Aiming at Collective Wellness to Save Our Planet
Nikki Eslami, Founder & CEO of New Theory Ventures and WILD ELEMENTS, talked to Mooi about her business journeys forward, and her path to change the planet.
“WILD ELEMENTS was really born out of my own learning journey. I’ve been learning a lot about how my own wellness, and as a result, our collective wellness, is connected to planetary wellness” reflects Nikki Eslami, Founder and CEO of WILD ELEMENTS and New Theory Ventures.
“By investing in next-gen agents of change, we believe we can make an outsized impact in the world”.
From Law, through Hair and towards Purpose-driven Brands
Nikki actually started her career as a lawyer. “I come from a Persian family and that means you have three paths in life: become a lawyer, doctor, or engineer” she laughs. More than family pressure though, Nikki was mesmerized by the law and the depth of knowledge and research that the role takes.
As much as she enjoyed the law, she was very young when she finished her studies. And at 21, she realized that there were so many other paths she was excited to test out. It was the perfect time to explore.
“I felt like there was real space and opportunity in hair extensions, and I was excited about the idea of building a business from scratch. I founded BELLAMI when I was 23 years old with about $10,000” she smiles.
As she began to scale the business, Nikki quickly understood the two things that center her work today: first, women are vastly underrepresented, underfunded, and underestimated in the business world; and second, business has the immense power to drive change and serve a larger purpose.
“In 2020, women-led start-ups only received 2.3% of VC funding, down from 2.8% pre-pandemic” she explains. It was in an effort to disrupt this antiquated status quo that she founded New Theory Ventures, “a transformative and socially conscious venture capital studio that supports women and diverse founders leading purpose-driven brands”.
Conscious Communities to Drive Collective Impact
WILD ELEMENTS is one of the first brands of New Theory Ventures. “It’s a purpose-first platform aiming to restore the balance between humanity and nature”.
“We do this through the WILD ELEMENTS Foundation, which supports women-led environmental action; WILD ELEMENTS Studios, a content studio using stories, film, and television to educate new audiences; and WILD ELEMENTS Brands- mindfully-made products that harness consumer power in creating change. We’re working to build conscious communities that drive collective impact for the future health of our planet” Nikki explains proudly.
The foundation’s mission is rooted in shifting power and vital resources to women, indigenous communities, and people of color on the frontlines of environmental change.
“We’re learning from these incredible experts who are based all over the world. Their unique perspectives have helped guide our vision for impact across WILD ELEMENTS”.
Wildlife Conservation and Food Systems
Growing up, Nikki always had a deep connection and love for animals. And now, her favorite moment of the day is being outside in nature, walking and spending some time with her dogs. “It is inextricably linked to my mental well-being and keeps me grounded”.
Over the past few years, throughout her travels, she met with wildlife conservationists and animal advocates who taught her that in order for us to protect the well-being of animals, we must truly be committed to the well-being of all living things as they are all interconnected.
“For example, in Kenya, our partners at Grevy’s Zebra Trust are working with the Samburu community to restore the grass in the rangelands so that Grevy’s Zebra can graze. By building on traditional livestock management methods used by pastoralists, they are working to improve the health of soils and plants in the area” explains Nikki. This approach is better for the animals, the plants, and the people in the community.
Nikki also learned a lot about how our food systems are harming the planet. “When not rooted in the interconnectivity of humanity and nature, agriculture can have devastating impacts”. Agriculture is responsible for 75% of global deforestation and one-third of the carbon driving climate change comes from the destruction of soil.
“By changing the way we approach agriculture, through more sustainable solutions such as supporting regenerative agriculture and hydroponics, we can reverse the harmful effects of our food systems and expand access to healthy and nutritional food”.
Challenging the Alpha Leader Type
Nikki is happy where she stands now, but it wasn’t an easy road. As a young woman in business, Nikki was taught very early on that sometimes you need to take up more space and be louder to be heard.
“I’m introverted and operating as a man in business took a lot of emotional energy for me. But what I’ve come to understand is that I don’t have to be that alpha type of leader — I chart my own path and style”.
There’s no playbook for how to be a successful woman in business, but there are other women she looks up to. “So much of the magic is thinking creatively, building new models, and testing new ideas. I now see it as an opportunity to reinvent and challenge the status quo — which is why I’m investing in other women leaders. Together, we can change the landscape of how a woman in business operates”.
Investing in Women
“Only .2% of global philanthropy dollars go to women-led environmental action. And yet, women are the ones who are on the frontlines in the fight to protect our planet”.
Nikki learned in business and through philanthropy that women make change happen. “It’s smart to invest in women”.
“Via a new flagship program called WILD Innovators + WILD Advocates, we are working to elevate the work of women conservationists, scientists, and community organizers” she explains happily.
WILD Advocates are celebrities, influencers, and cutting-edge thinkers who believe in the vital interconnection of people, animals, plants, and our shared environment. WILD Innovators are the premier science and conservation grantees of the foundation — those that are doing the cutting-edge work leading the change in the field and around the world.
“The foundation has provided ten-women led Innovator projects with a two-year unrestricted grant, as well as the support of an Advocate to elevate their work”.
Even in her own work, Nikki loves to surround herself with women. “I love my team — we’re majority women and everyone comes from such diverse backgrounds with unique experiences and skillsets” she smiles.
“The environmental challenges that we’re up against will require not only bold action, but serious innovation. I’m grateful to have a team that is coming together across different perspectives to work together and build something that’s inherently driven by positivity. We believe that solutions exist and that the best way to engage more people in those solutions is to do so through a positive and welcoming framework”.
The Time to Act is Now
Our planet’s health is in a precarious position — largely due to us, humans. Species are disappearing at an alarming rate with 75% predicted to be extinct within a few human lifetimes, and, if soil degradation continues at its current rates, some studies indicate that we will have less than 60 harvests left worldwide.
“There has never been a more critical time to invest in the well-being of our planet — the time to act is now” Nikki explains with determination. “While the news is scary and like so many I’m also experiencing climate anxiety — I’m also deeply hopeful and believe in those who are propelling solutions forward. With WILD ELEMENTS, our hope is that we can leverage our platform to drive industry forward and be more focused on their own environmental footprints and the options that they are provided to consumers”.
By continuing to invest in women and helping elevate their stories, Nikki and WILD ELEMENTS hope to inspire others to jumpstart their own learning journeys around how they can reconnect with nature.
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