Post by Marios Michaelides

Last week, we had the privilege of hosting an AMES dinner in Berlin together with The Delta — a very special evening that also marked the inauguration of their new rooftop space overlooking the city. What made the evening particularly meaningful was the shared spirit between our communities. Both The Delta and AMES bring together people who believe in building things with purpose — many of whom also share a connection between Europe and South Africa. I opened the evening by saying that it felt symbolic to speak at The Delta, because entrepreneurship at its core is about solving big problems — and doing so in a scalable way. That is exactly the spirit we try to embody at AMES when thinking about conservation. Protecting nature at scale requires more than good intentions alone. It requires models that can endure. This is why we take a two-pronged approach: through the AMES Foundation, philanthropic capital helps protect critical biodiversity and unlock conservation opportunities, while the AMES Habitat Fund works to create the long-term business case that can finance conservation in perpetuity — while delivering tangible benefits to local communities. But evenings like these are about more than strategy. They are about bringing together thoughtful, driven, and optimistic people who believe that meaningful change is still possible. Thank you to everyone who joined us for such a memorable evening in Berlin. Dr. Marlon Braumann, Simon Brunke, Jan Hildebrand, Lea C. Henzgen, Philipp Bönig, Christoph Rösler, Thomas Hanke, Gioia K. M.