By combining satellite data, drone footage and on-the-ground updates, Sumthing allows both individuals and businesses to follow the real-life impact of their contributions. It's a fresh, purpose-driven approach that is gaining traction in a space historically marked by opacity and scepticism.
To support Sumthing’s growth and mission, Triodos Regenerative Money Centre has invested €500,000 in the company. This investment reflects Triodos Regenerative Money Centre’s broader ambition to make capital a catalyst for ecological restoration. And to strengthen transparency in the nature restoration value chain.
Making impact visible
Sumthing was founded in 2022 and is tackling a core issue in environmental finance: trust. Many donors and companies hesitate to contribute to restoration projects, because they can’t see where their money goes or what it achieves. Sumthing changes that. Through their platform, users can donate to curated projects and track their impact in near-real-time. From kelp forest restoration to plastic clean-ups. AI-verified images, drone videos, satellite views and personal stories provide compelling, credible updates about the difference being made.
This transparency isn't just about storytelling. It builds accountability and encourages more, and more consistent, contributions to a sector in dire need of funding. Sumthing also offers plug-in technology to help nature organisations and corporate partners visualise their impact on their own websites, giving them tools to communicate restoration results directly to stakeholders.
Driven by a regenerative mission
Sumthing’s mission is simple yet profound: to help regenerate the planet by making it easy and rewarding to give back to nature. The company is guided by seven global restoration goals that reflect the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. These include restoring forest cover, improving soil health, cleaning up rivers and oceans, and protecting biodiversity. Every project on Sumthing’s platform contributes towards one or more of these shared objectives.
Examples include projects such as revitalising soil and planting trees in the Netherlands, restoring seagrass meadows in the Mediterranean, and increasing biodiversity in rural landscapes through wildflower planting. All initiatives are carefully vetted by an impact board made up of ecologists and restoration experts.
Steward ownership: mission first
Sumthing is a steward-owned company, governed under the principles of the 'We Are Stewards' model. This structure ensures that control remains with mission-aligned stewards, not profit-driven shareholders. And that profits are used to advance the company’s ecological goals. Over time, investors’ shares are bought back, and returns are capped.
This is Triodos Regenerative Money Centre’s first investment in a steward-owned company, marking a milestone in its efforts to explore and support alternative models that keep mission central and ensure long-term impact integrity.
Looking ahead
The funding, jointly provided by Triodos Regenerative Money Centre and co-investor Oost NL, will allow Sumthing to scale its team, expand its platform, and reach more business partners and nature organisations. A research collaboration with Cambridge University is also underway, further validating Sumthing’s impact-tracking approach.
By backing Sumthing, Triodos Regenerative Money Centre signals its confidence not only in the potential of the company, but in a new kind of regenerative economy: one rooted in transparency, collaboration and mission-first entrepreneurship. Learn more at www.sumthing.org.