A'Pelago Initiative 2025; Baltic Sea Community in Focus.

August 19-21, Ocean Community had the privilege of joining the A’Pelago Initiative 2025 in Åbo, Finland — a gathering that beautifully combined the spirit of the Baltic Sea with music, entrepreneurship, and community.

A’Pelago is one of the newest members of our 1000 Ocean Startups coalition — and therefore a valued Ocean Community coalition partner. In just a short time, they have created a truly unique platform that blends culture, community, and innovation. Their approach not only supports founders but also strengthens a regional identity that connects entrepreneurs across the Nordic and Baltic Sea region.

Highlights from the event included:

• A Sail Day with Nordic investors — creating space for trust and conversations across languages and borders.

• The Pitch Challenge — where startups shared bold solutions for the future of our seas. Congratulations to Reverlast and Ossi Heiskala & team for winning!

• Evenings of music and camaraderie — reminding us that joy, creativity, and culture are as essential to innovation as science and investment.

• The launch of Red Stone Blue Fund I — adding a powerful new opportunity for blue ventures from the Baltic region to access growth funding and scale their impact.

For Ocean Community, this was more than an event — it was an opportunity to connect to a growing movement. We are excited to:

• Contribute actively to making the Nordic Blue Accelerator a reality.

• Explore launching a “Baltic Challenge”, inspired by our annual global Ocean Community Challenge, to build a stronger pipeline of blue startups in the Baltic Sea region.

• Support founders and partners in weaving trust, collaboration, and impact into the Nordic blue innovation ecosystem. There were many inspiring conversations around "how" during these two days!

The Nordic region has everything needed for leadership in the blue economy — trust, strong research, innovative entrepreneurs, and a deep connection to the sea. By aligning efforts from challenges to accelerators, and by connecting investors with communities, we can scale solutions that benefit both the Baltic and the global ocean.

A big thank you to Timo, Patrik, and the A’Pelago team for their vision and hospitality, and to all partners who made Åbo such a strong step forward.

We are now moving from ideas to action — building bridges between regions and strengthening the pipeline of blue startups across the Baltic Sea Community and beyond.