How to use: identify where capital is concentrated (public vs. private) and evaluate the white spaces where blended finance or cross-sector syndicates are needed.
Human Health
- Biotech & vaccines — VC-backed, high risk-return, reliant on regulatory clarity.
- Digital health — data-driven care delivery, strong VC inflows.
- Public funding — NIH, Horizon Europe supporting translational research.
Animal Health
- Veterinary biotech — fragmented market, limited but rising venture activity.
- Livestock health — backed by agribusiness corporates and strategic funds.
- Zoonotic surveillance — often reliant on government and NGO funding.
Environmental Health
- Climate & AMR — high systemic risk, underfunded by traditional VC.
- Conservation finance — blended models (NGOs, DFIs, green bonds).
- Data infrastructure — earth observation, modeling, increasingly investable.
Capital Flow Matrix (2×2)
Position opportunities by funding source (rows) and market maturity (columns).
| |
Early Market |
Mature Market |
| Public / Philanthropic Capital |
Zoonotic surveillance pilots, climate-health research, conservation projects. |
Global health programs, subsidized vaccine rollouts, AMR initiatives. |
| Private / Venture Capital |
Frontier biotech, digital platforms in One Health, risky but high upside. |
Veterinary biotech scale-ups, proven diagnostics, data infrastructure platforms. |
Framework Note
One Health Capital Pathways
Introduction
The one health capital pathways framework maps how funding flows across human, animal, and environmental health. It highlights the intersections where venture capital, public finance, and blended instruments converge. In particular, the framework shows how capital allocation reflects systemic risks such as zoonoses, antimicrobial resistance, and climate change. As a result, it gives investors and policy leaders a structured lens to identify where opportunities and gaps emerge.
Why One Health Capital Pathways Matter
Health is increasingly understood as interconnected across species and ecosystems. However, capital flows remain fragmented. Therefore, the one health capital pathways framework helps investors and decision makers trace funding streams more systematically. Moreover, it clarifies which areas are driven by venture markets, which depend on government budgets, and which require blended finance. Consequently, it enables a more efficient alignment of resources with both immediate and long-term health priorities.
Key Funding Streams
- Human health — biotech, vaccines, and digital health, largely supported by venture capital and strategic investors.
- Animal health — veterinary biotech and livestock health, often funded by agribusiness corporates and targeted VC.
- Environmental health — climate-health initiatives, conservation finance, and surveillance, typically supported by public or philanthropic funds.
In addition, the framework highlights intersections where these streams converge. For example, zoonotic disease surveillance often requires both public funding and private digital platforms. By contrast, conservation finance increasingly uses blended structures such as green bonds. Consequently, investors can identify where cross-sector collaboration is essential.
Global Context and References
The one health capital pathways framework builds on perspectives from the
OECD and the
World Economic Forum.
Therefore, it aligns capital allocation with systemic priorities in global health, food security, and sustainability. In addition, it demonstrates how financial frameworks can bridge gaps between human, animal, and environmental health. As a result, it positions One Health as an investable paradigm, not just a policy concept.
Conclusion
By applying the one health capital pathways framework, investors and policy leaders can anticipate risks, allocate resources more effectively, and identify blended opportunities. In addition, it supports transparency in how funding priorities are set. Consequently, it guides capital flows toward ventures that generate both health impact and systemic resilience.
