Investing in the technology industry has long been a passion of mine. New ventures that innovate and shape the future, as well as offering benefits to our modern way of life, are opportunities I am always on the lookout for.
After all, investment is what ultimately turns an idea into a tangible reality and drives forward progress.
One area that investment can make a substantial and essential difference in is the ongoing challenge of tackling climate change. According to the United Nations, 'financial resources and sound investments are needed to address climate change, to both reduce emissions, promote adaptation to the impacts that are already occurring, and to build resilience. The benefits that flow from these investments, however, dramatically outweigh any upfront costs'.
It was this in mind that my investment fund, Maughan Capital, recently invested in Sen, a space video streaming company which aims to democratise space and offer real-time information about earth through the provision of accessible satellite reports to help society learn, mitigate and reduce some of the globe's most pressing challenges, including climate change.
Charles Black was just 18 years old when in 1990 he had the idea for Sen. He envisaged a space news network which could gather and distribute information to its customer database. It wasn't until 2007 that Sen Ltd launched, but ever since they have been using their platform to capture unique video content using both hosted video cameras and their own constellations of small satellites. Most recently, the company has researched the utilisation of camera technology on and around the Moon, with their sights on Mars as their next destination for multi-world data.
Ultimately, Sen aim to raise awareness about the changes our planet is undergoing and in turn, to support those who are directly impacted, particularly during times of crisis. Using space technology and video streaming to tackle humanitarian crises caused by climate change may not seem obvious method to most, but it is this outside the box thinking that guides and inspires the projects Maughan Capital invests in.
In this same vein, Maughan Capital also recently invested in the Bug Factory, a British start-up which manufacturers eco-friendly pods that harness insect power to recycle food waste and convert it into pet food and plant fertilizer. Designed for people's homes and manufactured from recycled fridges and freezers, these pods facilitate a cost effective way to cultivate mealworms for pets and small holdings. In the long term, this technology can scale to meet demand for mealworms on a global level.
Mealworm cultivation, much like live streaming from space, may not seem like obvious solutions to the challenge of climate change. However, research has shown that mealworm is a viable alternative to soy, which is currently widely used as livestock feed. Soy is problematic for the environment, thanks to its huge carbon footprint and the fact that cultivation of the crop is responsible for largescale deforestation. The Bug Factory is a potential disruptor to this, and as such is an exciting and important new technology.
Maughan Capital takes great pride in working with cutting-edge businesses that approach global problems differently. Both The Bug Factory and Maughan Capital are initiatives that truly represent this.
As investors, it is our responsibility align our investments accordingly. As our collective future becomes increasingly reliant on the emergence of new technologies, we now need to take a leap of faith and commit to supporting in a greener and more sustainable future. Both The Bug Factory and Sen Ltd are just two examples of alternative thinking that can support efforts to protect our environment. It is more important than ever that we work together to create more environmentally conscious way of living.
