Pre-Seed–Seed · 59 people tracked
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Investment thesis
NESsT invests in social enterprises that generate dignified employment and income opportunities for underserved communities while sustaining the planet. Since 1997 it has backed over 500 enterprises through funding programs and accelerators, applying a gender lens and racial equity focus. Its work spans initiatives like the Amazonia Initiative, Lirio Fund, and Violet Fund, targeting sustainable agriculture, Indigenous-led enterprises, biodiversity, and inclusive job creation. NESsT provides capital alongside training and mentorship, aiming to build a more inclusive and environmentally resilient economy across regions including Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Poland, and Romania.
Source: firm website, verified Sep 27, 2026.
Team · 59 people
from the firm's websiteFounder mafia
3 people who came through NESsT went on to found or lead other companies.
What they invest in
from 24 of 114 portfolio companiesImpact & Social Good ×15FoodTech ×10AgTech ×9Circular Economy ×5Consumer ×4Cleantech ×3E-commerce ×3AI & Machine Learning ×2
HQs:Peru×6Poland×4Brazil×2Colombia×2Romania×2Argentina×1
Investments · 114 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathAmazóniko operates a waste-management platform in Colombia that connects households, waste collectors ("recuperadores"), and companies to keep recyclable materials circulating.
Circular EconomyCleantechMarketplaces
Aprocasur is a cacao producers' association founded in 2004 that works with farming communities in southern Bolívar, Colombia, to grow cacao through sustainable practices.
AgTechFoodTechImpact & Social Good
Atelierul de Pânză is a Romanian social-economy initiative and authorized protected unit that designs and produces eco-friendly fabric bags meant to replace plastic bags, while employing people with disabilities.
Circular EconomyE-commerceImpact & Social Good
Bendito Residuo provides waste management and recycling services for businesses, including environmental education programs, scheduled waste pickups with recycling containers, and a pre-treatment plant where collected waste is re-segregated and classified for proper valorization.
Circular EconomyCleantechImpact & Social Good
A supplier of natural cosmetic ingredients derived from 100% natural Amazonian rainforest fruits, producing raw materials for skin and hair care.
BiotechConsumerNew Materials
Cacauá Amazônia produces handmade sweets, liqueurs, syrups, and jellies from sustainably managed wild cocoa harvested in the Amazon rainforest.
Circular EconomyFoodTechImpact & Social Good
Cedros Café is a Peruvian coffee producer that offers information on its production and certifications to importers and roasters.
AgTechFoodTechJaén, PE
Clevon develops and manufactures autonomous delivery robots for last-mile logistics that are designed to reduce energy consumption and support climate-neutral operations.
CleantechLogistics & Supply ChainMobility & TransportationRoboticsTallinn, EE
Arno Kütt(CEO/Chairman)
Co-investorsEnvoyimec.xpandKleiner PerkinsRed Forest CapitalTera VenturesTrind Ventures
COAGROPACÍFICO is an agricultural organization that supports small-scale producers by providing technical assistance, production, and commercialization services for fresh cacao and coconut destined for processing.
AgTechCircular EconomyFoodTech
CoopTech Hub is a cooperative technology center run by PLZ Spółdzielnia that provides education, consulting, and technology solutions to support energy, cooperative, and digital transformation.
AI & Machine LearningEnergyImpact & Social Good
Cuencas del Huallaga supplies dried organic cacao (Cacao Fino de Aroma) sourced from the San Martín and Ucayali regions of the Peruvian Amazon, produced through controlled fermentation and solar drying.
AgTechFoodTech
Delzur sells handcrafted bags, including Arhuaca mochila and Wayuu crossbody styles, made in collaboration with indigenous communities using natural, recycled, and ethically sourced materials.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerE-commerce
Estrafalario is an online clothing and accessories retailer offering seasonal fashion collections (Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter) directly to consumers.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerE-commerce
A social enterprise foundation in Cieszyn, Poland that runs a multi-sector social business providing employment to people in difficult labor-market situations, including the unemployed, ill, disabled, homeless, and refugees.
EdTechImpact & Social GoodCieszyn, PL
Incluyeme.com is a social enterprise operating since 2013 that promotes the social and labor inclusion of people with disabilities, connecting them with employers through a job platform, training and scholarships.
HR TechImpact & Social GoodMarketplaces
Gabriel MarcolongoinNatalia CainNicole Valdez(Founder)in
Co-investors500 Global
Juchowo Farm is a biodynamic organic farm operated since 2000 as part of the Village Project (Projekt Wiejski) run by the Stanisław Karłowski Foundation, focused on restoring soil fertility and cultural-agrarian development.
AgTechFoodTechImpact & Social Good
Kemito Ene is a producer of organic cacao, chocolate, and coffee grown by Asháninka indigenous communities along the Ene River in the Satipo province of Junín, Peru.
AgTechConsumerFoodTechSatipo, PE
Kulkao sources cacao beans from smallholder farmers in its organic program to produce and export cacao derivatives such as nibs, cacao liquor, cacao butter, cacao powder, and chocolates for local and international markets.
AgTechFoodTechImpact & Social GoodLima, PE
Lazarillo builds customizable indoor and outdoor digital maps and accessible wayfinding technology for businesses and organizations such as airports, hospitals, universities, and shopping centers, integrating with websites, mobile apps, and kiosks.
Impact & Social GoodMobility & TransportationSaaS
René Espinoza(CEO)
Co-investorsKnickerbocker Financial Group
Fundacja Mamo Pracuj is a Polish foundation that helps women, especially mothers, find satisfying work and develop professionally, offering job listings, development programs, and a community.
Future of WorkHR TechImpact & Social Good
ManejeBem provides "hybrid" rural technical assistance (ATER) that combines in-person agronomist visits with digital tools like WhatsApp-based data collection and AI support, turning each producer interaction into structured data and impact evidence.
AgTechAI & Machine LearningImpact & Social Good
Maré de Sabores is a social-impact catering and buffet service run by a women's collective from the Maré favela complex, serving corporate events, weddings, and other occasions with Brazilian home-style cuisine rooted in local food memory.
FoodTechImpact & Social GoodRio de Janeiro, BR
Eliana Sousa Silva(Director of Redes da Maré)in
Shanantina produces, imports/exports, and wholesales organic Sacha Inchi seed products sourced from indigenous farming communities in Peru's San Martín region.
AgTechFoodTechImpact & Social Good
UtilDeco is a Romanian sheltered unit and work-integration social enterprise that employs people with disabilities and from vulnerable groups to produce goods and services for clients across industries.
Impact & Social Good
Other
Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.
100cznia4 SzpakiABEXAER LocalAFIMADAfroSaúdeÁgilAgrosolidariaAlly GuayusaAlma del PanalALTRNTVAMITLIApoenaApromayoArte Social CooperativeAsoproceguaAsotexkichAsozhonmASPROCASSOABATAICBlisko FoundationBox ElyteCafé CompadreCafé OrigenesChunaky BaruCIEDSCOASCoopafloraCOOPAVAMCooperativa Santa AnaCooperative ReweCooperSapóCoopitayóCordillera AzulCorpapaCotton NationDare MediaDisruptiaDworzyskoEcoCicloEcocitexEcoserraníaEkoinbudElysiosEmpanacombiFederación Campesina del Cauca (FCC)Finca Chorro BlancoGold CoffeeGreenboxHearty FoundationHecaHelyénvalóJobfulKanujaKivinakiKotsimba LodgeLa Perla de los AndesLaguna de los CóndoresLlama PackMake It RealMovimento Black MoneyMuebleaNebucodeNG-SeedsNovatioNowu HogarOkoloOlsztyn Food BankOrganic RainforestPainüPebaniPlantusPlastic CorporationPosh AcademyPróxima ServiciosProyecto BRONAPRuku KawsaySacha WaysaSaviaSiembraCoStudio M6 FoundationTangoTarg PietruszkowyTrampayValle VerdeVerdeNovoWen KimeyWomen's Entrepreneurship Foundation
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companiesClevon · clevon.com · Jun 18, 2025
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has NESsT made?
- NESsT has 114 tracked investments, 1 of which have exited.
- What stage does NESsT invest at?
- NESsT invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed stages.
- What sectors does NESsT focus on?
- NESsT focuses on AgTech, Circular Economy, Climate Tech, Enterprise Software, Impact & Social Good.
- Who does NESsT co-invest with?
- NESsT most often shares deals with 500 Global, Envoy, imec.xpand, among 7 tracked co-investors.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
from their channelWhen Small Businesses Grow, Families Thrive | Ágil, Chile
NESsT
Where Beekeeping Tradition Builds New Futures | Alma del Panal, Chile
NESsT
A Job Opportunity Can Transform a Life | Proyecto B, Chile
NESsT
Talent Without Barriers: Connecting Inclusive Employers and Diverse Professionals with Jobful
NESsT
Supporting entrepreneurs to advance LGBTQIA+ inclusion in Central & Eastern Europe
NESsT
Narratives from COP 30 in Belém
NESsT
Images
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