About
Mutualism, not extraction. That's the model.
The name "Symbiont" comes from symbiosis: a relationship where both sides grow. Not parasitic. Not transactional. We succeed when our clients succeed, and we build accordingly.
Why We Exist
The gap we saw
The climate finance sector has a communications problem. Not because it lacks important stories, but because the people doing the work rarely have the capacity, tools, or bandwidth to tell them well.
Trillions of dollars need to flow into climate solutions over the coming decade. That capital won't move without trust, understanding, and clarity. Yet most climate funds, impact vehicles, and finance facilities still treat communications as an afterthought, a cost centre rather than a capital catalyst.
Symbiont Communications exists to change that.
Why “Symbiont”
In biology, a symbiont is an organism that lives in close, mutually beneficial partnership with another. It's not a parasite. It's not a guest. It's an integrated part of the system, contributing to the health and growth of the whole. That's how we work. We don't hand you a deck and disappear. We embed with your team, learn your language, understand your deals, and produce communications that feel like they come from inside, because they do.
Founder
Stephen Roberts
Connect on LinkedInStephen Roberts is a communications strategist and creative director based in Chiang Mai, Thailand, with a background spanning visual design, storytelling, and impact-driven brand building.
After years working across creative industries in Southeast Asia, building brands, leading visual communications projects, and working with purpose-driven organisations, Stephen turned his focus to one of the most impactful and underleveraged areas: climate finance.
Through direct engagement with impact funds, nature-based finance vehicles, and climate facilities across Asia-Pacific, Stephen saw a recurring pattern: organisations with world-class technical capability and world-trailing communications infrastructure. Symbiont was built to fix that.
“This dual fluency, in both the language of capital markets and the craft of compelling narrative, is what makes Symbiont different.”
Credentials & Context
- 10+ years in creative direction and visual communications
- Direct engagement with climate finance vehicles in APAC
- Sector fluency across blended finance, carbon markets, nature-based solutions, and DFI ecosystems
- Contributor to Mekong Center for Climate Finance (MCCF)
- Background in sustainability-focused creative (Jungleside Creative)
Why Chiang Mai
Based in Chiang Mai, Thailand, Stephen works at the heart of Southeast Asia, one of the most dynamic regions for climate investment. The time zone bridges Europe, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific, enabling truly global client service.
How We Work
Symbiont is owner-operated by design. Every engagement gets senior-level attention from day one. No junior handoffs, no layers of account management. You work directly with the person who understands your sector.
Philosophy
Senior attention. Sector depth. Long-term partnership.
Embedded, not external
We work as an extension of your team, understanding your investment thesis, your stakeholders, and your market position from the inside. The result is communications that feel like they come from within, because they do.
Translation, not simplification
We don't dumb things down. We make complex ideas clear for the audience that matters, whether that's an institutional LP, a DFI partner, or the broader market.
Substance over style
Beautiful materials that say nothing are worse than ugly materials that say the right thing. We prioritise both, but substance always comes first.
Sector-first
We don't do general communications. Every engagement is grounded in deep understanding of climate finance, its structures, its stakeholders, and its language.
Ready to work with a partner who understands your sector?
Book a 30-minute discovery call to discuss how we can help your fund or institution communicate with clarity and confidence.