2050 is a science-led investment firm. By investing, we help shape the world of tomorrow, and as such, need to take responsibility for that world. To do that, we work closely with the scientific community, such as our partners at the Stockholm Resilience Centre (SRC), to understand where they see the most urgent problems and transformative solutions.
One insight has become increasingly clear: to ensure habitability and continued economic flourishing (code word for tackling the climate crisis), we must restore nature’s ability to do its job. That means investing in nature-based solutions that are fast, resilient, and commercially scalable. This led us to Coral Vita.
Why reefs matter
Coral reefs are nurseries, feeding grounds, and shelter for about 25% of all marine species, even though they cover less than 1% of the ocean floor. Their structures reduce wave height by up to 97%, protecting beaches, mangroves, homes, and infrastructure from storms, floods, and erosion. And many parts of the world depend on their aesthetics and biodiversity to generate tourism income. In total, it is estimated that coral reefs generate around $2.7 trillion in ecosystem services each year and that one billion people depend on them.
Yet, we have lost around half of all corals since the 1960s, and without intervention, scientists project that up to 90 percent could vanish by 2050. The problem isn’t a lack of biological resilience; corals have survived warmer times. The problem is the break‑neck pace of today’s warming, acidification, and pollution, which leaves reefs no time to adapt.
A restoration model scale
Founded by Sam Teicher and Gator Halpern while at Yale, Coral Vita pioneered the world’s first commercial, land-based coral reef restoration farm. Drawing on the breakthrough research of Dr. David Vaughan (microfragmentation) and the late Dr. Ruth Gates (assisted evolution), the company can grow climate-resilient corals up to 50 times faster than they grow in the wild. These corals are later out-planted onto degraded reefs with survival rates of up to 90%.
To scale their work, the team developed BrainCoral, a proprietary platform that combines sensors, hardware, and AI-driven software to optimise growth conditions, monitor survival rates, and improve unit economics, making large-scale reef restoration not only possible, but commercially viable.
Coral Vita has already cultivated more than 100,000 corals across 52 species in The Bahamas, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Saba, doubling fish populations in restored zones and generating multimillion‑dollar revenues.
We’re proud to be part of this $8.2 million Series A round led by Builders Vision with participation from us, Katapult Ocean, iAlumbra, BDT & MSD, Rypples, Colorado Coral, Rising Tidem, Aureolis Ventures, and notable angel investors. We believe Coral Vita will accelerate a restoration economy where healthy reefs, thriving coastal societies, and attractive returns coexist, and are excited to support them on this journey. When science leads finance, capital derisks itself.
