The Nest Family Office

What The Nest Family Office does

The Nest Family Office (TNFO NV) is a private Belgian single-family office founded in 2021 by Els Thermote, the former CEO of TVH Americas, and headquartered in Sint-Genesius-Rode, Belgium. The firm operates with a team of 8 members and invests exclusively in the food and agriculture sector, managing a portfolio of approximately 35 investments that spans direct equity stakes in operating companies and participations in venture and growth funds. Geographic focus is concentrated in Europe and North America. Capital is sourced from a family liquidity event tied to the founder's prior industrial career, and the firm explicitly applies a "systemic investing" lens targeting the food system value chain.

Beyond capital allocation, the firm has expanded into direct operating activities and mission-aligned initiatives. It owns and operates Domaine de Graux, a 120-hectare organic and regenerative farm that received B Corp certification in June 2025. It runs the Food As Medicine Foundation, a philanthropic vehicle focused on nutrition and health, and publishes Rooted Magazine to amplify thought leadership in regenerative food systems. In 2026, the firm led a €2.7 million funding round in Lowi, an AI workflow automation company, demonstrating active direct investing in technology-enabled food and agriculture businesses.

The economic model is that of a family office: returns are generated through portfolio investment gains rather than fees or operating revenue. The firm does not charge management fees, does not accept external capital, and does not disclose AUM or performance. Its competitive position is built on sector specialization, a curated portfolio of ~35 food and agriculture assets, and a mission-driven brand that supports deal access in the regenerative and impact-investing ecosystem.

Name

The Nest Family Office

Legal name

TNFO NV

Website

https://thenestfo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Nest Family Office is a Belgian single-family office founded in 2021 by former TVH Americas CEO Els Thermote, investing exclusively in food and agriculture across Europe and North America through a portfolio of approximately 35 direct investments and fund participations, supported by direct operating activities including a regenerative farm and philanthropic foundation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Family Office Investment Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394), Other Financial Investment Activities (5239)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Family Office Investment Platforms & Direct Investing (PE/VC/Co-Invest) (FSAAADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family Office Advisory & Outsourced CIO (OCIO) (FSAAADAC), Family Office Administration & Operations (Accounting, Reporting, Payroll) (FSAAADAD)

Keywords

• Family office investing
• Food and agriculture venture capital
• Regenerative agriculture investments
• Impact investing services
• Private equity food systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Berchem

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Investment Returns: The Nest generates returns through equity investments, venture capital fund participations, and direct investments in food and agriculture companies creating more resilient food systems.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Nest Family Office invests family capital directly into food and agriculture companies and venture capital funds that are building more resilient food systems, spanning from soil to stomach across roughly 35 portfolio positions in Europe and North America. Beyond capital, it provides strategic advisory, thought partnership, and network access to portfolio companies across their full lifecycle, from startup to maturity. It supplements this investment activity with an owned organic regenerative farm (Domaine de Graux), a philanthropic foundation (Food As Medicine Foundation), and a content arm (Rooted Magazine).

Product overview

The Nest Family Office operates as a Belgian investment firm focused on transforming the food system. Rather than a unified technology product, the organization offers investment services in food and agriculture (with approximately 35 portfolio companies and funds), manages an organic regenerative farm (Domaine de Graux), operates a philanthropic foundation (Food As Medicine Foundation), and publishes an impact magazine (Rooted). The investment portfolio spans from soil to stomach, covering regenerative agriculture, aquaculture, food distribution, and nutrition measurement companies and funds.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Rooted: Impact magazine about rethinking the food system from the ground up
• Food As Medicine Foundation

Products and services

• Food and Agriculture Investment Portfolio Direct equity investments and fund-of-funds participation in approximately 35 companies and venture capital funds developing regenerative agriculture, sustainable food production, nutrition measurement, and food distribution innovations across Europe and North America. The portfolio spans from soil to stomach across companies, asset classes, and stages.
• Domaine de Graux Organic Regenerative Farm A 120-hectare organic regenerative farm in Doornik, Belgium with crops, vegetable gardens, orchards, and livestock. Certified organic since 2011 and B Corp certified since 2025, the farm operates as a living laboratory for agroecological practices and hosts events and learning experiences to accelerate the transition to agroecology.
• Food As Medicine Foundation A philanthropic foundation dedicated to building a resilient, regenerative food system where everyone has access to nutritious, living food and understands the connection between soil health, nutrition, and human well-being. Supports initiatives in Kids + Food and Farmers programs.
• Rooted Magazine An impact magazine rethinking the food system from the ground up, featuring long-form narratives from farmers, founders, and scientists, impact data, and stories about companies building a more sustainable food system.
• Agroecology Events and Learning Experiences at Domaine de Graux Educational events and learning experiences hosted at Domaine de Graux farm to accelerate the transition to agroecology, targeting entrepreneurs, farmers, and food system stakeholders.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Food As Medicine FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Nest supports the Food As Medicine Foundation, which is dedicated to building a resilient, regenerative food system where everyone has access to nutritious, living food and understands the connection between soil health, nutrition, and human well-being. The foundation supports initiatives in Kids + Food and Farmers programs.
• Domaine de GrauxcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Nest owns Domaine de Graux, a 120-hectare organic, regenerative farm in Doornik, Belgium, certified organic since 2011. The farm serves as a living laboratory for agroecological practices and hosts events to accelerate the transition to agroecology.
• Domaine De GrauxcoreOthersOrganic, regenerative farm in Doornik, Belgium - owned by The Nest Family Office
• Smithsonian InstitutionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreensphere partnership with Smithsonian to expand Gaia Sciences Innovation Global Natural Sciences Platform focusing on climate adaptation, biodiversity, agriculture, oceans and resilient global supply chains

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Creadev: Single-family investment arm of the Mulliez family (French retail dynasty) investing in impact, sustainability, and consumer/food themes. Peer as a European family-owned investment vehicle with similar long-term horizon and impact orientation, though with broader sector coverage.
• Pontifax AgTech: Dedicated food and agriculture technology venture fund investing globally in life sciences, crop science, and supply-chain innovation. Peer given matched food/ag focus, similar stage profile, and comparable multi-sub-sector investment approach.
• Pymwymic: European impact-led investor building healthy food systems through early-stage equity investments. Peer given shared healthy-food-system thesis, comparable European base, and cross-relationship (Pymwymic is a portfolio fund of The Nest).
• Synthesis Capital: Specialist VC focused on alternative protein and food-tech companies. Direct peer in the alternative protein / food-tech sub-thesis; both Synthesis and The Nest deploy capital into alternative protein, with Synthesis also a portfolio fund of The Nest.
• Astanor Ventures: European impact VC fund dedicated to food and agriculture transformation, investing across the value chain from soil to consumer. Highly comparable as both The Nest and Astanor back the same food-system thesis and appear as cross-co-investors (Astanor is a portfolio fund of The Nest).
• AgFunder: Global agrifoodtech venture capital platform deploying capital across the food and agriculture value chain. Direct peer in food/ag VC; AgFunder is also a portfolio fund of The Nest (AgFunder IV), reflecting overlapping investment universes.
• S2G Ventures: US-based specialist VC investing in food, agriculture, and ocean technology with a focus on sustainability and impact. Direct peer given overlapping food/ag thesis, comparable stage (early–growth), and similar portfolio composition across supply chain, protein, and soil.
• Aqua-Spark: Dutch impact investment fund focused exclusively on sustainable aquaculture across the value chain. Peer given shared food-system / sustainability thesis and aquaculture exposure; also a portfolio fund of The Nest.

Broad incumbents

• Triodos Investment Management: European impact investment manager with food and agriculture as a long-standing investment theme. Peer because of the shared food-system impact mandate and European base, though Triodos operates at significantly larger AUM and broader scale.
• Generation Investment Management: Large sustainable investment manager integrating ESG and impact into public and private equity strategies. Comparable as a broader incumbent play on sustainability investing with broader mandates and substantially larger AUM, overlapping with The Nest's impact thesis at a different scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thenest-drivingimpact

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments9 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Nest Family Office