How Storytelling & Community Are Powering the Climate Movement

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From classrooms to social media feeds, culture is the underdog climate weapon. When storytelling inspires communities, the ripple effect becomes unstoppable.

Climate innovation isn’t only about technology or carbon maths. Deep cultural impact, through education, media and community‑led action, is building resilience, changing minds and directing capital.

This week we explore three ventures using narrative, engagement and emotion to scale climate impact, and why these often‑overlooked sectors are fertile ground for mission‑aligned investment.

1. Earth Cubs – education through storytelling

Earth Cubs turns climate learning into narrative journeys for primary school children. Their curriculum‑aligned video episodes, stories and interactive pledges transform eco‑anxiety into action. The platform has built a community of more than 50 000 teachers and 9 000 schools across 140 countries, who use Earth Cubs’ videos, resources and podcasts to inspire children about environmental, sustainability and climate topics.

Insight For investors: The scale of Earth Cubs’ educator network signals strong adoption and global reach.

Check out the EarthCubs opportunity on the Blue Earth Venture Members portfolio page.

Insight For founders: Connect emotionally before you educate; communities built around narrative stick for years.

🎥 Toby Hunt shares how EarthCubs is turning guilt-free screen time into a global movement, using fun, storytelling, and education to spark a love for sustainability in the next generation.

2. AimHi Earth – training nature‑first teams

AimHi Earth delivers live, interactive climate training for educators and corporate staff. Their sessions are supported by Cambridge Zero, the UN Environment Programme and the Eden Project, and they work with multinationals like PepsiCo, Unilever and Molson Coors. In May 2024 they closed a £1 million funding round to help upskill 100 million nature‑first employees. According to their impact data, 92 % of attendees make tangible behaviour changes after training and 91 % use AimHi’s teachings to elicit positive change in others

Insight For investors: Training‑as‑a‑product builds ambassadors, not just users, and the mix of corporate clients and measurable behavioural outcomes shows commercial traction.

Check out the AimHi Earth opportunity on the Blue Earth Venture Members portfolio page.

Insight For founders: Don’t underestimate education and capacity building. Equipping teams with tools and community can be a sustainable, scalable business model.

3. Hardest Adventures – adventures as media

Born from endurance legend Russ Cook’s 16 000‑kilometre run across Africa, Hardest Adventures has joined the Blue Earth Ventures portfolio. The company is building what it calls the world’s first creator‑led media and adventure brand, harnessing Cook’s grit and business strategist Alex Taylor’s systems thinking.

• Authenticity meets scale: Their Kilimanjaro pilot film drew over 30 000 applicants for just five places, demonstrating demand for experiences that blend challenge, connection and storytelling.

• Multi‑revenue model: Hardest Adventures monetises through brand‑funded free trips, paid experiences, media and IP licensing, and co‑branded products. Every touchpoint, from the first Instagram reel to the summit step, is designed to be both impactful and investable.

Insight For investors: This is more than an influencer brand, it’s a new category in the adventure economy where content, community and purpose converge.

Check out the Hardest Adventures opportunity on the Blue Earth Venture Members portfolio page.

Insight For founders: Narrative isn’t a marketing add‑on; it can be the business. When your community sees themselves in the story, they’ll follow you up the mountain.

🎥 Russ Cook and Alex Taylor share how Hardest Adventures is redefining what it means to move with purpose, blending mission, media and expeditions into a bold new business model that’s capturing the attention of investors and adventurers alike.

Why culture‑driven impact matters

• Emotion scales faster than tech. Stories build trust; they convert passive audiences into advocates.

• Education and narrative anchor impact to identity. When people see themselves in the climate story, they stay engaged.

• Visual media multiplies return. Well‑crafted content gets shared, featured and re‑used across channels, giving extra leverage to every pound invested.

Takeaways

• Platforms built on story, culture and education foster long‑term, exponential growth.

• Investing in narrative‑first climate ventures taps into channels most VCs overlook.

• Founders should think beyond products, investing in community and stories to build enduring impact brands.

Final thought

Innovating for climate isn’t limited to engineering or policy. Culture; storytelling, education, shared experiences, is the force that shapes behaviours and belief systems. Start‑ups that activate community through narrative unlock a multiplier effect in impact and scaling. Those are the ventures investors should watch and support.

Want to explore culture‑driven climate pioneers?

→ Join Raaise and connect with founders building impact through story, community and education.

Here’s to raising capital on your terms.

Amy and the Team @ Raaise

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