An ocean of opportunities

The EU adopted a Blue Growth Strategy in 2012, and in 2021, declared the Sustainable Blue Economy as a core element toward implementing the European Green Deal

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BlueInvest Investor Report 2023

The blue economy will have to be very different by 2030. The EU needs to boost its industrial capacity to meet the objectives of the European Green Deal: decarbonisation, protecting biodiversity and zero pollution. This is a major transformation and one that needs to happen fast. It requires innovation, and innovation requires finance.

The European Union has what it takes to supercharge this transformation. We have a plan, we have the tools, and we have a lot of talent. We have the researchers, entrepreneurs, innovation ecosystems and industrial capacity. We are on our way. A whole ecosystem of innovative start ups and SMEs is emerging, nurtured by business clusters, technology parks, incubators and accelerators, leading the way on transformative and disruptive environmental technologies and solutions. Clean tech is now the fastest growing investment sector in Europe doubling its value between 2020 and 2021 alone. Investors who get in early will surely reap the rewards. And, of course, there is no green tech without blue tech!

The EU’s blue sectors are a spawning ground for ground breaking solutions and technologies that can help fight climate change and support the green transition. Examples include floating wind platforms and tidal devices, green hydrogen, underwater robots, autonomous ships, clean ships or eco ships, lightweight materials that resist corrosion and biofouling, underwater internets based on acoustics, processes for creating bioplastics from seaweed, artificial intelligence for image analysis, marine compounds for anti aging and cosmetics, alternative feed sources, marine based organic fertilizers and pesticides, and much, much more.

Our BlueInvest initiative has been promoting and accelerating these new ocean based technologies and the start ups, SMEs, and scale ups that drive them. Through its work with the investor scene and dedicated financial instruments such as the InvestEU Blue Economy Fund, it is boosting the finance ecosystem needed to nurture and scale up our blue champions, offering the support they need to be successful and to grow in the European Union and beyond.

This BlueInvest investor report confirms a strong and rising interest in the sustainable blue economy among investors. The hope is that this information about investment activities, innovative technologies and investment ready companies across 10 sectors of the sustainable blue economy will help investors move into this space more comfortably and point them towards the companies and ventures that will make a difference both in the market and for our oceans.

Virginijus Sinkevičius, Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, European Commission

Download the full report here

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“This investment will enable Ocean 14 Capital to deliver the innovation needed to meet our climate and sustainability goals. The sustainable blue economy is now a key focus for us and this is a rallying cry for start-up and scale-up marine innovators globally to come forward and help avert the crisis in our oceans and return them to a healthy thriving state.”

Jean Castellini Minister of Finance and Economy of Monaco

“There has never been a more important time to invest in the oceans as a critical way to protect our planet and combat climate change. I am excited to back Ocean 14 Capital and their vision to make a significant positive impact in the blue economy.”

Niklas Zennström

“Builders Vision Fund is excited to be part of Ocean Capital Fund I’s first close. Builders is committed to developing the ecosystem of businesses focused on ocean health and sustainability. We believe the team at Ocean14 Capital have the drive and commitment to lead this impact-focused growth fund for oceans to meaningful market investments that can improve the health of our oceans.”

Peter Bryant Senior Program Officer, Builders Initiative

“Impact investments are an important part of Chr. Augustinus Fabrikker’s investment strategy and with the investment in Ocean 14 Capital Fund I we will total ten impact investments. Our interest in Ocean 14 Capital stems from the importance we see in ensuring sustainable business practices in the ocean to foster future prosperity for this vital part of our ecosystem alongside the unique capabilities we have identified within the team. For this reason, we are delighted to become a cornerstone investor in this exciting venture.”

Claus Gregersen Chief Executive Officer, Chr. Augustinus Fabrikker

“In line with SDG14, our key objective through the Flourishing Ocean’s initiative is to return our ocean to a healthy thriving state. To facilitate this, we are committed to ending overfishing; ending the dumping of plastic, heat and CO2 in our ocean; supporting the sustainable use of ocean resources; conserving key habitats; and facilitating world class research. This is why we are supporting a new venture where the Ocean 14 Capital Fund will invest in projects aligned to our objectives.”

Dr. Tony Worby Chief Executive Officer, Minderoo Foundation’s Flourishing Ocean