75th Edition
Hi everyone!
As of yesterday, US President Trump issued an executive order temporarily halting offshore wind lease sales in federal waters. Things could definitely be better… but continue reading to remember all of the great works in progress at the moment.
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News
Here is a response to President Trump's executive order pausing offshore wind leasing and permitting by the Oceantic Network, stating that it jeopardizes thousands of American jobs and billions in investments, and urging a reversal to maintain the nation's energy strategy and economic growth.
Marine Thinking, a Halifax-based company, has secured two significant projects from Canada's Ocean Supercluster.
A new climate tech venture in Abu Dhabi, Nabat, plans to use AI and robotics to restore mangroves and enhance climate resilience.
JPMorgan Chase published an article discussing the increasing convergence of climate technology and ocean industries, highlighting key trends in blue technology aimed at addressing ocean and climate challenges.
A new article from the World Economic Forum highlights the immense economic, social, and ecological value of coral reefs, emphasizing the urgent need for increased investment in their protection to ensure long-term benefits.
Puro.earth has announced the public consultation period for their Ocean Storage of Biomass (OSB) Methodology.
Forbes published “Five Environmental Startups Leading The Way In 2025”, which includes Brooklyn-based mCDT startup Vycarb.
Opportunities
Apply to pitch to the Startup Alley that will be hosted by Oceantic Network and SeaAhead at the 2025 International Partnering Forum (IPF) on April 28- May 1 in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Applications are due January 17, 2025.
The Climate Collective has opened applications for their AI Climate Accelerator, meant for early-stage to Series A companies. Applications for the accelerator close February 3rd.
Applications are open for Blue Ventures 2025. While the priority application date has passed, the application is still open until the end of February.
The VentureWell Ocean Enterprise Accelerator for Spring 2025 has opened applications. The NOAA-funded accelerator aims to empower early-stage ventures to drive the future of the blue economy. The application deadline is March 5th.
The NYC Offshore Wind Innovation Hub is accepting applications for their 2025 accelerator program until March 21st.
As of January 21st, applications are open for call for projects issued to the scientific community throughout the European Economic Area (EEA) on the topic of Ocean and Coastal Ecosystems.
APelago has opened applications to their 2025 Accelerator Programs. Apply here, and find more information below:
There is the full program, which is 5-months (Q1-Q3) for idea, pre-seed, and seed-level blue economy startups. It includes continuous structured support, expert coaching, intensive onsite workshops in Turku, access to the A'Pelago ecosystem, and a startup booth at the A'Pelago Initiative.
The venture track is a 3-5 day intensive program (Q2-Q3) for seed and growth-stage ventures, which includes 1-to-1 support sessions, pitch workshops, and visibility opportunities at the A'Pelago Initiative.
Hatch Blue, an aquaculture and alternative seafood investor, is looking for startups to join their accelerator program, in which they will invest $75,000 in each successful applicant.
Apply to Katapult’s Ocean Accelerator program that is designed to guide founders through complex entrepreneurial issues, add structure, and help raise a startup’s next round.
Apply to the TMA Blue Tech Incubator program.
Students and entrepreneurs can enter the Monaco Ocean Protection Challenge to create innovative solutions that have a measurable positive impact on the ocean.
Fair Carbon has launched a Blue Carbon Academy that aims to help with the fine-tuning of the design of a Blue Carbon project.
Events
As the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting has commenced in Davos, here are links to the ocean-related livestreams that are taking place:
“Ocean High-Level Panel: Turning Commitments into Action”, 22 January 17:00-18:00 CET, can be found on Davos website here.
“The Opportunities Of The Ocean Economy”, 23 January 9:00–09:45 CET
“New Agreement on Plastics: What Will It Take?”, 23 January 10:15–11:00 CET
Ocean Nexus is hosting a webinar on January 22nd at 12PM ET on “"Salmon Aquaculture and Food Security: Addressing Risk of Increasing Production." Register here.
Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance and the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) Center for Coastal Climate Resilience are two of the partners of a National Practice Forum on Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) that will be taking place February 4-5 in Irvine, California. You can find more details about the forum here.
Register for the new quarterly Women in BlueTech speaker series, starting on February 5th at 10AM ET.
SeaAhead is hosting their 5th Offshore Energy Summit on February 6th 2025, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Ocean Visions has announced their 2025 Biennial Summit taking place in Vancouver, Canada, March 11-13th.
The One Ocean Science Congress will be in Nice, France, for June 4-6.
The 2025 People and the Sea Conference will be taking place from 24-27 of June, with the theme focusing on “tensions, trade-offs, and transformations for the Ocean Decade and beyond”.
The EAHN Thematic Conference on September 10-13th will be focusing on “The Built Ocean”. They have an open call for papers for the conference.
Learning
Here is a recording of the first ocean-related session that occurred at the WEF annual meeting in Davos today, entitled “Turning The Tide On Ocean”.
A paper has been published that shows that seaweed farming can help store carbon in the sediment beneath the farms, with older farms storing more over time. On average, seaweed farms bury carbon at rates twice as high as nearby areas without farms, showing their potential as a Blue Carbon solution.
The Annual Review of Marine Science has published a study exploring the growing field called marine social science, which has come as a result of rapid changes in the ocean that are affecting marine life and the people who depend on it. This field studies human–ocean relationships and helps create policies to address these changes, with researchers exploring its history, current themes, and future directions.
Watch this recording of Karen Sack of the Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance, discussing how the Coastal Risk Index helps stakeholders assess vulnerability from degrading natural barriers like mangroves and coral reefs.
Check out Laura Stieghorst’s reflections from observing progress in mCDR solutions with the Carbon to Sea Initiative in Nova Scotia.
Companies doing the work
Marine Thinking develops crewed and uncrewed surface vessels (USV) with autonomous performance capabilities.
OCEANIUM is devloping functional seaweed ingredients to catalyze the seaweed industry for the health of people and the ocean.
bound4blue develops automated wind-assisted propulsion systems as a solution to reduce fuel costs and polluting emissions.