R2 is a fully integrated real estate firm with offices in Chicago, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis.
Today we continue with that entrepreneurial mindset by backing entrepreneurs and managers investing at the edges. We have deep experience and domain expertise in renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, plant-based foods, real estate, and financial markets. We’ve also been active in the creation of a number of investment platforms, having been general partners in both real estate and venture capital funds.
We have no outside investors and thus the ability to take the long view.
Sustainability
Our direct investment focus is on sustainability with an emphasis on renewable energy, environmental markets, and plant-based foods. We invest early, often at the seed round, and take an active role.
Venture Capital
We are active investors in venture capital, effectively managing a fund of funds. Our focus is on early-stage managers with an emphasis on software, biotech, and consumer.
Real Estate
We are an active investor in real estate, farmland, and other real assets, including renewable-energy projects (primarily solar).
New Frontier Farms – Salem, Wisconsin
The Fresh Factory
Cofounded
The Fresh Factory is building a platform for the fresh and plant-based food brands of tomorrow.
Amp Americas
Cofounded
Amp Americas converts waste into renewable, carbon-negative fuels to combat climate change and improve air quality.
Core Portfolio
Our core portfolio consists of companies where we have active roles as cofounders or board members. In general, we seek to leverage our experience as founders and invest early, often at company formation.
Carbon Solutions Group
Carbon Solutions Group is an environmental-asset manager and project developer.
Nate Laurell
Managing Partner
Nate has been an entrepreneur for 20+ years in technology, finance, renewable energy, and real food. He started his first company, Technacity, in his dorm room at the University of Illinois. As a partner in Infinium Capital Management, where he traded everything from carbon to treasuries, he helped lead the transition to electronic trading. For the last ten years, with an emphasis on sustainability, he cofounded Amp Americas and The Fresh Factory. Nate holds a BS and MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He lives and works in Chicago (mostly) but can often be found in Northern California or at New Frontier Farms (and dog rescue) in Wisconsin.
Kristin McCoy
General Partner
Kristin McCoy is a general partner at NFH and a recovering attorney. She practiced reinsurance litigation at Lovells, a large, London-based law firm, for several years but left the law to pursue a freelance career in copyediting (and to be happier). She now edits part-time, mostly articles and books, assists Nate with general investment strategy for NFH, and works closely with the SVP of marketing at Field + Farmer to help execute their joint vision for the emerging plant-based food brand. Kristin holds a BA in English and a JD from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is based in Chicago but spends time in both Northern California and southern Wisconsin. To paraphrase Dani Rojas, dogs are life, and she is proud to have partnered with Alive Rescue to open a new dog rescue on her farm in Wisconsin.
Sean Daley
Partner, Venture Investments
Sean has been investing in or building early stage companies for the last 10+ years. Most recently, he was the Chief of Staff and Head of New Channels at Farmer’s Fridge, where he helped the company raise multiple rounds of financing from leading investors including Innovation Endeavors, Cleveland Avenue, Finistere, and other investors, while supporting Farmer’s Fridge’s launch into retail. Before that, Sean was an Associate Partner at GreatPoint Ventures, a leading venture capital fund whose portfolio includes Uptake, Beyond Meat, VIM, Namogoo, and other industry changing companies. Sean has a Master’s from Columbia University, and a Bachelor’s from Georgetown University. He lives in Chicago and is passionate about technology, climate, music, and running.