The cooperation between both organisations targets nature-based solution companies within the value chains of globally traded commodities in Indonesia including coffee, cacao and coconut.
Swiss impact advisory firm Clarmondial and Indonesia’s Supernova Equatora Capital have entered a strategic partnership to grow nature-based investments in Indonesia.
The partnership, which is backed by the Swiss-based Good Energies Foundation, aims to unlock scalable private capital for businesses that contribute to sustainable agriculture, agroforestry and ecosystem restoration.
Zurich-based Clarmondial is focused on promoting the sustainable management of natural resources. Supernova Equatora Capital forms part of the Supernova Ecosystem, which is committed to advancing impact investment in Indonesia and addressing the high perceived risk of investing in South Asia’s biggest economy. Its partners include the Rabo Foundation in the Netherlands and the Ford Foundation in the US.
The collaboration brings together Supernova’s local presence and Clarmondial’s international network, combining knowledge on the ground with global value chain expertise, according to Tanja Havemann, director at Clarmondial.
“Supernova is really interesting for us as a partner because they have a strong local base in Indonesia, which is quite a heterogeneous country with many different types of ecosystems. By bringing our contacts and our network, we can help to make things investable to the supply chain angle. But it’s also critical to have local insights and awareness of what’s going on and who is who, kind of the local flavour,” Havemann told Impact Investor.
Rich biodiversity under threat
“We are proud to support this unique partnership that merges credible local insight with global investment know-how,” said Simon Siantidis, manager of the Forest Programme, on behalf of the Good Energies Foundation. “It is the kind of catalytic collaboration that can drive long-term environmental and social outcomes.”
Indonesia’s status as one of the most biodiversity-rich countries in the world has come under threat from climate change, land conversion, pollution and deforestation, according to a 2024 report by the UN Environment Programme.
The partnership will provide catalytic support to local businesses that connect smallholder farmers to markets, and will also focus on investments in key Indonesian sectors including cacao, coffee, spices, palm oil derivatives, arenga sugar and other food and cash crops. It also plans to invest in bigger transactions that can boost climate resilience and improve supply chain traceability, both organisations said.
‘Right kind of support’
“Many Indonesian businesses have strong potential to drive nature-positive transformation, but they need the right kind of support – grounded in context, investment discipline, and networks. This partnership is about unlocking that potential through collaboration, not control,” said Inez Stefanie, managing partner at Supernova Equatora Capital.
Havemann and Stefanie hope the collaboration is a sign for both domestic and international investors that Indonesia is ready for scalable, sustainable nature-based investments.
“In recent years, especially after COVID, nature-based solutions are gaining traction, first globally, but obviously it’s trickled down to Indonesia. But the challenge is always, how to make them investable at scale and also sustainably investable?”, Stefanie told Impact Investor.
“It requires more than a good project. It requires a lot of financial structuring and local insight, which we hope we will provide with Clarmondial. And obviously the magic ingredient is trust,” Stefanie said.
Rather than aiming for large-scale investments straight away, the partnership will start with smaller, repeatable transactions to build a track record, which can then attract more funding over time, according to Havemann.
“We would like to show that it is possible to build strong partnerships in Indonesia, to bring international capital into Indonesia, and to do deals that have best-in-class investment and governance processes. So people shouldn’t be scared or worried about investing in Indonesia, as long as they work with the right partners in a prudent way,” Havemann said.
Investor interest
The partnership has already attracted “significant interest” from regional family offices, corporates, and impact investors, and is expected to mobilise follow-on financing through Clarmondial’s Food Securities Fund and the forthcoming Biosphere Integrity Fund, the Swiss firm said.
“We are seeing in our discussions with funders, both domestically in Indonesia, Hong Kong, Singapore and even the Middle East and internationally, that there is a growing appetite and recognition about the importance of nature-based solution investments in Asia Pacific. And obviously Indonesia is an important biodiversity hotspot, so we think this partnership will continue to attract a lot of resources and attention,” Havemann said.
