad set of stakeholders on the needs of the catchment.
New Product and service development:
Working alongside Dr Mark Everard, Sparkgeo and Hill Stone Wood, Insta Associates led the development of a holistic impact monitoring service for ecosystem services. The service design was built upon the RAWES methodology. The service is designed to be semi-automated, drawing on open data, geospatial data and earth observations build in the cloud using OS software for ease of AI analysis and processing.
Vision development. Nature based solutions.
Insta Associates worked with a regional developer to create ‘the most sustainable’ development for a 250-home site on a brown-fields site. The development is designed to support affordable housing, care in the community and the latest thinking in sustainable construction, living tied with an outsized commitment to biodiversity.
Sustainable Aquaculture
New Market Entry:
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Working with leading experts in the nascent seaweed industry, Insta Associates assessed the seaweed value chain identifying those needing innovation for the industry to reach scale sustainably. Two key areas for investment were identified for development within a new venture Kelp-2-Scale (K2S) working with industry partners.
New product development and consortium building:
K2S built a consortium of seaweed growers, innovation specialists, academics, and agricultural product industrial partners to support cutting-edge research for the development of a low carbon, cutting and drying machine.
New product development and consortium building:
K2S, Aquaculture products for animal feed.
K2S built a consortium of seaweed growers, CIEL, Queens University Belfast, and agricultural product industrial partners to support innovative research for the development of a low carbon, high performance animal feed.
Sustainable Finance and Natural Capital
New Venture Co-creation: Hill Stone Wood:
Hill Stone Wood is a new insurance venture conceived by Insta Associates in collaboration with Adrain Stone and Nigel Greenwood to address the twin aims of providing consumers with a green insurance option and to fund more nature-based solutions with customers local community. Hill Stone Wood is a winner of Environment Agency grant is due to be launched in 2024 via a range of distribution channels including water companies, eNGOs and councils.
New service development. Nature based solutions
Insta Associates in collaboration with Sparkgeo has designed a new place-based market to make to make investment decision making for buyers and seller of nature-based-solutions (NBS) more effective and efficient for the market to function at scale. This project has been developed with deep collaboration with a diverse set of stakeholders including landowners and advisors, water companies, eNGOs, councils, other major infrastructure investors, the Green Finance Institute, DEFRA and Environment Agency.
New Market Playbooks, Spatial Finance:
Insta Associates assessed the potential of the early-stage market of geospatial and sustainable finance; designed and executed a market entry roadmap. This led to a series of engagements, pilots and thought leadership on stage at COP26, COP27, Fin-extra’ sustainable finance workshop, private dinners and winning a series of Environment Agency and Innovate UK grants.