How This Social Impact Investor Is Expanding From Real Estate Into Green Companies David Hamilton Nichols is a transformational speaker, author, impact investor and producer

It's no secret that our world is more connected, more active, and more diverse than ever.

While all of the above are undoubtedly good things, connectivity, a 24/7 buzz, and diversity come at an expense—many, including investor David Hamilton Nichols, see how they open new, unprecedented challenges. And the opportunity to tackle them.

A high-impact philosophy

David is a transformational speaker, author, impact investor and producer. When he's not on the road, tending to his multiple ventures, David resides in Southern California, surrounded by his three Nigerian dwarf pet goats: Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. In his old family homestead, he ponders the frustrations of humanity's most pressing problems and how businesses can influence their solutions.

David spent his youth in the literal fields as an Eagle Scout from the Boy Scouts of America and on his family's farming operations. As David says, during this time, he acquired the practical skills and work ethic to perform at the highest levels. These skills took him further on to build an impressive real estate portfolio.

However, this was just the first step of his career, as he has also gone on to build a diverse, growing portfolio of some of the world's most dynamic humanly-driven startups.

Investing in change

Throughout the last years, David has been involved with more than a dozen early-stage ventures as an investor, board member, and strategic advisor. Some of the best-known ones are Chooose, Ovanova and NOW.

Chooose, awarded with a prize for Norwegian startup of the year, focuses on creating a way for people and businesses alike to eliminate their carbon footprints. Recognized by Sir Richard Branson, Chooose creates digital tools to make climate action a simple and easy part of everyday life.

To further support climate action, Ovanova is a startup that is oriented towards creating new ways to connect homeowners with solar energy. It also involves a brand-new way to raise funds for organizations. When a potential client connects with Ovanova to explore solar energy, its unique system fuels a donation to an organization that the person supports. As a participant at the Skoll World Forum, Ovanova carries the mission of moving towards the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Another startup, NOW, was built as a response to one of the greatest crises in human history. The project presents a proposal to merge culture and creativity to accelerate the implementation of carbon removal technologies. As a result, many consider NOW one of the best-positioned companies to help to remove CO2 at a large scale.

Thanks to NOW, funding has been provided for over a 320 million pounds of CO2 to be removed from the atmosphere. The project has also funded the planting of nearly half a million trees.

Other startups David has joined as an investor, board member, or advisor include Aō Air, (creator of the ATMOS, a respiratory protection device validated by the Auckland University of Technology), Ahura AI (a solution to leverage technology with a focus on learning) and Creatify (a zero-cost solution to create NFTs and a no-wallet-needed solution to buy NFTs.)

These startups have achieved great length as well. Users of the Ahura AI technology can increase their capabilities up to 5x over traditional education methods. It has also presented in Davos during the World Economic Forum, at the United Nations, and at the US Capitol, with a strong focus on the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. Similarly, Creatify recently acquired from RageOn! (another of David's' portfolio companies) 1 million users, hundreds of copyrights, trademarks and patents, 60 domain names, and 2 million social media followers. David has joined as an investor and is coming on board as an advisor.

At each of these ventures, David Hamilton Nichols develops and showcases the expertise and business-oriented humanitarian focus that has taken him to great heights. However, as a generalist, he has found more than one way to make a lasting impact.

A drive to transform

David doesn't miss an opportunity to use his skills to drive change. He is currently executive producer on an up-and-coming series dealing with people solving society's biggest issues slated for release in 2022. Its first season delivers a creative exploration into the climate and ecological crisis with the intention to reach and activate the masses before it's too late. He is also "co-producing a solutions-oriented documentary on child sex trafficking and slavery," along with other projects yet to be revealed.