Ocean Tech is Making Waves for Climate Action
“Although climate change is having numerous unprecedented impacts on the ocean, the ocean also has the potential to advance a powerful set of solutions to address the climate crisis,” the White House Ocean Policy Committee writes in their Ocean Climate Action Plan.
Ocean technology has recently gained momentum as a key area in climate tech. This diverse emerging sector encompasses everything from ocean-based renewable energy, to low-carbon ocean-based protein, to ocean-based transport, to carbon storage in the seabed, and more. It has become an area of focus for impact investing, with firms like Propeller VC specifically scaling solutions at the ocean-climate nexus, Oceankind providing funding and resources to ocean-tech projects, and Investable Oceans offering a hub for ocean-tech investors. Additionally, platforms like BlueX Newsletter and Seaking Blue are dedicated to amplifying news about ocean-tech startups and innovations.
Vycarb (Garrett Boudinot, Cohort 2022) recently deployed their largest project to date at the Brooklyn Navy Yard (pictured), starting commercial delivery of their fully measured CO₂ removal and storage. (Image courtesy of Vycarb)
Ocean tech is an expanding area for Activate as well, and in February, we were thrilled to receive a boost for our efforts. Funded by the Inflation Reduction Act, the U.S. Department of Commerce and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced the Ocean-based Climate Resilience Accelerators program, and Activate was one of 16 awardees for Phase 1. With this funding, Activate and our partner, Propeller VC, are designing a program that develops and advances new, ocean-based technologies for climate resilience. As Phase 1 awardees, we have the opportunity to compete for up to $15M for implementation of our proposed program during Phase 2 of the award.
Even before this award, Activate Fellows have been pioneering, and implementing, a variety of ocean-tech innovations since Activate’s inception in 2015. Here are some examples:
CalWave (Marcus Lehmann, Cohort 2015, Cyclotron Road) harnesses the renewable power of ocean waves to produce electricity.
Umaro Foods (Amanda Stiles, Cohort 2020, Cyclotron Road) makes meat-free bacon using protein from red seaweed.
Vycarb (Garrett Boudinot, Cohort 2022) makes autonomous systems that measure, remove, and store CO₂ in water.
Banyu Carbon (Alex Gagnon and Julian Sachs, Cohort 2023) captures CO₂ from seawater using sunlight.
Sinkco Labs (Brenna Boehman, Cohort 2024) leverages marine sediments—an untapped reservoir that covers 70 percent of the planet—to deliver permanent, safe, and scalable carbon removal.
WeNexus (Yang Zhong, Cohort 2024) is developing a platform technology for economical water management that can enhance freshwater access, circularize resources, and reduce the environmental impacts of wastewater treatment.
In May, Sinkco Labs and WeNexus presented their technologies at the first-of-its-kind NYC OceanTech Summit, where WeNexus won first prize. Overall, the event highlighted the growing interest and community supporting ocean research and commercialization.
Amanda Stiles (Umaro, Cohort 2020, Cyclotron Road) with seaweed protein in the lab. (Image courtesy of Umaro)
"Oceans play a significant role in our climate systems, with so much still not fully understood,” said Andrew Chang, Managing Director of the Activate New York Community, after the Summit. “It is that much more important that we have scientist leaders driving the scaling of potential solutions to help us understand the opportunities and risks with bringing new ocean-based solutions to market."
Do you know an innovator in ocean tech? Nominate them to become an Activate Fellow. Applications for Cohort 2025 close on October 23, 2024.
