Livelihoods Venture

Livelihoods Venture is a Paris-based impact investment and asset management firm founded in 2011 by Bernard Giraud, specializing in agricultural and ecosystem restoration investments across Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America. The firm is not a traditional venture capital fund; it invests in agricultural and ecosystem restoration projects that generate verified carbon credits and positive social outcomes. Livelihoods manages the Livelihoods Funds family: three Livelihoods Carbon Funds — LCF1 (2011), LCF2 (2017), and LCF3, which reached a €150 million first close in 2021 — and the Livelihoods Fund for Family Farming (L3F). Total investment volume across funds is approximately €160 million. The firm is backed by 21 major corporate investors including Danone, Schneider Electric, Crédit Agricole, Michelin, Hermès, SAP, Mars Inc., Veolia, La Poste, L'Occitane, and Firmenich. Current portfolio projects span five countries in Latin America — Mexico, Guatemala, Brazil, and Peru — with €11 million committed, covering agroforestry, regenerative agriculture, mangrove restoration, blue carbon, watershed management, and REDD+. Projects have improved the lives of over 1 million people, and LCF3 targets 2 million lives improved and 30 million carbon offsets over 24 years. A fourth Carbon Fund is in planning. Livelihoods is led by President and co-founder Bernard Giraud and CEO Eric Soubeiran, who joined in June 2024 following his role as Managing Director of Unilever's €1 billion Climate and Nature Fund. The team of 50 experts spans 12 nationalities, including agronomists, foresters, carbon specialists, and rural development practitioners, providing hands-on project management and scientific rigor across all investment geographies.