With 25 years of experience across forestry and environmental stewardship, venture growth, and global finance, Arnoud de Villegas operates at the intersection of nature and capital. As a Partner of Viridian Ecosystems, a natural capital advisory firm, he develops and executes scalable, market-driven solutions that generate sustainable financial returns while enhancing natural assets. He was previously VP of Business Development at Mast Reforestation, a VC-backed reforestation technology company, where he spearheaded carbon product originations and led all growth-oriented initiatives that expanded the company's influence in reforestation and natural capital markets—from Series A through Series B funding rounds—earning recognition on the CNBC Disruptor 50 and TIME Top GreenTech Companies lists. Prior to joining Mast Reforestation, Arnoud served as COO of Growpro Inc., a diversified family agricultural business in Northern California. Day-to-day, he led its principal vertical, Cal Forest Nurseries, the largest independent reforestation stock producer in the American West. Under his leadership, CalForest gained significant market share and produced over 130 million seedlings, meaningfully contributing to large-scale reforestation efforts across the region. Earlier in his career, Arnoud built a strong foundation in global capital markets, raising and managing diverse forms of alternative investment capital in London, New York, and New Delhi. He was head of equity strategies in the US at Petercam Capital, a $250M fund of hedge funds. Backed by Hayground Cove, a $1B hedge fund, he went on to co-lead and complete the first successful SPAC (LSE:AIM) in Indian capital markets history. Thereafter, he managed select investments for the Chairman of GEM, a $1.5B VC and PE group. Building on this foundation, he pivoted to reforestation, applying his expertise to scale impact and develop innovative natural capital solutions. Arnoud serves as a Board Advisor to the University of Montana’s National Science Foundation FARTHER Engine. Its mission is to build an economic engine for regional rural, tribal, and urban communities by advancing nature-based innovations and precision technologies in forests and rangelands.