Welcome to our March Newsletter!
With 2024 in full swing, there’s lots to cover. First…
It’s Ocean Innovation Month in Europe:
The Economist’s annual World Ocean Summit kicks off Monday in Lisbon. Ted was delighted to serve as a judge in this year’s Ocean Changemakers Challenge , and will continue on as a mentor for one of three winners along with Marisa Drew, Chief Sustainability Officer at Standard Chartered and Lubomila Jordanova, CEO of PlanA. You can read Ted’s Q&A piece on innovation here in advance of Wednesday’s announcement panel.
Monaco’s World Oceans Week follows, beginning March 17th. We’ll be participating in a variety of events including 1000 Ocean Startups meetings on topics including the organization’s Ocean Impact Navigator, a powerful tool that is leading the way in impact measurement and reporting for the blue economy.
See the calendar highlights below for more innovation themed events coming up in March and April in Europe. Good news for the oceans!
Oceans and Space Cross Paths in Rhode Island:
As part of Toby Stapleton’s recent engaging and multi-faceted weeklong blue economy program, Ted moderated a “seaside chat” on the intersection of space and ocean investing with friends Chad Anderson, founder and managing partner of Space Capital, and Lisa Marrocchino, CEO of Proteus Ocean Group. We started with three parallels: missions (projects of discovery), innovation/engineering (for similarly harsh environments), and connectivity (the increasingly tight linkages between observation and data in the oceans and space). Our panel covered a lot of topics, including why Uber is a space company and why we need to spend a lot more time under the waves to advance human knowledge.
It was an energizing conversation – and we feel like we just skimmed the surface, so you can expect to hear more from us on the topic. In the meantime, two compelling reads: Chad’s The Space Economy and this blog by Jake Russell of Propeller VC on "the similar trajectories of the space and blue economies".
Don’t Miss Investable Oceans' March Investor Gathering!:
Last month, we featured an innovative aquaculture services company and a dynamic USV (Uncrewed Surface Vehicle) manufacturer, and were fortunate to have Justin Manley kick us off with some thoughts on the current landscape of ocean tech. Justin not only has broad and deep experience in this area, but also brings original perspectives as a gifted communicator – if you missed it you can watch the recording here.
On March 14th, we’ll feature two more exciting early stage blue economy companies: one aims to transform the future of ocean farming, and the other to provide software applications for recreational fisheries while collecting valuable data for sustainable ocean governance initiatives. If you’re signed up as an accredited or institutional investor with us, you’ve already received an invitation – if you’re not, and would like to join, please reach out to us at contact@investableoceans.com.
UNEP FI Takes Its Sustainable Blue Economy Work to a New Level:
Having laid a solid foundation for sector guidance with its pioneering Turning the Tide and Diving Deep publications, UNEP FI’s latest offering operationalizes this important work in the form of a detailed manual that enables target setting in the seafood sector: Setting Sail: Target Setting in the Sustainable Blue Economy .
Investable Oceans is grateful for the opportunity to have served as a member of the Seaweed Finance Working Group, convened by WWF and led by Lucy Holmes. Two notable aspects of this work product: the deep engagement of an impressive array of sector experts, and its alignment with existing guidelines, frameworks and agreements. This type of harmonization is vital as the ocean community builds out an investment and risk management ecosystem.
As always, we thank you for your support and look forward to an exciting year ahead for the oceans!
The Investable Oceans Team
