Blue tech enterprises often propose cutting-edge engineering and science-based solutions to address emerging critical issues such as food scarcity, pollution, carbon emissions, and machinery reliability for vessels. By blending traditional marine expertise with new digital tools, these organizations shape the future of ocean stewardship.
15 Years of Acceleration
Incubators and accelerators offer access to experienced mentorship, seed funding, and investor connections to help these ventures scale their impact globally. Participating startups benefit from networks and specialized programs, which foster lean product development, business planning, and market entry strategies tailored to blue economy needs.
Ocean Exchange is unique in that it hosts a startup pitch competition every year to recognize and help advance innovation in technologies aimed at the health of our oceans and the Blue Economy. Since its creation, Ocean Exchange finalists have raised over $3.3 billion.
Cathy J. Sukas, a Co-Founder and Advisory Committee Member of Ocean Exchange, shared: “When Cort Atkinson and I and two other co-founders created Ocean Exchange a decade and a half ago, we set our success measurement to be five years survival. Cort and I are ecstatic to still be helping corporations fulfill their social responsibilities and to help send innovators to the next level of their development. Additionally, we are thrilled to now include the collegiate competition! We are grateful to our OE team of staff, sponsors, and directors, and to the Marine Research Hub, and now to the Marine Technology Society for keeping OE going for many decades more.”
This year’s event took place on October 26–28, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, FL, where finalists competed for three $100,000 non-dilutive awards. As an exclusive media partner, Ocean News & Technology Magazine offered the ocean community an inside look at the event.
Neptune Award Finalists
This year, fifteen candidates competed for two Neptune Awards and one Ocean Enterprise Award. The 15 candidates included:
- ABALOBI (South Africa) Fisher-led digital solutions for small-scale fisheries.
- Algae Scope (Italy) PFAS replacement in textiles with seaweed-based alternatives.
- Aloft (USA) Weather data collection while underway with novel wind propulsion.
- Bio Clean Carbon (Denmark) Nutrient removal system using cyanobacteria.
- Bluenose (France) Wind deflectors for commercial vessels for fuel/emissions reduction.
- Ceal Minerals (Israel) Carbon removal with w/valuable coproduct at seawater-cooled power plants.
- Cecilia (USA) Upcycled plastic waste into high-performance carbon materials & hydrogen.
- Cetera Energy (USA) Oilfield wastewater transformed into a US domestic source of lithium.
- Dottir Labs (USA) Real-time water quality monitoring for the aquaculture industry.
- NeuralX (USA) AI-enabled insights to measure biomass, count fish, and monitor fish behavior for increased aquaculture productivity.
- Nucleic Sensing Systems (USA) Real-time eDNA data from autonomous systems.
- Orpheus Ocean (USA) Autonomous underwater vehicle to unlock scalable seafloor access.
- Reefgen (USA) Habitat restoration and conservation via Robotics-as-a-Service platform.
- SOS Biotech (DR) Sargassum repurposed into biostimulants and bio-based materials.
The winners for each award were chosen based on the impact, level of innovation, and the ability to execute the solution. Delegates representing business, academia, government, and nonprofits cast votes for the winners.
The two Neptune Awards were awarded to solutions that judges felt best help advance our understanding of the ocean and minimize any potential impacts on these resources, resulting in more resilient bodies of water, including healthy marine life and coastlines. The winners of the Neptune Awards were Orpheus Ocean—a spin-off from WHOI looking to produce ultra-scalable subsea robots for deep ocean exploration, and Cecilia—an outfit developing technology to upcycle plastic waste into circular carbon nanomaterials.
Ocean Enterprise Award
The Ocean Enterprise Award, new for 2025, went to a solution that supports ocean observations, delivers improved ocean intelligence and services, and enables the growth of a sustainable Blue Economy and healthy oceans. This year’s winner was NeuralX, for its AI platform that turns underwater video into fish health and growth insights.
Shaping the Future Workforce
Ocean Exchange has also been carrying out a collegiate pitch competition for a decade now. This year, finalists competed for three awards of $10,000. The finalists included:
- Bioluminescence, Cape Cod Community College/WHOI
- HBS Lab UTD, University of Texas Dallas
- Ignition Packaging, University of Florida
- MADEIN U.S.T.A. LLC, Georgia Southern University
- OctaPulse, Carnegie Mellon University
- SLA Robotics, North Carolina State University
- SWPT, University of Rhode Island
- The Leatherback Project, University of Central Florida
The winners were chosen based on the impact, level of innovation, and the ability to execute the presented solution. The three winners were OctaPulse—an AI-powered inspection platform to automate production in early-stage finfish aquaculture, Ignition Packaging—biodegradable and ocean-safe packaging, and Iluminar El Mar—socially and economically sustainable bycatch reduction.
The Guy Harvey Foundation also showcased a series of projects from a high school competition on the first night of Ocean Exchange. Six teams of students were tasked with developing a poster to present a system or tool using artificial intelligence/machine learning to monitor the health of marine ecosystems. The two winning teams included “Reef Preservation AI: Early Detection for Coral Reefs at Risk of Dying” from A.D Henderson and FAU High School, and “Deep Detect Certified: Ocean-Safe Labeling for Consumer Trust” from NSU University School.
Optimizing Synergy
In December 2024, NOAA announced four business accelerators to boost the Blue Economy and spur new technology development, including The Continuum, which is made up of seven entrepreneur support organizations: Braid Theory, Ocean Exchange, St. Pete Innovation District, Seaworthy Collective, Tampa Bay Wave, University of South Florida, and World Ocean Council.
Made possible by the $13.9 million NOAA Ocean Enterprise Accelerators four-year grant, one of the goals for The Continuum is to redefine commercialization programs by creating a coordinated network of ocean enterprise accelerators to fast-track innovative technologies and data, prioritizing sustainable development goals, economic growth, and innovation leadership.
As part of The Continuum, Ocean Exchange aims to help find the formula that rapidly accelerates any Blue Tech startup, ensuring innovative solutions reach the market faster and more effectively.
Critical questions, creative thinking, and key networking opportunities for companies accelerating solutions for the Blue Economy are just a small part of what the Ocean Exchange community has to offer. Ocean Exchange CEO Millicent Pitts said it best, “The Ocean Exchange community, our processes and outcomes don’t predict the future, it collectively helps shape the future.”
Additionally, in March 2025, Ocean Exchange merged under the Marine Technology Society (MTS) umbrella. This collaboration fortifies Ocean Exchange’s existing model by driving geographic expansion and leveraging extensive industry networks to support the startup ecosystem.
“Ocean Exchange is an ideal partner for MTS—the team and community that have sustained Ocean Exchange for more than a decade are recognized as global leaders in marine technology innovation,” commented MTS CEO Chris Ostrander. “Welcoming Ocean Exchange into the MTS ecosystem expands our members’ connection to the entrepreneurial and startup community, while providing a pathway for early-stage companies and innovators to connect more deeply with the broader marine technology ecosystem. Together, and in concert with our other MTS signature programs, we are accelerating our efforts to catalyze and sustain the growth of marine technologies and technologists.
With increasing global attention on environmental and climate issues, the blue tech sector is rapidly growing to play a vital role in sustainable economic development. These startups are at the forefront of driving innovation, supporting healthy oceans, and creating new business opportunities—showcasing how technology and entrepreneurship can help unlock ocean potential for future generations.
To find out more about Ocean Exchange, visit: https://www.oceanexchange.org/
