The great rewiring: from VC revolution to ocean economics
N°4 - June 2025
This edition captures a world grappling with systemic vulnerabilities and transformative opportunities: from KiranaPro's complete data wipeout exposing startup cybersecurity gaps to Scotland pioneering ecocide criminalization that could redefine corporate accountability. We explore how family offices hedge against trade war risks while investors like Marie Ekeland redesign venture, and we also share insights on the blue economy's $3 trillion potential amid urgent calls for ocean protection.
Meanwhile, AI's energy consumption threatens to consume half of all data center power by year-end, while agricultural losses from climate change could surge 66% by 2050 without radical insurance reform.
This week's chart from WWF's "Navigating Ocean Risk" report reveals the stunning economic potential of transitioning to sustainable blue economy practices, showing that sustainable practices could save $5.1 trillion across sectors over 15 years compared to $8.5 trillion in value at risk under business-as-usual scenarios.
We hope this curation will drive your own reflections and actions. Please feel free to share it with those who might be interested.
Let’s dive in! 💫
Insights
Jagmeet Singh 🇮🇳 reveals Indian grocery startup KiranaPro was hacked with all servers wiped and 55,000 customer data compromised, including payment details. The attack via a former employee's account destroyed the app code and paralyzed 2,000 daily orders from this voice-based multilingual platform targeting 100 cities expansion. | TechCrunch - TECH - Cybersecurity
Severin Carrell 🇬🇧 reports that Scotland's parliament is considering groundbreaking ecocide legislation that would criminalize severe environmental damage, with company directors facing jail time or heavy fines. The bill, backed by over 50 MSPs across parties, aims to align Scotland with EU environmental crime directives and international moves by nations like Vanuatu and Fiji. This would make Scotland the first UK nation to treat ecocide as seriously as crimes like murder. | The Guardian - ENVIRONMENT - Policy
Molly Taft 🇺🇸 reveals AI now consumes up to 20% of global data center power demand and could reach nearly 50% by year-end, potentially doubling to 82 TWh annually, equivalent to Switzerland's electricity consumption. Her analysis through semiconductor bottlenecks shows AI energy demand will surpass bitcoin mining, complicating Big Tech climate goals as Google's emissions rose 48% since 2019. The lack of transparency from tech giants forces researchers to estimate through hardware production data. | WIRED - AI - Energy
UBS Global Family Office Report 🇨🇭 reveals that 70% of family offices with average $2.7 billion net worth identify global trade war as 2025's biggest investment risk, followed by geopolitical conflict (52%) and inflation. To hedge risks, 40% are increasing active management and 31% adding hedge funds, while precious metals usage grew most year-over-year. Regional allocation remains tilted toward North America (53%) and Western Europe (26%). | UBS - FINANCE
Marie Ekeland 🇫🇷 discusses reinventing venture capital through her regenerative evergreen fund 2050, arguing traditional VC "growth-at-all-costs" models fail sustainability challenges. She advocates for triple performance optimisation and value chain transformation over disruption, warning that with only 5 years before Earth's systems irreversibly leave the "corridor of life," sustainability transformation will outpace digital disruption. | ImpactVC Podcast - FINANCE
Jean-Marc Jancovici 🇫🇷 highlights ECB executive board member Frank Elderson's warning that nature provides vital services worth measuring beyond GDP, noting we use natural resources 1.7 times faster than ecosystems can regenerate. Jancovici argues the financial world fails to account for biodiversity dependence because euros only measure human revenues, not rain, pollinators, or marine life. He emphasizes the need for dedicated biodiversity metrics across the economy, despite implementation costs and the discomfort of confronting necessary changes. | ENVIRONMENT - Finance
European Investment Bank & European Commission 🇪🇺 reveal that EU agriculture loses over €28 billion annually due to adverse weather, with only 20-30% of climate-induced losses currently insured. The groundbreaking study warns losses could increase 66% by 2050 and recommends expanding farm insurance coverage, catastrophe bonds, and rapid-response funding. This analysis highlights critical gaps in Europe's agricultural risk management as climate volatility threatens food security. | EIB - AGRICULTURE - Climate Risk
Sarah Cornell & Johan Rockström 🇸🇪 co-authored a Nature study with Dutch environmental institutes showing all planetary boundaries except ozone depletion will worsen by 2050 under current trends. Their modeling reveals targeted interventions like Paris Agreement implementation and dietary shifts could significantly reduce environmental overshoot, with only the ambitious SSP 1 scenario demonstrating potential to reverse negative trends through universal action. | Nature - ENVIRONMENT - Planetary Boundaries
Kirsten Schuijt 🇳🇱 argues the ocean's $2.5 trillion annual economy remains severely underfunded despite its potential, with coastal communities bearing mismanagement costs while seeing little economic benefit. WWF's SWIO Venture Builder develops community-led enterprises across East Africa, where solar refrigeration systems could increase fisher incomes by 30%. She urges governments to protect 30% of marine areas by 2030. | World Economic Forum - ENVIRONMENT - Blue Economy
Paul Holthus & Jack Hurd 🇺🇸 highlight growing private sector momentum for ocean health ahead of the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, with ocean-based industries positioned to balance economic growth with sustainability. They note the blue economy could reach $3 trillion annually by 2030, with ports alone offering $54 billion in potential savings through nature-positive practices. The World Ocean Council's Smart Ocean platform leverages 100,000 merchant ships and commercial infrastructure to gather critical ocean data. | World Economic Forum - ENVIRONMENT - Blue Economy
Graph of the week
This week's chart from WWF's "Navigating Ocean Risk" report reveals the stunning economic potential of transitioning to sustainable blue economy practices. Real estate leads with over $3 trillion in potential cumulative savings, followed by aquaculture and fisheries approaching $1 trillion each, while ports and tourism offer substantial additional value preservation. The data shows that sustainable practices could save $5.1 trillion across blue economy sectors over 15 years—compared to $8.5 trillion in value at risk under business-as-usual scenarios affecting 66% of global listed companies.
