2x Premier League; never won UCL (runner-up 2011)

Chris Smalling’s investment thesis, pursued through the For Good VC vehicle, is anchored in two high‑impact sectors: climate‑tech and alternative‑protein (plant‑based and cultivated‑meat) businesses. In interviews with Business Insider and Forbes, Smalling has repeatedly stressed that his goal is to back companies that can materially reduce greenhouse‑gas emissions, cut food‑system waste, or replace animal‑derived products with sustainable alternatives. The For Good portfolio therefore concentrates on startups developing clean‑energy solutions, carbon‑removal technologies, sustainable agriculture, and novel protein sources that can scale to meet global demand. The fund’s stage preference is clearly early‑stage – pre‑seed to Series A – where it can provide both capital (typically £50,000 to £1 million per deal) and strategic support. Business Insider notes that For Good structures “celebrity‑backed” investments in this range, allowing founders to access not just money but also high‑profile advocacy. This focus on seed‑level financing aligns with Smalling’s desire to influence product development and market adoption from the outset, rather than entering later‑stage rounds where impact levers are harder to shift. Geographically, Smalling’s thesis is Europe‑centric. BusinessGreen reports that the majority of For Good’s 11‑company portfolio – including UK‑based natural‑laundry brand Dirty Labs, Spanish plant‑based meat maker Heura, and other European climate‑tech ventures – are headquartered in the UK, Spain, Italy and other EU markets. Smalling has highlighted the continent’s strong regulatory push for sustainability and its dense network of incubators as a fertile ground for scaling climate‑focused startups. While the fund remains open to global opportunities, its deal flow and partnership network are rooted in European ecosystems. Beyond sector and geography, Smalling’s thesis also emphasizes founder ambition and measurable environmental outcomes. In a Forbes feature, he explained that For Good looks for “ambitious founders” whose technologies can demonstrably cut emissions or replace animal protein at scale. The fund therefore conducts rigorous impact assessments alongside traditional financial due‑diligence, ensuring that each investment aligns with its climate‑positive mandate. Overall, Chris Smalling’s investment approach via For Good VC can be summed up as: early‑stage (pre‑seed to Series A) climate‑tech and alternative‑protein startups, primarily based in Europe, with a strong emphasis on tangible environmental impact and founder drive.