Award Accelerator
Take Your Ocean Solution to the Next Level!

The Ocean Community Award Accelerator is designed to support the award-winning teams from the Ocean Community Challenge. This four-month program focuses on accelerating high-potential startups developing innovative solutions within the sustainable blue economy.

During the program, teams will receive tailored guidance from experienced professionals, helping them refine their pitches, strengthen market positioning, and scale their solutions. The Accelerator fosters a collaborative environment where startups can connect, learn from each other, and tap into broader networks to amplify their impact.

Are you interested in starting your journey with us and take your ocean innovation to the next level? We welcome you to apply for the next OC Challenge.

What does the program include?

Tailored Mentorship: Benefit from one-on-one guidance with industry leaders and expert advisors who will help you refine your strategy and scale your solution.
Comprehensive Training: From innovation strategies to entrepreneurial skills, master the essentials through dynamic workshops and training sessions.
Pitch-Training & Practice: Improve your storytelling skills and deliver compelling pitches with confidence to attract funding and support.
Masterclasses: Learn from top-tier professionals in focused sessions covering key topics relevant to your field.
Networking Opportunities: Connect with leading experts, investors, and like-minded innovators in the blue economy to expand your professional circle.
Resourcing & Funding Opportunities: Access resources, tools, and potential funding avenues to help propel your project forward.

2025

Award Accelerator Cohort

Proudly presenting the 5 teams awarded in this years Ocean Community Challenge. They will take part in the Award Accelerator Sep - Nov 2025.

SAVEARTH

Savearth is an AI-powered, plug-and-play solution designed to help hotels monitor, optimize, and reduce water consumption in guest showers, tackling one of the biggest sustainability challenges in hospitality. By combining IoT, machine learning, and gamification, Savearth empowers hotels to lower operational costs, enhance guest engagement, and meet sustainability goals without disrupting the guest experience.

SMARTDRY DREDGING

SmartDry Dredging changes the way dredging is done. From a non-sustainable, moving contaminants process to a sustainable contamination removal and creation of materials derived from the process to be used in circular economy solutions.

NUTRICAPE

Nutricape Private Limited designs and manufactures nano-encapsulated nutrient delivery systems for aquaculture, with a current focus on shrimp feed. Their technology addresses critical challenges in shrimp farming—such as poor nutrient absorption, feed wastage, and water pollution—by using millifluidics-based nano-carriers that deliver nutrients with precision, stability, and bioavailability.

SLOW MILL

Slow Mill Sustainable Power BV develops innovative, resilient and affordable technology to generate clean electricity from the ocean by harnessing oceans wave energy with a wave energy converter (WEC). Their patented technology shows a very high energy efficiency even during low and medium waves.

WEAVEAIR

WeaveAir develops an integrated hardware and software platform for ports that helps asset operators, facility managers, utilities, and infrastructure owners to optimize operations, reduce environmental impact, and improve profitability by providing advanced monitoring, diagnostics, and decision-support capabilities.

2024

Award Accelerator Cohort

Proudly presenting the 6 teams who were part of the Award Accelerator program Oct 2024 - Jan 2025.

KIDEMIS

KIDEMIS is a Swiss startup that is developing a sustainable alternative to fishmeal and fish oil for aquafeed. The company's mycoprotein aquafeed is produced from renewable resources and is a high-quality, cost-effective, and scalable alternative to traditional aquafeed.

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ecklien4ras

EC4RAS develops innovative land-based Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) using a unique Hybrid Electro-Chemical process to enhance sustainable seafood production. Their technology aims to transform global aquaculture by providing efficient, bio-secure, and environmentally friendly solutions that support food security and ESG targets.

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fish n' greens

Fish n' Greens is a pioneering project in Portugal that leverages nature-based, modular technology (SWIMS™) to establish commercially viable aquaponic units near cities. They are redefining urban food production with a closed-loop system that fosters the sustainable co-existence of fish and plant cultivation.

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algaesys

Portuguese Algaesys provides a unique water, nutrient and energy recovering system that utilises algae, other natural phototrophic organisms and the power of the sun.

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coldharbour tiles

Coldharbour Tiles is a luxury eco-tile brand developed by a German female founder, and the solution recycles plastics from fishing nets to manufacture floor- and wall tiles.

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vessel x

Vatoz is an autonomous marine vessel developed by a team in Turkey, that efficiently collects waste and monitors environmental parameters in coastal areas. It serves coastal communities and environmental agencies by providing real-time data and reducing pollution.

Award Accelerator Take Your Ocean Solution to the Next Level!