Come innovate with us!

The ocean is crying out for new ideas to survive and thrive! The Ocean Community Challenge (OCC) is a global challenge calling for these innovative solutions to solve ocean challenges. 

The driving force behind OCC is to inspire people to see the new opportunities that the ocean offers and to explore how emerging technologies leveraged with ocean resources could help solve the challenges of the ocean. We encourage the fast “design-build-test” approach and encourage the participants to experiment by building prototypes based on Technology, Ocean Resources, and Circular Economy Principles.

Our goal is to support and prepare the participants to take the next step into commercializing their ideas. We are working with experts and organizations within a wide range of ocean and tech-related activities - all dedicated to supporting the participants in developing and detailing high-impact solutions. 

Why participate

Solving global challenges is a good reason in itself. In addition, the participants will get: 

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The experience

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Enrolling in the Ocean Community Challenge means joining a community of ocean entrepreneurs and innovators offering an invaluable opportunity to connect and network with like-minded with a common goal to address ocean challenges. All participants in scope will receive professional feedback based on an evaluation of their ideas.  

The opportunity

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The best teams will be assigned a dedicated business mentor to help develop their idea and prepare for the final pitch session. They will also get the opportunity to pitch to an angel investor panel providing real-time feedback on their solution.   

The prize

The awarded teams will be invited to the Winners’ Circle including tailored activities to support further development of their solutions. The prize also includes a monetary award of in total 5000 € to be distributed between the teams at OCC discretion.

How to participate

Participation is free! 

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The submission process consists of the following phases: 

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1. sign-up to our Slack-community and start to network with other participants

2. select a category, build your prototype and prepare your submission 

3. submit your idea here and finalize your submission 
    

Categories

We have defined 5 main categories for ocean challenges and opportunities, and we are working with experts and organizations within each category. You may also submit your solution to our open category across disciplines. The only requirement when submitting your idea is that the solution creates synergies between ocean resources, technology, and circular economy principles.

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You may participate in the following categories:  

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1. Ocean Conservation 

2. Ocean Harvesting 

3. Energy 

4. Mobility 

5. Ocean Data 

6. Open 

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Submission

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To participate, you must include at minimum a prototype of your product. The submissions in scope will first go through an assessment, which will provide professional feedback to all submissions. The most promising solutions (up to 10 finalists) will be selected for the final event and will compete for the prize. The finalists selection will be based on an overall qualitative and quantitative assessment. Information about the assessment criteria can be found here.

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All submissions must be submitted here by October 15th, 2021. 

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What to submit

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The submission includes a number of questions relevant to the assessment criteria. In addition to answering these questions, the participants are expected to submit: 

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• Pitch presentation deck (max 10 slides).  

• Supporting documentation presenting the prototype, minimum viable product or final product.  

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We are excited to receive your solutions! 

What now

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