ESG & Responsible Investing at Our Fund

We invest in businesses and properties that should still matter a decade from now. That requires more than returns. It requires responsibility.

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ESG Criteria: Environmental, Social & Governance Standards

Environment

We avoid assets dependent on extractive practices or unsustainable inputs. Real estate projects must meet clear standards on water use, energy efficiency, and long-term land impact. Consumer brands in our portfolio are screened for ingredient transparency, packaging footprint, and supply-chain accountability. If a company cuts corners on the environment, it won’t scale – and we won’t fund it.

Social

We work with founders and operators who build things that improve everyday life: healthier products, safer places, and useful technologies. Our diligence looks at how employees are treated, who benefits from the product, and whether the business model creates real value instead of speculation. No “growth at all costs.” If a venture cannot defend its impact in plain language, we move on.

Governance

Clear rules protect everyone. We use institutional controls: audited reporting expectations, independent counsel, defined manager authority, and transparent investor rights. No back-room deals, no heroic assumptions, no hidden liabilities. The fund exists to protect LP capital first, then participate in upside through disciplined execution.

Why ESG Matters: Long-Term Value and Impact

Poor governance destroys capital. Weak social alignment kills brands. Environmental shortcuts become liabilities. Strong ESG standards reduce downside risk and increase the odds that our holdings stay valuable when markets tighten.

(In other words, good businesses endure because they are built correctly.)

ESG & Impact Framework

How Third Salt Venture Fund underwrites impact alongside returns

The fund is not an ESG-only product, but every investment is scored on environmental, social, and governance factors before capital is deployed and again at exit.

E

Environmental

Real assets and operators are screened for resource use, footprint, and resilience.

✓ Energy use and efficiency tracked at the asset level where data is available.
✓ Preference for projects that improve land, water, or habitat quality over the hold period.
✓ Product companies evaluated for packaging, sourcing, and supply-chain footprint.

S

Social

Focus on long-term community value, stakeholder alignment, and employee outcomes.

✓ Management teams reviewed for track record of fair employment and vendor practices.
✓ Projects evaluated for local economic impact and quality-of-life improvements.
✓ Consumer brands prioritized where products support wellness, longevity, or animal health.

G

Governance

Governance is where risk shows up first, so it is underwritten as tightly as projected returns.

✓ Clear operating agreements, reporting duties, and decision rights before capital is funded.
✓ Alignment checks: GP co-investment, incentive structures, and downside protection.
✓ Annual review of each portfolio company’s governance and controls during the hold period.

These factors are part of the fund’s qualitative underwriting process and do not represent a dedicated “ESG fund” strategy. Metrics are illustrative, non-promissory, and may evolve over time.

Screened Pipeline 100% of deals

Impact Priority Real estate & wellness

Review Cadence At entry & annually

Legacy Stewardship

We aren’t collecting assets. We’re building things that last. The Third Salt Venture Fund portfolio is selected with the assumption that future owners, our children, our successors, or buyers we haven’t met yet, will inherit what we create.

That forces a higher bar: no quick flips, no disposable brands, no projects that collapse when the next cycle turns.

Stewardship is not a slogan. It’s a constraint. If an investment cannot survive new leadership, changing tastes, or a tougher market, it doesn’t belong in our fund.

ESG Matrix

How core strategies map to environmental, social, and governance priorities

R Real Estate

Thornburgh

Water accountability and seasonal-use planning reduce long-term environmental risk while aligning with Central Oregon’s growth constraints. Governance is supported by clear land-use entitlements and developer oversight.

C Consumer

Good Dawg Gravy

Clean ingredients, transparent dosing, and single-serve packaging reduce waste and create measurable social benefit: healthier dogs, lower vet bills, and responsible use of cannabinoids.

F Footwear

Bowwow

Designing for daily movement improves human and pet wellness; supply chain partners are screened for labor compliance, and materials are chosen to minimize end-of-life impact rather than optimize margin.

T Frontier Tech

Fund Policy

Only tools that solve real problems, operate under defined data policies, and do not rely on exploitative labor or regulatory arbitrage are considered.

How We Implement ESG: Due Diligence & Oversight

ESG is not a mandate. It’s a filter. If an investment can’t pass it, we don’t touch it.

See how ESG shows up in our Portfolio