In this episode of Investing in Regeneration, Mónica Altamirano de Jong sits down with Sidney Cano - serial regenerative entrepreneur, investor, innovator, and lifelong researcher of regenerative investing - to explore one of the most profound paradigm shifts in finance today: the transition from investments in regeneration to truly regenerative investing.

Drawing on nearly 15 years of experience in business innovation, entrepreneurship, and investing - and grounded in hands-on experimentation with syntropic agriculture, watershed restoration, and community finance in Mexico - Sidney unpacks why investing is not a transaction but a continuum, why there is no such thing as regenerative projects (only regenerative work within living systems), and how finance, when placed in right relationship with economy and investing, can become a force for the emergence of economies of life. From care holders to co-investors, from financial structures to evolving ecosystems, this conversation challenges everything we think we know about where money should go, and why.

▶️ From Impact Investing to Regenerative Investing: Co-Investing with Living Systems

00:00:00 Introduction to Investing in Regeneration

00:01:10 Introducing Sidney Cano: Regenerative Entrepreneur & Lifelong Researcher

00:03:12 The Paradigm Shift: From Investments in Regeneration to Regenerative Investing

00:06:16 Syntropic Agriculture, Living Systems & the Role of the Co-Investor

00:13:00 Why Investors Must Humble Down and Learn With Nature

00:16:29 Sidney's Journey: From Education to Regenerative Investing

00:24:39 The Nested Framework: Economy, Investing & Finance

00:33:22 Deal Origination Reimagined: From Stakeholders to Care Holders

00:36:53 The Acatlan Case: Farmers, Digital Nomads & Regenerative Co-Investment

00:47:04 Lake Chapala: A Long-Term Watershed Regeneration Investment

00:52:41 How Regenerative Investment Structures Differ from Traditional Deals

00:58:03 Removing Finance from the Center of Decision-Making

00:59:04 What One Shift Would You Drive Tomorrow?

Notable Quote:

“We have to remove financing from the center of all our decision-making. The decision-making has to come from the understanding of our right relationship with the ecosystems — and then bring in financing resources in the right position and the right time. Because you can have tons of money and still have no life.” — Sidney Cano

Connect with Sidney:

📱 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sidney-cano-1b0a1813/

💻 Substack: Towards an Economy of Life

Connect with Mónica:

📱 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/altamiranomonicaa/

💻 Website: https://altamira-regen.com/

In this episode of Investing in Regeneration, Mónica Altamirano de Jong sits down with Stephen Hart, Principal Advisor for Nature and Water at the European Investment Bank (EIB), to explore the evolution of nature and climate adaptation finance in Europe.

Drawing on his experience leading the Natural Capital Finance Facility (NCFF), Stephen reflects on more than a decade of experimentation in biodiversity finance, nature-based solutions, and water resilience investments. Together, they unpack what worked, what did not, and why financing nature requires much more than innovative financial instruments.

From funding gaps and ecosystem services to nature credits, water resilience, and landscape-scale restoration, this conversation explores the structural changes needed to move nature finance from isolated success stories to mainstream investment.

▶️ Nature Finance at Scale: Lessons from Europe’s Natural Capital Finance Facility

00:00:00 Introduction to Investing in Regeneration

00:04:06 The Origins and Theory of Change Behind the NCFF

00:13:11 From Financial Engineering to Funding Fundamentals

00:18:05 Expanding the Scope of Nature Investments

00:22:28 Stephen’s Journey into Nature and Finance

00:28:42 How Nature and Adaptation Investments Are Sourced

00:37:16 Financing Nature: Lessons from the NCFF Structure

00:48:10 Building Revenue Models for Nature Restoration

00:50:51 Reducing Transaction Costs in Ecosystem Restoration

00:55:06 Measuring Success Beyond Financial Returns

01:00:16 The Limits of Traditional Banking for Nature

01:02:55 Balancing Nature Restoration, Climate Adaptation, and Human Needs

01:08:28 What Needs to Change to Finance Nature at Scale

Notable Quote:

“When we say we're investing in nature, you can say we're trying to, at the end of this, create biodiversity, create biological growth, or connectivity, but the investing level ultimately comes down to a social and economic level that lies on top of it. That is really where you can create things that were not there before.” - Stephen Hart

Connect with Stephen:

📱 LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/stephen-d-hart

💻 Website: https://www.eib.org/en/stories/climate-change-biodiversity

Connect with Mónica:

📱 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/altamiranomonicaa/

💻 Website: https://altamira-regen.com/

Produced by Ideablossoms

In this episode of Investing in Regeneration, Mónica Altamirano de Jong sits down with Ana Carolina Argolo, Director at Brazil’s National Water and Sanitation Agency (ANA), to explore one of the most ambitious institutional reforms in Latin America’s infrastructure sector: Brazil’s new water and sanitation framework.

Together, they unpack how Brazil is moving from a fragmented and uncertain system toward a coordinated, investment-oriented model designed to achieve universal access to safe drinking water and sanitation by 2033. Ana explains how regulatory clarity, regional coordination, and long-term planning are helping unlock billions in private investment while strengthening public accountability, social inclusion, and environmental resilience.

From public-private collaboration to place-based investment blueprints, this episode reveals why water governance -by bringing all actors in right relationship with each other- is ultimately about building institutions capable of sustaining long-term resilience beyond political cycles.

▶️ Brazil’s Water & Sanitation Reform: Building Universal Access Through Governance & Investment

00:00:00 Introduction to Investing in Regeneration

00:05:59 Brazil’s New Water & Sanitation Framework

00:09:18 The Role of the Private Sector in Universal Access

00:12:09 The Theory of Change Behind the Reform

00:15:08 Ana’s Journey into Water Governance

00:20:43 Coordinating Stakeholders Across the Investment Cycle

00:25:25 ANA’s Expanded Regulatory Mandate

00:30:44 Lessons Learned from Six Years of Reform

00:34:35 Financing Models, PPPs & Investment Structures

00:41:30 Water, Human Dignity & Economic Resilience

00:46:05 Standardizing Principles Without Homogenizing Realities

00:50:38 Beyond the Public vs Private Debate

Notable Quote:

“ Brazil is a continental country with very unequal realities, so implementing capacity is still uneven across the regions in Brazil. But what is also important is that the sector now has a clearer direction, a stronger institutional coordination, and long-term targets that are helping to align public and private actors around a common agenda.” - Ana Carolina Argolo

Connect with Ana:

📱 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ana-carolina-argolo/

💻 Website: https://www.gov.br/ana/en

Connect with Mónica:

📱 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/altamiranomonicaa/

💻 Website: https://altamira-regen.com/

Produced by Ideablossoms

In this episode of Investing in Regeneration, Mónica Altamirano de Jong is joined by Nancy Santullo, founder of Rainforest Flow, and Samuel Schwan, board president and philanthropist, to explore a powerful, place-based model delivering clean water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services to indigenous communities in the Peruvian Amazon.

What begins as access to clean water evolves into something much deeper: improved health, strengthened social cohesion, empowered communities, and healthy forest and freshwater ecosystems that ensue. Nancy and Samuel share how a community-driven, culturally integrated approach, built over 20+ years, has not only reduced disease dramatically but also fostered cooperation, local ownership, and long-term sustainability.

▶️ How Community-Driven WASH Systems Transform Health, Ecosystems & Social Cohesion

00:00:00 Introduction to Investing in Regeneration

00:04:06 The Rainforest Flow Model: Water, Sanitation & Community Ownership

00:09:32 Theory of Change and Paradigm Shifts

00:16:31 The Birth of Rainforest Flow

00:23:17 Samuel’s Journey: Emergency Response to Philanthropy

00:26:48 Designing Resilient, Adaptive Water Systems

00:33:17 Barriers to Scaling: Policy, Procurement & Investment

00:40:10 Funding: Philanthropy, Fees & Long-Term Sustainability

00:49:15 Climate Resilience and Portable Infrastructure Design

00:52:47 Participation, Ownership & Indigenous Leadership

00:59:19 Bottlenecks: Investment in Ecosystems vs. People

01:04:10 Lessons for Scaling Regenerative Infrastructure

Notable Quotes:

“Clean water is the entry point, but transformation is the outcome.” - Nancy Santullo

“The results don't line up with what you're hoping for when you don't meet people where they're at, listen to them, and work with them throughout the entire process. I think that's the Rainforest Flow success model.” - Samuel Schwan

Connect with Nancy & Samuel:

📱 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysantullo/

📱 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuel-schwan-b9753a338/

💻 Website: https://rainforestflow.org/

Connect with Mónica:

📱 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/altamiranomonicaa/

💻 Website: https://altamira-regen.com/

Produced by Ideablossoms

In this episode of Investing in Regeneration, Mónica Altamirano de Jong sits down with Illya Azaroff—architect, educator, disaster responder, and President of the American Institute of Architects—to explore how regenerative design can transform the way we plan, finance, and build for a climate-challenged world.

They explore the evolving role of architects as systems thinkers and conveners, capable of bridging communities, ecosystems, and finance. From indigenous knowledge to ecosystem services, from long-term trust to financial fear, this conversation reveals what it takes to move from sustainable projects to regenerative systems.

▶️ President of the American Institute of Architects: The Role of Architects as Systems Thinkers  and Conveners Bridging Communities, Ecosystems & Finance

00:00:00 Introduction to Investing in Regeneration

00:04:32 Architects as Systems Thinkers and Conveners

00:14:08 Personal Journey and Purpose

00:18:31 Investment Planning and  Urban Transformation Processes

00:29:22 From Planning to Implementation

00:37:50  How Do You Conceptualize and Measure Resilience Impacts?

00:44:32 Empowering Participation: The Key Role of Indigenous Communities

00:49:41 Regenerative Economies and Circular Systems

00:59:01 Where Breakthrough Is Needed

Notable Quote:

“The way that we're doing our work, the teams we're doing our work with, and the type of outcome that we are seeing come forward has never been built on this planet ever. That is what regenerative design is. You're seeing things that no one has ever done before.” - Illya Azaroff

Connect with Illya:

📱 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/illya-azaroff-faia-3b11b08/

💻 Website: https://www.aia.org/

Connect with Monica:

📱 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/altamiranomonicaa/

💻 Website: https://altamira-regen.com/

This episode was produced by Ideablossoms

Welcome to the Investing in Regeneration podcast with Mónica Altamirano de Jong. In each episode, Mónica will be going beyond theory and exploring a real initiative, fund, or investment through three lenses: understanding, planning, and financing.

In this episode, Mónica sits down with Valeria Ramundo Orlando, co-founder of Green Square Ventures, to explore the Equilibrium Climate Capital Fund.

Valeria shares why climate adaptation is not just a risk mitigation strategy but one of the greatest investment opportunities of our time. Together, they explore how private equity can be used not to extract value, but to build companies, strengthen local economies, and future-proof communities.

▶️ Investing in Climate Adaptation: How Private Equity Can Build Companies & Future-Proof Communities

00:00:00 Introduction to Investing in Regeneration

00:03:50 The Equilibrium Climate Capital Fund

00:12:05 The Origin Story: From Data to Decision

00:20:26 The Role of Partnerships

00:32:17 Private Equity Over Credit

00:38:09 Competing with Global Capital Markets

00:42:25 Empowering Local Agency Through Investment

00:50:24 Balancing Local Context with Scalable Finance

00:59:24 Building a Fund That Must Succeed

01:01:38 Fixing the System with two magic wands

Notable Quote from Episode 1: Investing in Climate Adaptation

“We wanted to mainstream adaptation and resilience. We don't want it to be something that is challenging or hard to do. It needs to become something that every single company will build with resilient guidelines, with tools, with the technology that is needed to future proof all assets, infrastructure, and services.” - Valeria Ramundo Orlando

Connect with Valeria:

📱 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valeria-ramundo-orlando-1796053/

💻 Website: https://greensquare-ventures.com/

Connect with Mónica

📱 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/altamiranomonicaa/

💻 Website: https://altamira-regen.com/

This episode was produced by Ideablossoms

Welcome to Investing in Regeneration, a podcast about changing how we understand, plan, and finance projects, so that finance becomes a driver for better decisions, not just the last step in the process.

Hosted by Mónica Altamirano de Jong, each episode unpacks a real deal or initiative through three lenses: understanding, planning, and financing — bringing together the people who originate deals, structure the finance, and make regenerative investment happen on the ground.

The real bottleneck isn't capital. It's how investments are originated, structured, and brought to bankability.

This podcast exists to change that.

▶️ What you'll hear in this trailer:

Voices from the first episodes — on climate adaptation, regenerative design, private equity, indigenous knowledge, and the financial systems that can either hold us back or move us forward to a better future.

Connect with Mónica:

📱 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/altamiranomonicaa/

💻 Website: https://altamira-regen.com/

Produced by Ideablossoms