# Can you profit off nature without destroying it? These venture capitalists are betting on it.

- Link: https://www.widthness.com/can-you-profit-off-nature-without-destroying-it-these-venture-capitalists-are-betting-on-it/
- Published: 2026-04-23T09:15:00-05:00
- Author: Curated by Theresa Wysocki

Photo: Lionfish – August 7, 2015. A new company called Inversa makes leather out of invasive species such as lionfish. Photo credit: Geoff Wake via Flickr. CC BY 2.0. Article by Benji Jones. Vox – April 21, 2026. If you’ve ever wanted to buy sandals made with leather from invasive lionfish, I’ve got some good news — you can! A clothing and gear company called Grundéns is now selling flip-flops with a “panel” of scaly lionfish leather. The leather itself is made by a Miami-based startup called Inversa that produces the material from a number of invasive species, including Burmese pythons, lionfish, and iguanas in Florida, where these non-native and very prolific animals are known to damage the state’s native ecosystems. […] Click here to view original web page at www.vox.com Curated by Theresa Wysocki See Full Bio