Nature Intelligence for Business Grand Challenge Announces 12 Finalists

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), Conservation X Labs (CXL), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) announced today the finalists of the Nature Intelligence for Business Grand Challenge, a global competition advancing practical tools that help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) understand and manage how their businesses depend on—and impact—nature.

The Grand Challenge will award a shared prize purse of $100,000 in funding to accelerate solutions that deliver actionable "nature intelligence" based on the TNFD's LEAP (Locate, Evaluate, Assess, and Prepare) approach. Winning teams will also have opportunities to work with TNFD, CXL, UNDP, and partners to strengthen their solution and expand real-world adoption.

Nature is increasingly recognized as a material business issue, from water availability and soil health to pollination, coastal protection, and exposure to hazards such as floods, fires, and drought. As ecosystems degrade and biodiversity declines, companies and investors are under rising pressure to assess their nature-related dependencies, impacts, risks, and opportunities. TNFD's LEAP approach and its recommended metrics provides a structured approach for companies of all sizes to understand their potential nature-related issues, but many smaller businesses have limited resources and expertise that can make it difficult to apply in practice.

The Nature Intelligence for Business Grand Challenge is designed to close that gap by surfacing innovations that reduce cost, complexity, and time, while producing credible, decision-ready outputs consistent with the TNFD's LEAP approach and leveraging the TNFD's recommended metrics.

"Every business in every sector—from a small family-owned farm or coffee cooperative; to a mid-size construction company; or a large multinational retailer—has dependencies and impacts on nature that can lead to risks and opportunities for their business and those of their downstream customers," said Tony Goldner, CEO of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures. "SMEs are often the most exposed, and so it is critical they have access to tools to help assess their nature-related issues. Nature intelligence is the new frontier of business intelligence and good business strategy. We are thrilled to have had over 380 applications to the Grand Challenge and look forward to seeing the solutions that our finalists can come up with to meet the needs of the world's 300 million SMEs."

Selected from a global pool of applicants, the finalists represent a range of approaches, including open-source data platforms, low-bandwidth mobile tools, automated LEAP workflows, and natural-capital rating systems.

Finalists of the Nature Intelligence for Business Grand Challenge include:

Darwin Data (France) is the developer of a digital platform meant to leverage basic inputs about locations, products, and suppliers, then supply customers with analysis and recommended actions.

Dunya Analytics (USA) is a platform that seeks to help customers identify nature-associated vulnerabilities and prioritize investments.

IDEEA Group (Australia) specializes in natural capital accounting. They aim to measure the benefits of nature, leading to effective environmental performance reporting and sustainable decision making.

Innovanalisis (Colombia) is developing a solution that uses GIS-based landscape intelligence and other monitoring indicators to allow businesses to treat nature as a strategic asset.

Fair Trade USA (USA) is developing a low-tech, step-by-step method that adapts TNFD's LEAP approach for agricultural SMEs.

GeoXpr (France) is developing a lightweight, automated nature-risk intelligence platform enabling SMEs to run TNFD-aligned assessments with minimal data, expertise, or cost.

Kuyua (Germany) is the developer of an AI-powered platform intended to help customers understand and manage business risks associated with biodiversity loss and climate change.

LandPrint (USA) is a team of scientists, agronomists, and finance professionals developing a data intelligence platform to assess nature-related risks and opportunities.

Marvin (Brazil) is building an AI-native supply chain infrastructure meant to reduce risk, elevate trust, and unlock market access.

Mozaic Earth (UK) is the developer of a platform intended to allow SMEs to collect data with their smart phones, then produce site-level ecosystem condition analysis.

Prismo (Germany) is a company that leverages geospatial, nature, and business insights and combines them with AI technology in an effort to provide customers with science-based nature risk assessments.

Space Eagle Enterprises (South Africa) develops products for broadband connectivity and next-generation Earth-observation intelligence for governments, enterprises, and communities across Africa.

"A rigorous screening process helped identify twelve finalists representing diverse geographies and contexts, including developing countries and those working with developing countries where the world's most biodiverse regions are concentrated," said Maxim Vergeichik, Head of Nature Investments for the United Nations Development Programme. "It is exciting to see the depth of talent working on the practical integration of nature considerations into the core business activities of small and medium enterprises. We look forward to testing these shortlisted solutions in collaboration with real enterprises to assess their applicability and scalability."

Finalists will continue through the Grand Challenge as they refine their solutions and demonstrate how their approaches can help SMEs generate credible nature intelligence aligned to the LEAP approach and the TNFD recommended metrics that supports business resilience, supply-chain requirements, and emerging disclosure expectations.

About the Nature Intelligence for Business Grand Challenge:

The Nature Intelligence for Business Grand Challenge is a global competition convened by the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), Conservation X Labs (CXL), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to accelerate solutions that help SMEs better assess and act on nature-related issues based on TNFD's LEAP approach and recommended metrics.

About the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD):

The Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) is comprised of 40 business and finance leaders from around the world and was launched in 2021 with the support of the G20. TNFD provides recommendations and guidance for market participants and other stakeholders about how nature beyond climate should be assessed, managed and reported. It has built a global movement of support and action, including over 730 organisations and over USD 22 trillion in assets under management (AUM) now committed to reporting their nature-related issues aligned with the TNFD recommendations published in September 2023. The TNFD recommendations build on the previous approach and recommendation of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and are aligned with the impact standards of the GRI, the European Union's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the sustainability reporting standards of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB).

About Conservation X Labs:

Conservation X Labs (501c3) is a nonprofit innovation organization dedicated to addressing the underlying drivers of human-induced extinction. We do this by harnessing technology, entrepreneurship, and open innovation to transform how conservation's biggest challenges are solved. We have run 20 global prizes and challenges, supported 177 game-changing innovations, deployed monitoring tools tracking over 280 species, and helped expand protection to 393,000 hectares of critical habitat. By breaking down silos and championing collaboration, we build bold solutions that deliver measurable impact for people and nature.

About UNDP: UNDP is the leading United Nations organization fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet. Learn more at www.undp.org/nature or follow @UNDP. 1 UN Plaza, New York, NY 10017 | www.undp.org

Media Contact:

Christopher Moyer
Director of Strategic Communications and Marketing, Conservation X Labs
[email protected]

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SOURCE Conservation X Labs