Derrick Emsley

Derrick Emsley is an entrepreneur building scalable, credible models for ecosystem restoration. He began his career as a co-founder of Greenfield Carbon Offsetters, an early venture focused on funding afforestation projects in order to generate carbon offsets.

Building on that experience, Derrick co-founded tentree, a sustainable, outdoor apparel brand that serves as a vehicle to embed reforestation directly into consumer behavior by planting ten trees for every product sold. Under his leadership, tentree has grown into a globally recognized brand, a top 10 B-Corp, and a leader in the sustainable apparel space, demonstrating that environmental impact and commercial success can scale together.

Derrick also co-founded veritree to address a critical gap in the restoration space that he experienced during his time scaling tentree: the complete lack of verification and transparency. veritree provides the technology and digital infrastructure needed to monitor, measure, and report on reforestation inputs, while monitoring ecosystem outcomes. Today, veritree supports over 20,000 businesses to invest confidently in nature-based solutions.

In 2025, veritree ranked #7 in Deloitte’s Technology Fast 50, and #5 on The Globe and Mail’s Top Growing Companies. Derrick has also been recognized in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 for his leadership in advancing measurable environmental outcomes.