Interview with Versant: Innovators in Biodiversity Compensation Technology
Biodiversity compensation, the practice of restoring or enhancing ecosystems to offset the environmental impact of development projects, is a critical yet complex process. Navigating this landscape can be time-consuming and challenging.
This is where Versant comes in. We caught up with the team to learn how their AI-driven software leverages species distribution modeling and biome analysis to streamline land identification for restorative projects, accelerating timelines and ensuring compliance.
Q: Tell us about Versant, your story & the work you do
We develop software that identifies land suitable for restorative compensation projects, accelerating project timelines for developers. Our approach integrates species distribution modeling, biome modeling, and a custom habitat module, along with other advanced techniques to deliver precise results. This technology is transforming how compensation work is done in France.
We leverage AI through machine learning in species distribution models and use large language models (LLMs) to extract insights from vast amounts of unstructured data.
Interestingly, ‘Versant’ is actually the third (or maybe fourth) iteration of our name. It all started with Luc Bettaieb and Martin de Stoppani meeting at the Antler program in Paris. We were part of Antler’s first cohort there. Luc and Martin shared a mutual interest in starting an impact-first company, and so teamed up. At first, we explored the wildfire problem space, then pivoted to biodiversity MRV. For a while, we iterated around within the biodiversity-related market until we reached where we are today.
Q: Tell us about the challenges Versant seeks to solve. How are you serving project developers?
Versant develops technology that addresses the challenges posed by stringent environmental regulations in France, particularly the Séquence ERC (avoid, reduce, compensate sequence), which is similar to Biodiversity Net Gain in the UK. For example, solar energy developers must conduct an environmental impact analysis to obtain their construction permit. If their project’s impact on biodiversity cannot be fully avoided or reduced, they must compensate by restoring nearby land.
Versant’s software helps developers identify land with high restoration potential, ensuring that compensation requirements are met efficiently. This significantly speeds up the permitting process, helping developers keep their projects on track while ensuring meaningful environmental outcomes.
While we’re still in our early days, initial feedback from our customers has been very positive. One developer we spoke with manages over 200 hectares of compensation projects annually to meet their development targets. Without software like ours, they would need to subcontract numerous consultancies, incurring significant time, cost, and complexity. Our solution simplifies this process to identify compensation sites efficiently.
Q: What are the current barriers to taking action in this space as you see it: How do project developers currently identify plots of land for restoration projects?
Currently, identifying land for restoration is time-consuming, subjective, and heavily reliant on local legacy knowledge. Developers often engage nearby communities or hire consultancies, we’ve even heard stories of resorting to informal methods like visiting local bars to gather information. This process is costly, slow, and doesn’t always consider the specific compensation type or additionality needed for effective restoration.
Versant flips this problem by providing a data-driven tool that objectively matches project impacts with suitable compensation sites, saving time and streamlining regulatory compliance. We provide our clients with lists of parcels, which according to our methodology, should meet compensation needs.
Q: Where are you going next? What are you working on at the moment? What’s on your current roadmap - and what’s your long-term vision?
This year, we are focused on deepening our customer development and onboarding more clients. On the product side, we’re investing in enhancing our identification tool to increase its accuracy and speed. Our long-term vision is to support project developers through every step of their regulatory compliance journey while staying true to our mission of protecting and preserving natural ecosystems.
Q: Where does Versant sit within the broader category of nature tech? Do you see the evolution and growth of nature tech as a category as directly supporting the work you do?
Within the category of nature tech, a lot of our tech could be considered to be on the monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) layer. Though, as what we do is quite site-specific, we perform a kind of pre-diagnostic at the moment.
Within our specific market segment, we are building tools to replace a lot of manual GIS work, guesswork, and siloed knowledge to empower infrastructure project developers to get their work done while respecting the environment.
As the nature tech sector evolves, we benefit from increased market awareness from investors and attract talented individuals eager to contribute to this growing segment.
Q: What led you to the Nature Tech Collective? How do you think Versant benefits from being associated with the community?
When we were starting out, we were set on the idea of “MRV for biodiversity,” which led us to discover the Nature Tech Collective. The community aspect drew us in, and we’ve greatly benefited from meeting others in the space, learning about different technical approaches, and sharing experiences.
We have also benefited from the Nature Tech Colletive’s mapping of the nature tech community – notably by being connected with our Lead Ecologist, Dr. Greta Carrete Vega during her job search (!) For visibility and being connected with an international talent base, this community has been incredibly helpful!
Q: How do you currently see the direction of travel in terms of the area you operate in? Do you think awareness of challenges and solutions is growing? How does regulation play a role here?
We believe the regulatory space we operate in is relatively stable, especially in Europe. However, with the Trump administration prioritizing economic isolationism and deregulation in the USA, we are closely watching if regulation-heavy Europe will be influenced. Some of this might have a positive effect for the European economy, but perhaps at the expense of climate and nature in the voluntary space. We've already seen signs of this, like recent EU parliament comments on the CSRD. Despite this, we anticipate regulatory requirements for biodiversity compensation to remain strong, reinforcing the need for solutions like ours.
Q: How can others support the work you do?
Spreading the word, continuing to buy renewable energy, and believing that our world can someday look like this Chobani commercial…(!)
Connect with Versant
Luc will be at the Nature Tech Summit and the NTC Unconference in London in March! If you would like to learn more about the work we do, connect with him on LinkedIn to find a time to chat.
