Rafi Cohen
Meet Rafi
Entrepreneur
United Kingdom
Rafi Cohen is Co-CEO of Verna, a NatureTech company building the operating system for nature restoration. With more than a decade working at the intersection of climate, nature, and technology—including leadership roles at BCG, KPMG, and climate-focused foundations—he develops scalable solutions that align environmental outcomes with business value.
Areas of activity:
Nature restoration
About:
Rafi Cohen is an entrepreneur and strategist dedicated to mobilizing technology, finance, and policy to restore ecosystems at scale. As Co-CEO of Verna, he leads the development of a NatureTech platform designed to accelerate high-integrity nature restoration by equipping businesses, landowners, and investors with the tools to plan, finance, and monitor projects. Verna’s mission is to make nature regeneration as measurable, investable, and mainstream as carbon markets—unlocking a global shift towards biodiversity-positive economies.
Before Verna, Rafi served as Director of Climate Risk & Strategy at KPMG, where he advised private equity clients on climate alignment and ESG integration. He was a founding member of the International Centre for AI, Energy & Climate, and as Strategy Lead at the Quadrature Climate Foundation, he helped design funding strategies for the application of AI and machine learning to environmental challenges. At the Boston Consulting Group, he worked across technology, finance, and healthcare, and co-led the creation of BCG’s global decarbonisation programme.
Beyond his corporate and startup leadership, Rafi founded TalentEd, an award-winning education charity that supports disadvantaged young people, earning the UK Prime Minister’s Point of Light Award and the ICAEW Rising Star Award. He holds a BA in Neuroscience from the University of Oxford, where he served as President of the Oxford University Jewish Society and Secretary of the Investment & Finance Society.
Involvement:
Verna
Verna’s Mycelia software solves the data challenges of Biodiversity Net Gain, a world-leading standard and methodology for measuring and enhancing nature.
Mycelia is used by over 100 organisations to plan, track, and collaborate on nature recovery projects.