At the event, the BEB was represented by OceanHub Africa, its partner across the African continent. Unlike isolated or regional initiatives, BEB is built as a single global platform. The strategic alliance leverages territorial knowledge and the leadership of emerging ecosystems to establish a scalable impact model. With a target of supporting 100,000 resilient coastal businesses and mobilizing US$5 billion in blended capital, the initiative directly connects entrepreneurs, deep tech startups, local cooperatives, and coastal communities worldwide to the largest sovereign funds, multilateral banks, and institutional investors.
“The Blue Entrepreneurship Breakthrough does not belong to a single region; it represents a universal commitment to the future of our ocean. By joining forces on a single platform, backed by the UN Climate Change High-Level Champions and the Ocean & Climate Platform, we are eliminating the fragmentation that historically kept global capital away from local impact projects. We are building a global network of opportunities where all countries participate and benefit,” said the Joint Statement of the BEB Global Governance Committee.
“Between the announcement at COP30 and the launch at COP31, what matters is what we do today—and today we can already point to something real. Alongside OceanHub Africa, the BEB is connecting the capital committed across the Ocean Breakthroughs to the entrepreneurs who turn it into restored coastlines and stronger communities. At IlhaHub, that is the bridge we are here to build,” said Sandrelise Chaves, CEO of IlhaHub.
“Every ocean breakthrough sets a target, but none of them count the entrepreneurs who deliver it: the startups, the small businesses, the community ventures. That’s the layer BEB maps and connects to capital. In Africa we’ve already found hundreds of them across 27 countries. They don’t need to be invented. They need to be backed,” said Herland Cerveaux, Managing Director, OceanHub Africa.
The BEB consolidation roadmap reflects its high-level international governance. Originally proposed during the 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC 3) in Nice, France (2025), the mechanism had its investment thesis and network architecture globally validated at COP30, held in Belém, Brazil, and most recently advanced at the Our Ocean Conference in Mombasa, Kenya, in 2026. The culmination of this process will take place at COP31, hosted and presided over by Türkiye in Antalya, with Australia as President of Negotiations, from November 9 to 20, 2026, where the platform will be officially launched at a global scale, opening the first calls for proposals and public tenders for blended finance worldwide.
The BEB thesis operates inclusively and across three macro levels:
- Community and Grassroots Level: Economic safeguards, promotion of coastal bioeconomy, and empowerment of traditional fishing communities and indigenous peoples worldwide.
- Technological and Market Level: Attraction, acceleration, and internationalization of startups focused on blue carbon, maritime decarbonization, and marine biotechnology.
- Macroeconomic Level: International standardization of climate and biodiversity impact metrics, reducing risks for the entry of global institutional capital.
With the unification of its communications plan and global governance, the organizations now begin a global digital roadshow and market sounding sessions across international financial and climate hubs. This process includes an open invitation for governments, NGOs, networks and funders to join the inaugural Advisory Board, ensuring that the launch at COP31 marks a major investment milestone in the Blue Economy.
