Cisco Foundation’s Regenerative Future Fund has invested in Fractal Ag’s Farmer Agriculture Regenerative Management (FARM) Fund, underscoring confidence in Fractal’s innovative approach to equity financing and highlighting growing institutional demand for financial models that help U.S. growers overcome barriers to adopting regenerative land-use practices. Fractal’s model provides essential equity capital to farmers, enabling them to grow their operations while transitioning to regenerative methods.
This investment builds on the Cisco Foundation’s broader climate strategy. In 2021, Cisco committed $100 million over 10 years to address the climate crisis—splitting the pledge between $50 million in nonprofit grants supporting climate and social impact organizations, and $50 million in equity and debt investments in early-stage climate startups and venture funds. Earlier this year, the foundation rebranded this program as the Regenerative Future Fund, signaling a sharper focus on transformative, venture-backed technologies and solutions. The investment in Fractal Ag exemplifies this new direction.
Fractal’s theory of change centers on aligning farmer and investor interests to unlock scalable impact for agriculture, communities, and the planet. Co-led by Ben Gordon and Dr. Emma Fuller, the company brings together expertise in data science, agriscience, and finance to design financing solutions that prioritize long-term resilience and scaled impact. Their technology-driven platform creates robust incentive structures, directly connecting capital to measurable outcomes like improved soil health and climate impact.
The opportunity is significant. As Cisco Foundation’s Climate Impact Investing Lead, Jocelyn Matyas shared in a Linkedin post announcing the investment, regenerative agriculture could sequester up to 0.8 tons of CO₂ per acre annually and generate as much as $80 billion in economic value for U.S. Corn Belt farmers over the next decade, according to McKinsey. Despite these benefits, financial barriers remain a major hurdle for many farmers. Fractal’s flexible, aligned capital is designed to bridge that gap—helping farmers realize both environmental and economic value.
Earlier this year, RFSI sat down with Fractal’s Dr. Fuller. Here’s what she shared.