Documenting Ocean Health along Iberian Coast - La España Azul

España Azul seeks to generate an environmental impact through scientific research that will be carried out by collecting data and samples at geo-located points for subsequent laboratory analysis by sailing around Spain.


Our grantee has successfully completed their fieldwork and sampling phase, and at the end of 2023 España Azul will publish their first document on macro-litter with the data collected in the cleaning and scientific sampling on the beaches. In 2024, they will then publish a scientific paper on micro and nano-plastics with all the data and conclusions obtained from the samples taken at sea.

About Nacho Dean

Nacho Dean broke records and made headlines when he became the first person to walk across the world in 2013. The journey took him 3 years across 4 continents, 31 countries and 33,000 kilometers alone, unassisted and without stopping, in order to document climate change. Then, as if that weren’t enough, in 2018-2019 he decided to swim between 5 continents (because he felt like it was cheating to take planes during the first journey). Now, his latest project is España Azul.

 

Our grantee has successfully completed their fieldwork and sampling phase, and at the end of 2023 España Azul will publish their first document on macro-litter with the data collected in the cleaning and scientific sampling on the beaches. In 2024, they will then publish a scientific paper on micro and nano-plastics with all the data and conclusions obtained from the samples taken at sea. 

 

MICHAEL ROSEN

Michael Rosen has experience at a partner and co-founder level in private equity and venture capital funds. He has evaluated, executed and managed investments across many sectors and stages, raised capital, managed teams and worked closely with portfolio companies. He was the COO of a listed investment vehicle, and most recently the CIO of Ocean Born Impact where he oversaw investment strategies focused on companies that positively impact planetary health, emphasizing areas such as the energy transition, clean transportation, sustainable production, and enabling technologies.

 

Earlier in his career, Michael served as a Partner at Pamplona Capital Management, where he was responsible for identifying and managing investment opportunities across various sectors. His career began as an Analyst in the Financial Sponsors Group at Merrill Lynch in London.

 

Michael continues to make and support impactful investments that combine environmental sustainability with technological innovation, leveraging his extensive experience in finance and investment management. His investments include impact-focused businesses such as Olio (food waste), Skin Analytics (Al for skin cancer detection), Bramble Energy (hydrogen fuel cells), and CHOOOSE (carbon-offsetting and mitigation).

 

Michael graduated from Oxford University in 2001 with a first class degree in PPE (Philosophy, Politics and Economics), and in 2024 he published his first novel, The Consciousness Company, about a start-up company.

 

Michael is currently a venture partner for the impact fund, Mustard Seed Maze, and is happy to talk about private equity, venture capital and impact investing.