HRH Prince William visits NatureMetrics following Earthshot Prize success

NatureMetrics was honoured to welcome His Royal Highness Prince William to our UK HQ and labs in Guildford this week. The visit follows our success at the 2024 Earthshot Prize, where we reached the finals of the "Protect & Restore Nature" category for revolutionising the scale and accessibility of nature data collection through environmental DNA (eDNA).

One of the unique benefits of eDNA surveys is how easy they are to conduct. Individuals with no ecological training can be taught to take samples in under five minutes, and a sample takes less than ten minutes to collect.

Prince William saw this firsthand as he participated in a demonstration of the eDNA sampling process alongside local schoolchildren hoping to become the next generation of environmental scientists.

They were joined by ‘Big Manny’, an acclaimed science communicator with millions of social media followers. He is known for making science accessible to young people and for encouraging students to consider science as a career path.

A highlight of the visit was a tour of our state-of-the-art laboratories, where Prince William saw how small samples of soil and water can paint a comprehensive picture of an ecosystem, right down to bacteria invisible to the human eye.

His Royal Highness then saw a demonstration of the NatureMetrics Intelligence Platform. An innovative tool for conservation and ecosystem management that uses the latest bioinformatics to convert complex eDNA data into easy-to-understand metrics and visualizations that help companies protect ecosystems and enhance their sustainability strategies.

Prince William also met with NatureMetrics customers, including industry leaders Ørsted and Fugro, who’s representatives discussed the critical role biodiversity data plays in corporate sustainability. Their presence underscored the growing momentum among global businesses to integrate nature intelligence into their operations. A momentum that Prince William recognised in conversation with CEO Dimple Patel, quoted by the BBC:

“So much of what the environmental world needs right now is data. This is fantastic you guys have got this ability to be able to tell us what’s really there.”

National and Local media were also in attendance, with the story being picked up internationally, including coverage with the BBC, Sky News, The Independent, and others. One memorable moment, quoted by Sky News, included The Prince, encouraged by founder Dr Kat Bruce, spraying journalists with water whilst taking samples alongside local schoolchildren. HRH later said:

'This is, like, the best day of my life!'

Since being recognized as an Earthshot Prize Finalist, NatureMetrics has secured a landmark $25 million investment, raised with the support of The Earthshot Prize’s investment platform, Launchpad. This funding, led by JustClimate alongside other investors, is fueling our expansion, enhancing our nature data platform, and scaling our solution.

Dimple Patel, CEO, said of the visit:

“Prince William’s visit was a momentous occasion for NatureMetrics as we continue our mission to make biodiversity measurement accessible, scalable, and actionable for businesses worldwide.

Seeing HRH collect eDNA samples alongside local schoolchildren really drove home how accessible this technology is. And its huge potential to survey and protect nature in even the harshest and remotest of environments.

We were hugely impressed by The Prince’s depth of knowledge and passion for biodiversity, and the extent to which he grasped the problem we're addressing and the transformative power of our solutions for all sectors, especially agriculture. He is a true ally for those of us working in this space.

With over 600 clients operating in more than 110 countries, we’re driving a fundamental shift in how companies understand and act on biodiversity. We are immensely proud to have welcomed Prince William to our labs and to showcase how eDNA technology is shaping a future where nature and industry thrive together.”

Become a nature detective at home!

Following the interest in our eDNA technology from Big Manny and his huge following on TikTok and Instagram, we’ve opened up our eDNA store so anyone can become a nature detective at home or at their school. Find out more here.

About the Earthshot Prize

Founded by Prince William and incubated in The Royal Foundation in 2020 for a year before becoming independent, The Earthshot Prize is a global environmental prize and platform designed to discover, accelerate and scale ground-breaking solutions to repair and regenerate the planet. Inspired by President John F. Kennedy’s Moonshot, which united millions of people around the goal of reaching the moon, The Earthshot Prize aims to catalyse an Earthshot challenge to urgently encourage and scale innovative solutions that can help put the world firmly on a trajectory towards a stable climate, where communities, oceans and biodiversity thrive in harmony by 2030. The five challenges are: Protect and Restore Nature; Clean Our Air; Revive Our Oceans; Build a Waste-Free World; and Fix Our Climate.

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