The Business of Soil Health

S2:E4 – We’re Not Chasing 100x, and that's the Point – with Sara Balawajder from Builders Vision

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What does catalytic capital actually look like in practice?

In this episode, we sit down with Sara Balawajder, Director of Investments at Builders Vision, to go behind the scenes of one of the most active and respected impact investors in food and ag. Sara leads Builders Bridge, a flexible, early-stage portfolio that sits between philanthropy and market-rate capital, with a mandate to unlock system-level change.

We cover:

  • Builders Vision’s North Star goals and how they guide every investment

  • Why 3–5x returns, rather than venture-scale, are their targets for food and ag

  • How Builders Vision blends impact and financial returns through creative structures like redeemable equity

  • What it takes to underwrite risk in long-cycle businesses without power-law expectations

  • The emerging role of debt, downside protection, and offtake infrastructure in Regen Ag

    • Plus: Sara shares a reverse pitch—the biggest gaps she sees, where she wants to invest but hasn’t yet.

    ...more
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