Our Group

As a family, we have always aspired to create a world where talented individuals can thrive and collaborate to deliver extraordinary results. Our sustainability focus is broad and ranges from driving environmental sustainability to bringing health care and food security to the underserved. More recently, we have engaged in developing clean energy, supporting the sustainability mindset of the next generation and providing access to the world of art for those who have no easy way to engage.

Since 2001, our current generations of the family have continued our purpose with a focus on developing impact investments and philanthropic activities. These efforts have led to the establishment of ViaTalenta Group Ltd. and its operating entities – our family office for impact investment and sustainability.

2021 Letter From Our Family

Dear friends and colleagues,  

In 2020, COVID-19 created turmoil in the world and brought up the fragility of what we have taken for granted. It highlighted everything that divides us. From the extreme disparities in the areas of food and job security, access to health care and education and civil rights, to the day-to-day life challenges faced by all members of society.

As I write this, there is little visibility on how the future will unfold, but I am convinced that we will not, as a society, return to our previous state. As a family, this reality has only strengthened our commitment to economic, environmental and social impact and our belief that sustainability is essential to our common futures; that of our family and the planet we inhabit.

In 2021, we will focus all our efforts on what unites us. We believe that “Creativity is the literacy of our time” and to find solutions to the challenges we are facing, we need to be able to draw on as much and diverse talents as possible. We have added a Media & Entertainment portfolio to reflect this with a focus on “digital creation”. It will promote and enable remote working and learning and provide the world’s creative talents with access to experts, marketplaces and audiences.

We continue to expand and grow our investment portfolios, operating units and collaborations around our themes: food security, sustainable products & services and waste management. Most notable is the addition of Turtle Labs Group, the home of our ViaTalenta Group R&D, to the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme to accelerate the availability of sustainable innovations, technologies and solutions both for our operating units and the ecosystem at large.

In our Energy & Environment portfolio, Turtle Green’s pilot will provide sustainable food security and nutritious leafy greens, beginning in Atlantic Canada. This investment has further expanded to establish a Chair in Precision Agriculture & Modern Farming with a special focus on the indigenous population. Geothermal and hydrokinetic energy continue to be in focus for the portfolio.

In our Health Care portfolio, we have expanded our focus on Wellness, PTSD and relieving poverty with a particular focus on women and children. These investments focus on nutrition, education and local, supporting health care services with other collaborators who share our values. Health Care technologies and innovations in drug delivery are also key areas in these portfolios.

Cultivating talent and fostering a sustainability mind-set through the family’s Education portfolio and ViaTalenta Academy is expanding to include creative arts, knowledge transfer through master – apprentice collaborations and upskilling crisis management and turn-around capabilities in the entrepreneurial and corporate landscape. ViaTalenta Collections will be introducing new sustainable products with smart materials and showcase our new design talents in Summer 2021.

ImpactArt will expand its digital presence to include 12-15 additional artists. Fostering local works for global audiences is essential to provide an outlet for the exchange of perspectives and showcase how we are coping with the current situation.

Looking forward, we shall continue to diversify our portfolios while collaborating, engaging and funding new projects in pursuit of our purpose: “To protect and enhance the human condition”.

Georgio Pauen  

Purpose, Mission & Values

OUR PURPOSE

To protect and enhance the human condition.

 

OUR MISSION

Drive impact and sustainability through investments, philanthropy and personal engagement. Leave a better world for generations to come.

 

OUR VALUES

Exigence – We believe that only the best is good enough.

Honour – We carry out our responsibilities to the highest standards of integrity and transparency.  What we say is what we do.

Curiosity – We have a passion to explore and understand the world around us.

Humanity –  We respect all forms of life. We continuously make constructive interventions to improve the quality of life through our resources and time.

Cultivating talent – We help any individual fulfill their talent and acquire the necessary skills to help create a sustainable future.

Perseverance –  We tirelessly pursue our purpose through innovation and imagination.

Our Group Compass

From our travels around the world, we have identified three fundamental needs to protect the human condition: Food, Water and Shelter. To these, we add Education, Work and Energy as fundamental elements to enhance the human condition.

These six needs form part of our ViaTalenta Group Compass. The Compass drives our investment strategy and underpins all the collaborations and engagements we do.

Our Structure

The Group consists of three main operating hubs:
• ViaTalenta Advisory (Switzerland): our Incubator and Consulting group.
• ViaTalenta Group Investments (Switzerland): our portfolio management hub and home to our global operating units, Turtle Labs, Academy and GMP Productions Company.
• ViaTalenta Group Americas (Canada): our hub for managing operating units across the continent.

In addition, the Group has two not-for-profit entities:
• ViaTalenta Foundation (Switzerland): home to our philanthropic and humanitarian engagements.
• Turtle Labs Americas (Canada): home to our regional R&D centres and collaborations in the continent.

The Group has regional offices in Canada for the Americas and Singapore for Asia.
Links to Group web-sites are below:
www.turtle-labs.com
www.viatalenta-advisory.com
For all philanthropy, please see www.viatalentafoundation.org

 Our Investment Strategy

We strive to deliver exceptional risk-adjusted market returns through investments theses focused on circular, systemic and non-exit driven strategies and engagements in value creation.

We apply our principle of “humanitarian investments” in our five investment portfolios: Energy & Environment; Health Care & Wellness; Education; ImpactArt; and Media & Entertainment. Our portfolios are underpinned by technology and structure to foster regenerative business models.

All our portfolio entities are supported in their development and collaborations, and have access to the Group’s resources, networks, R&D and experts if and when needed to achieve their potential.

We invest in entities that not only fit our values and purpose, but can deliver social, environmental, humanitarian and financial returns. Within the Impact Investment spectrum, we focus primarily on sustainable, theme-based and impact-only opportunities.

ViaTalenta’s definition of “Humanitarian Investments”

“Investments that actively engage in promoting the human welfare and have no prejudice with human suffering on grounds of gender, sexual orientation, religious or national divisions. The goal is to save lives, relieve suffering, and maintain human dignity.”