From Orbit to Jungle: Space4Good Scales Satellite Intelligence to Protect the World’s Forests

Courtesy: Space4Good

As deforestation accelerates and planetary boundaries tighten, a new generation of “nature-tech” ventures is using satellites and artificial intelligence to defend ecosystems in real time. Among them, the Hague-based Space4Good has emerged as a standout. The environmental data scale-up has secured new funding led by Arches Capital, with participation from Empower Impact and Indigo Ventures, to expand its forest-monitoring platform FORESTER and bring predictive environmental intelligence to more corners of the planet.

Founded in 2017 by Alexander Gunkel, Space4Good has spent the past eight years refining how satellite imagery and AI can be turned into actionable insights for conservation and sustainable land use. Backed by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Netherlands Space Office (NSO), the company’s flagship platform, FORESTER, provides near-real-time deforestation alerts, risk forecasting, and compliance-ready reporting for forestry companies and conservation organisations.

In pilot projects across Indonesia and Brazil, FORESTER has already shown tangible results: illegal deforestation rates down by roughly 60 percent, and monitoring costs cut by 80 percent. By integrating satellite constellations with ground verification from forest guards and partners like rainforest engineer Willie Smits, Space4Good is bridging technology and local stewardship.

“This investment marks a major milestone,” says Gunkel. “We can now turn eight years of project experience into scalable, impact-rich products that empower communities and companies to safeguard their forests.”

For lead investor Arches Capital, the company’s blend of technical depth and mission-driven culture represents a new model of applied innovation. “We see in Space4Good a rare combination of deep expertise and genuine drive to improve natural ecosystems,” said partner Diederik Stolk. Empower Impact, which backs sustainability-focused SaaS ventures, and Indigo Ventures, the purpose-driven fund founded by entrepreneur Rutger van Zuidam, share that alignment. “FORESTER is already preventing forest fires and illegal logging,” van Zuidam adds. “What’s most impressive is Space4Good’s ability to co-create with local stakeholders on the ground.”

Satellites for Sustainability

Space4Good’s mission, to protect 50 million hectares of tropical rainforest through satellite analytics and predictive AI, reflects a broader shift in the climate-tech landscape. Satellite intelligence is quickly becoming an essential tool for compliance, conservation, and corporate accountability.

Recent years have seen a surge of investment in the space-for-Earth sector. Amsterdam-based Overstory closed a US$14 million Series A in late 2023, led by B Capital and The Nature Conservancy, scaling its AI-driven vegetation-risk platform used by utilities to prevent wildfires and outages. Another Dutch firm, Satelligence, continues to provide real-time deforestation data across global commodity supply chains, from palm oil to cocoa, helping companies meet “zero-deforestation” targets and comply with the upcoming EU Deforestation Regulation.

These companies, together with Space4Good, form part of a fast-maturing ecosystem that blends space data, AI, and local knowledge to build verifiable environmental intelligence. Investors see in them not only climate-risk mitigation tools but the backbone of a new planetary intelligence infrastructure, one capable of translating pixels into protection.

Beyond the Forest Canopy

Space4Good’s next phase will expand FORESTER’s reach across Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Africa, while extending its analytics into carbon verification, ecosystem restoration, and regenerative agriculture. The company’s long-term vision is to democratise access to environmental data, enabling anyone, from NGOs and governments to agrifood companies, to make informed, transparent decisions.

“As we approach ecological tipping points, actionable data becomes the connective tissue between awareness and action,” says Gunkel. “Our goal is to make environmental insight accessible everywhere, anytime, so that protecting and regenerating nature becomes a shared, data-driven responsibility.”