The Ocean Innovators Platform held its 8th edition in Singapore

On Wednesday 27 November, the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation organised the 8^th edition of its Ocean Innovators Platform at the prestigious Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, in the presence of HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco. Aimed at promoting entrepreneurship, innovation and investment, this event has become an essential meeting place for highlighting cutting-edge technologies and inventive solutions towards a sustainable blue economy.

Mr. Olivier Wenden, Vice President and CEO of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation,  opened this edition reminding the aim of the Ocean Innovators Platform " initiated by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation with one clear objective : to catalyse investment into businesses, technologies, and innovative ideas that can tackle the ocean’s greatest challenges. It’s a platform for solutions. It’s a platform about action and results, for our ocean.”  

Mr Wenden reaffirmed the leading position of the Principality in the blue economy movement and the proactive commitment of the Foundation that led to the creation of a €100 million private equity fund, the ReOcean Fund.   “The global ocean is bearing the brunt of human activity—pollution, overfishing, warming waters. But here’s the thing: where there’s challenge, there’s opportunity. If we invest wisely, if we think boldly, we can transform our blue economy into a force for sustainability and equity” he concluded.

A first panel focused on the opportunities driven by the blue tech space, bringing together leading venture capital and private equity funds as Mr Douglas Hansen-Luke, Executive Chairman of Future Planet Capital, Mr Jérémy Genin, CIO of Monaco Asset Management, Mr. Rob Kaplan, CEO of Circulate Capital, Mr. Sébastien Guillaud, Co-Founder & General Managing Partner of Shift4Good. Their discussions, moderated by Ms Michelle Li, CEO of Clever Carbon gave insights on key ocean-related sectors such as sustainable aquaculture, green shipping or solutions to plastic pollution. The experts highlighted the actual trends driving investment in sustainable ocean industries, the market maturity and the most promising innovations.

The session was followed by a fire-side chat with Janice-Renee Yoshioka, VP sustainable finance of Conservation International and animated by Ms. Caroline Guyot, Managing Director at ENGIE-Factory APAC.  The discussion was the occasion to give perspectives on a regenerative blue economy and explored the challenges and opportunities that will shape the future of the blue economy.

The event concluded on a session of Ocean Impact Pitches giving five visionary entrepreneurs the opportunity to present their innovative solutions and business models to investors and stakeholders. CEOs of Planet Protector Packaging, BlueYou, Nutri-San, Pyxis and Lucro shared the stage to showcase their companies.

In His closing remarks, HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco assessed that “Today, we have all the tools in hand to rise to the occasion: the science, the technology, the global awareness to act decisively and courageous leadership rising. 
While we often hear that sustainability and profitability are at odds, the blue economy proves otherwise. (…) Investments in sustainable aquaculture, renewable ocean energy, and marine biodiversity restoration are showing real potential for both ecological impact and financial returns. This is a rare moment where doing what is right for the planet is also what is right for investors.”

This 8^th edition of the Ocean Innovators Platform was organized with the support of the ReOcean Fund, Builders Vision, Future Planet Capital, ChangeNow and Shift4Good and in partnership with Monaco Private Label.

Photos :
©Michael Alesi / Palais Princier
©Goderic Tia / FPA2