Welcome to the Newsroom

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. 
Want to be the next one? Apply to BlueInvest Readiness Assistance or Fundraising Assistance.
 
 

WSense pioneers 'Underwater Internet' with BlueInvest

Success stories

WSense is a deep-tech company bringing innovation to underwater monitoring and communication systems. Through their patented technologies, they have pioneered the 'Underwater Internet of Things' and enable wireless underwater communication.

This Italian scale-up has a long history of success with BlueInvest. They were featured in the original BlueInvest industry survey in 2019. Then, they participated in the investment readiness and fundraising assistance programme and won the BlueInvest Award in 2022.

Thanks to the visibility gained, and with support from their BlueInvest coach and another European initiative (EIT Digital), they have recently raised €11 million in funding.

As put by Chiara Petrioli, Founder and CEO of WSense:

"The support and exposure we received through BlueInvest happened at the right time, with the right investors and the right contacts. These BlueInvest endorsements not only facilitated our fundraising efforts but also enabled us to connect with the investors who ultimately backed us in the funding rounds.Originally targeting a fundraise of around €6 million, we were pleasantly surprised by the strong investor interest, setting the stage for our continued growth in 2024."

Wi-Fi underwater: an ocean of application opportunities

Unlike conventional Wi-Fi, which would face limitations in the aquatic environment, WSense has developed innovative technologies enabling seamless communication underwater.

WSense’s technologies facilitate real-time data exchange among underwater sensors, sea-bottom devices, and robotics. This enables connectivity from the water column to the surface, which can then be regularly transmitted to the Cloud.  It also ensures real-time long lasting monitoring over large areas and an extensive surveillance of underwater environments, waterways and marine seabeds.

Through international partnerships and deployments in the EU and beyond, WSense’s innovation finds applications in multiple sectors, such as in energy, critical infrastructure, aquaculture, tourism, and cultural heritage.

This multifaceted approach and range of applications positions WSense as a leader in underwater Internet of Things and wireless networking.

WSense’s ultimate goal is to provide a communication infrastructure for sustainable ocean resource exploitation, risk mitigation, and process optimisation, contributing to the growth of the blue economy.

From Italy, to the world

Starting as a deep tech spin-off from the University of Sapienza, WSense's team initially comprised scholars with a strong engineering background. Over the years, the company has evolved, incorporating business professionals and expanding its sales and operational teams.

The team, now 50 strong, is set to double in the next three years, thereby supporting WSense's ambitious growth plans.

BlueInvest in action

WSense's success story exemplifies how the power of innovation can be amplified by collaboration and expert support. It shows the importance of initiatives that connect startups with the resources and networks necessary for making a lasting impact in the market.

Thanks to the coaching provided through the BlueInvest investment readiness and fundraising assistance, WSense continuously upscaled their company. Thereafter, pitching their innovation at BlueInvest Day 2022 gave the firm a lot of visibility. This exposure allowed them to be introduced to a community of investors and stakeholders.

Finally, the constant support from their BlueInvest coach Martin Poulsen (Acacia Sustainable Business Advisors) and EIT Digital helped them connect with investors, granting them €11 million in funding.  

About BlueInvest

BlueInvest is an EU initiative that aims to boost innovation and investment in sustainable technologies for the blue economy. It offers assistance to access financing for early-stage businesses, SMEs and scale-ups. BlueInvest is enabled by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund.

BlueInvest Readiness Assistance is an exclusive coaching programme. It targets high potential EU startups and SMEs with innovative and sustainable products and solutions for the Blue Economy. Businesses and projects selected for Investment Readiness Assistance will receive coaching packages tailored to their readiness levels and business objectives. The programme is impact-driven, with a clear focus on providing business support to help startups and SMEs build capacities for growth and attract investment.

More mature SMEs can also apply to the BlueInvest Fundraising Assistance, that aims to support equity round closures through coaching.

For any questions, reach out to us at lu-blueinvest@pwc.lu.

More information

Website: WSense 

Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wsense/

Wsense srl
 

See all

 

 

OTHER BLUE NEWS

 

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 call closes on 18 September 2024.

Click here for more information. 

 

Ship financing portal

 

Ship Financing Portal

The European Commission launched the Ship 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.

For more information, please visit the Ship Financing Portal

 

EUSPA funding scheme grant

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 a GNSS positioning/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 the EUSPA 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.

More information here

 

Protecting and Monitoring the Ocean - the Nordics

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. Register here.

The other parts of the event are by invitation only. Any questions can be addressed to Ocean Autonomy Cluster.

Programme and more information here.

 

Innovation Fund third small-scale call for projects

The third Innovation Fund small-scale call for projects was 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 until 19 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 an Info Day to present the call.

Registration and information here.

Discover the Black Sea Assistance Mechanism

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.