CORE TEAM & ADVISORS

We agree with Einstein that we can’t solve our problems with the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.

Our core team is strategically comprised of individuals with non-linear backgrounds and complementary multidisciplinary areas of expertise. This is how breakthroughs have been created throughout history and this is what is needed today to identify and support founders building novel nature-based technologies & solutions.

Our Advisors and Investment Review Committee support with industry expertise, risk assessment, and due diligence at key stages in our investment process.

CORE TEAM

Natalya Wallin

GP & Managing Director

Story: I am a contrarian and high conviction leader. I see opportunity in chaos, go after seemingly intransigent challenges, and I love to beat the odds. That is encoded in my DNA—my grandparents were shipped to Siberian labor camps and came to the United States as refugees to start over. So I come by my relentless drive and endurance honestly. I spent 10 years building and successfully launching a $75M global fund from the ground up in the face of political headwinds. I successfully completed the Moab 240-miler last year (the brutal race that former Navy SEAL David Goggins DNF’d on his first attempt). Today I am applying that mindset to creating a nature-based fund while many are downplaying investing in nature. I am building a multidisciplinary, unconventional team that embraces the almost impossible.

Background: 10+ years experience fundraising, organization building, and fund management

●Fundraising--Raised $75M from family offices, foundations, and governments to address systemic drivers of forced labor risks in target sectors (construction, apparel, migrant labor, financial sector).

●Pipeline development--Developed criteria, diligence & background checks, review processes, and pipeline of projects globally.

●On-the-ground assessments -- Conducted risk assessments in Myanmar, Indonesia, the Philippines, India, and Kenya including in-person meetings with government officials, civil society leaders, and business executives to evaluate teams, timing, and risks.

●Executive leadership & fund management—Served as Director of Strategic Partnerships, Managing Director, and President over the 10-year lifecycle of the fund. Oversaw deployment of resources, impact and KPI reporting to funders, compliance and finance teams; reported to Board of Directors, engaged auditors, and led organizational change including reduction of force and CEO transition post-Covid.

Superpower: Sourcing unique opportunities and overlooked founders. I show up, listen, and connect dots across disciplines and build relationships to get early access to opportunities and be a trusted teammate.

Patrick Livingston

Built Environment Expert & Portfolio Construction

Story: I solve high-stakes engineering and business challenges, from delivering multimillion-dollar infrastructure projects to scaling high-growth teams. I don’t walk away from tough problems—I have spent my entire career at the same firm, seeing projects through from inception to construction, even when they were politically sensitive or on impossible timelines. I have designed infrastructure to withstand hurricanes, rebuilt critical systems in the wake of climate disasters, and led teams through high-pressure, high-stakes challenges. I grew up working on farms, surrounded by the realities of food production, land management, and resource constraints—long before I had the engineering degrees to tackle them at scale. Now, I bring that same mindset to investing in nature-based startups and problem-solving alongside our founders.

Background: 12+ years of experience in engineering, infrastructure, and business leadership

●Project Execution – Delivered more than $1 billion in constructed infrastructure, solving complex technical, regulatory, and financial challenges to bring large-scale projects from concept to completion.

●Business Leadership – Oversees a 50+ person team and $40M in annual revenue, managing operations, risk, strategic partnerships, and growth in a high-stakes environment.

●Technical & Sector Expertise – Holds dual degrees in Civil Engineering and Biological & Agricultural Engineering, plus an MBA from Duke, with expertise in hard tech and infrastructure innovation.

●Industry Network & Partnerships – Deep relationships across engineering, public agencies, and infrastructure decision-makers, connecting startups to customers, partners, and regulators critical for commercialization.

Superpower: Bridging the gap between hard tech innovation, engineering breakthroughs and real-world implementation.

Rollin Nash

Operations & Resource Planning Specialist

Story: I have spent most of my professional career in professions and sectors where my decisions were quite literally life and death. I excel in high stress, ambiguous situations for two reasons: First, I have an innate ability to stay calm under pressure, see the big picture, and direct efforts accordingly. Second, I create organizations that are ruthlessly efficient. Everyone knows what to do, how it fits into the bigger picture, why it matters, and when to make decisions. This is the foundation of every organization and team I have built regardless of size, sector, or complexity. I have lived multiple scenarios where the odds of me being alive to go to work tomorrow were not in my favor, and my absence is not an excuse for the mission to fail or the organization to fall apart. I bring that approach to building a firm and team that is sustainable and resilient for the challenges ahead.

Background: 12+ years of experience in project management, operations, strategic planning, and back office

●Strategic Planning – Planned, resourced, and implemented several multi-million dollar strategic initiatives including First-in-Human clinical trials, proof-of-concept military operations, and organizational transformations.

●Cross-functional Leadership - Led globally distributed teams as small as 4 and as large as 450+ in combat, in the public sector, and in the private sector

●Operational Excellence – Overseeing operational refinement, process creation, structural reorganizations and reporting to senior military and government officials as well as engaging private sector executive leadership.

●Backoffice & HRM  -  Managing program business development projects, Master Schedule creation, Employee Benefits creation, and payroll management, as well as regulatory requirements across the US and internationally for orgs ranging from 35 to 300+.

Superpower: Creating operational excellence and building high performing teams capable of executing in high stakes, high stress environments.

ADVISORS

Dr. Jean Baderschneider*

Advisor, Investor Relations & Climate Finance

Dr. Baderschneider brings 35 years of extensive international experience in supply chain management and logistics, procurement, and capital projects along with a deep understanding of high-risk operations. She is the non-executive Director of Fortescue Metals Group and former VP of Global Procurement at ExxonMobil. She serves on The McCain Institute Board, is a member of the Board of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center and the International Advisory Committee of COP29.

    • Master’s University of Michigan

    • PhD Cornell University

    • Non executive director, Fortescue Metals Group

    • Vice President of Global Procurement and Supply Chain, ExxonMobil

    • Founding Board member and Chair, Global Fund to End Modern Slavery

    • Former member of Board of Directors, Institute for Supply Management and Executive Board of National Minority Supplier Development Council

    • Presidential appointee, US Department of Commerce’s National Advisory Council of Minority Business Enterprises

    • Member of Board of Directors, Nizami Banjavi International Center

    • Board Member, McCain Institute

    • Recipient of Nomi Network’s Corporate Social Responsibility Award

David Balkcom*

Advisor, Finance & Agriculture

David is an experienced advisor to key stakeholders, both public and private, that find themselves in unique situations including start-ups, merger integration, turnaround and transformation, operational due diligence, business plan reviews, and synergy assessments. He has concentrated industry experience in controlled environment agriculture, poultry, consumer durables, dairy, and natural resources/commodities.

    • Executive MBA – Duke University Fuqua School of Business

    • Bachelor of Business Administration, Banking and Finance – The University of Georgia

    • Managing Director FTI Consulting

    • Senior Director- Corporate Finance: Business Transformation, FTI

INVESTMENT REVIEW COMMITTEE

The Vitality Investment Review Committee is an advisory body with diverse and complementary areas of expertise providing feedback on investment opportunities to support the core team on robust evaluation and assessment of risks during due diligence.

Jordan McAlister is Head of Investment & Innovation Strategy with Hyperspace Ventures, a product design, development and investment firm. She has over a decade of experience in corporate venture capital and venture engagement, leading strategic innovation teams partnering with and investing in early-stage startups across verticals including proptech, sustainability, and agtech.

Kate Knight is an executive scaling coach and advisor. She brings 20 years of direct responsibility driving revenue growth, margin performance, operational excellence, talent, and capital allocation, and has grown dozens of ideas from concept to scaled execution. She has deep expertise in real estate, construction, and strategies merging technology, data, and physical assets.

Melissa Kim is an experienced executive, entrepreneur, and Vitality co-founder with deep expertise in leading teams to drive product innovation, business growth, and peak performance. Her focus is advising executives and startups, anticipating obstacles to growth, and proactively addressing business risks and points of potential failure across strategy, operations, and executive teams.

Robin Berry is a former entrepreneur, and Director of Lab to Market Innovation at the Arizona State University Biomimicry Center. She brings expertise in investment banking and 15 years of experience in corporate finance and strategic planning as well as entrepreneurship. She brings deep expertise in biomimicry and how development of new technologies can be aligned with the intelligence of nature to solve industry challenges.

Olivia Hanrahan-Soar is a professional with over a decade of global experience in innovative finance, including impact investing, outcomes-based finance, and microfinance. Her experience spans multiple sectors, including WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene), education, and financial inclusion as well as reforestation efforts as a Board member of Reforest Africa. She brings deep expertise in risk assessment, strategic planning, and organizational analysis.

David Balkcom is Managing Director at FTI and Vitality Fund advisor with deep experience regarding start-ups, merger integration, turnaround and transformation, operational due diligence, business plan reviews, and synergy assessments. He brings expertise in finance, risk assessment, and concentrated industry experience in controlled environment agriculture, consumer durables, and natural resources/commodities.

*Letter of intent to engage.

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