In the newsroom, you will find the latest updates on the BlueInvest initiative: useful videos to expand your knowledge, success stories, insights on our pasts and upcoming events and much more!
BlueInvest was launched in 2019 with the aim to facilitate access to finance and support investment readiness for early stage businesses, SMEs and scale ups in the blue economy. The platform …
Supports investment readiness and access to finance for innovative start-ups, SMEs, and scale-ups in the blue economy.
Provides a market path through technical assistance, visibility, matchmaking and network- and opportunity-building for investors and companies.
Guides investors to specialize their investment strategies into blue economy related areas and to maximize their related investments.
Fosters a community and investment ecosystem to help finance the go-to-market and scale-up and to fuel the transition to more sustainable finance and impact investment.
SUCCESS STORIES
80+ beneficiaries had qualified introductions to investors 50+ beneficiaries secured investment 96.5% satisfaction rate
Read more on the BlueInvest beneficiaries and their success stories here below.
Restoring coastal ecosystems with Reefy and BlueInvest
Success stories
Dutch start-up Reefy is at the forefront of restoring underwater ecosystems, tackling the alarming decline of marine life. With support from BlueInvest, Reefy secured€500,000to pioneer their technology: stable modular reefs that help restore the environment and act as living breakwaters for coastlines suffering the effects of climate change.
Jaime Ascencio, CEO of Reefy, said: “At Reefy, our vision is to ensure that every underwater construction contributes positively to marine or freshwater biodiversity.”
The alarming decline of 50% of coral reefs since the 1950s underscores the critical need to address biodiversity loss.
Founders Jaime Ascencio and Leon Haines have witnessed firsthand how these rapid environmental changes impact local communities. In response, they created the Reef Enhancing Breakwater (REB), a groundbreaking modular system made from low-carbon concrete.
Testing the Reef enhancing breakwater against storm conditions at the wave facilities from Deltares
Unlike traditional infrastructure, the REB offerseffective wave protection while supporting marine life, having proven to host five times more species and three times greater biodiversity than conventional alternatives.
Its unique system of tunnels enhances water flow, enabling filter feeders to improve surrounding water quality, effectively functioning as a massive biofilter. By employing smart design, the REB canreduce material volume by over 50%compared to traditional pyramid-shaped breakwaters.
This makes Reefy's solutions not only cost-effective in a resource-limited world but also beneficial for ecosystems and the economy, setting Reefy apart from existing technologies.
Colourful Shrimp (Palaemon serratus) showing the species diversity 5 months after installation of the Reef enhancing breakwater
BlueInvest has been instrumental in Reefy’s journey. Winning theBlueInvest Awards 2021during the BlueInvest Day pitch battle provided Reefy with valuable visibility and recognition.
Furthermore, the BlueInvest Readiness Assistance allowed Reefy to refine itsbusiness strategy. “Thanks to this support, we successfully closed our first investment round in 2022, raising over half a million euros from visionary investors in the Netherlands, Germany, and Spain,” said Jaime Ascencio, CEO of Reefy. "Together, we have the clear objective to build smarter and prove that working in harmony with nature is the best solution."
Looking ahead, Reefy aims to secure an additional €1 million to further scale its innovative solutions internationally as a one-stop-shop for biodiversity services and products in the water construction sector. With BlueInvest’s ongoing support, Reefy is well-positioned to make a significant impact on severalSustainable Development Goals, contributing to the fight against two major global challenges: climate change and the rapid decline in biodiversity.
BlueInvest
BlueInvest is the EU's innovation and investment platform for the blue economy, offering business coaching, fundraising support, and networking opportunities for ocean technology companies. Interested individuals can register with the BlueInvest Community to explore programme features and opportunities or contact lu-blueinvest@pwc.lu.
Call for Tender: EU Coastal Monitoring Demonstrators
The ‘EU Coastal Monitoring Demonstrators’ Call for Tender, launched by Mercator Ocean International, aims to reinforce the Copernicus Marine Service’s interactions and collaboration with core users at the national and transnational level in the European Union.
The European Commission launched theShip Financing Portal, designed to improve access to financing for the shipping sector and the wider maritime industry.
The platform, launched by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport, provides businesses and organisations with a repository of available financial tools needed to drive fleet renewal and retrofitting, enhance efficiency, and reduce environmental impact.
The Portal in a nutshell:
Consolidated resource:the portal centralises access to a variety of pan-European financing products, simplifying the search for suitable financing opportunities for stakeholders across the maritime sector.
Current information:it provides up-to-date details on available grants, loans, and other financing products administered by the EU, Member States, and private financial institutions. This ensures that users are informed about the latest financing opportunities.
Sector-specific solutions:the portal lists financing products relevant for the shipping sector, facilitating the development and deployment of technologies and services to promote shipping decarbonisation. This aligns with the EU's commitment to steer the maritime sector towards a green transition.
The launch of the portal is a further step in supporting the greening of the maritime industry. The portal addresses the lack of available information on financing opportunities.
The European Commission invites all maritime stakeholders, including small and medium-sized businesses, financial institutions, and other organisations to explore the Ship Financing Portal and take advantage of the diverse financing opportunities available. This initiative underscores the EU's dedication to fostering a sustainable and competitive maritime sector.
EUSPA has published a new Fundamental Elements funding scheme grant to support the integration of Galileo High Accuracy Service (HAS) in maritime positioning and/or navigation solutions.
The Galileo HAS-enabled Maritime receiver Call for Proposals aims at designing, developing, testing and demonstrating aGNSSpositioning/navigation solution, integrating Galileo HAS receiver, suitable to be embedded within the vessel navigation equipment.
Deadline for submission to the call: Friday, September 20, 2024 - 23:59 CEST.
You can read more about this opportunity at theEUSPA pages.
Oceanovation Festival - 21-22 June 2023
Innovation and technology are the cornerstones of a blue economy, and Europe is leading the way. A thriving Blue economy promises to bring innumerable benefits through the financing of projects and investments with a focus on marine innovation and circular economy solutions. This is why Blue Invest is a supporting partner of OCEANOVATION Festival taking place in The Hague on 21-22 June.
The Festival will bring together 350+ innovative founders, investors, corporates, and forward-thinking minds in the ocean space to identify, implement and scale the technologies we need to grow the blue economy in a sustainable way. As part of the Blue Invest network, you will be able to attend 2 days of workshops and engaging conversation with a 40% discount on the ticket. Take part in the different civities offered during the event such as a Founders program, dedicated Investor Program, Pitch on The Beach, Industry Workshops, and unlimited networking opportunities.
BlueInvest is partnering up with Ocean Autonomy Cluster for the seminar “Protecting and Monitoring the Ocean - the Nordics” taking place on 03 May in Clarion Brattøra and online.
Experts, innovators, and industry leaders will gather to discuss the current state and prospects of the blue economy in the Nordic region.
The session "Solutions looking for a problem - Entrepreneurs" is available for online participation. Registerhere.
The other parts of the event are by invitation only. Any questions can be addressed toOcean Autonomy Cluster.
Innovation Fund third small-scale call for projects
Thethird Innovation Fund small-scale call for projectswas launched on 30 March 2023 with a budget of EUR 100 million for projects with a total capital cost between EUR 2.5 million and below EUR 7.5 million, it will be open for projects submissions until19 September 2023, 17:00 Brussels time.
On 20 April, the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) and the European Commission's DG Climate Action are organising anInfo Dayto present the call.
BlueInvest and the Black Sea Assistance Mechanism are collaborating to provide market pathways for sustainable and innovative technologies at different stages of formation.
The Black Sea Assistance Mechanism offers participating countries practical support to help meet the blue economy goals of the Common Maritime Agenda for the Black Sea.
The focus is on facilitating awareness and capacity of local and regional stakeholders by providing the Black Sea community with expertise on the blue economy, a network across borders on both shores to help project leaders find the right partners, as well as support with project idea development and share funding opportunities.
BlueInvest and the Black Sea Assistance Mechanism are collaborating to provide market pathways for sustainable and innovative technologies at different stages of formation.
The Black Sea Assistance Mechanism offers participating countries practical support to help meet the blue economy goals of the Common Maritime Agenda for the Black Sea.
The focus is on facilitating awareness and capacity of local and regional stakeholders by providing the Black Sea community with expertise on the blue economy, a network across borders on both shores to help project leaders find the right partners, as well as support with project idea development and share funding opportunities.
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