Development help for ocean tech startups

The first batch of the Katapult Ocean Accelerator includes startups from Myanmar, Costa Rica, Greece the UK, Portugal, Morocco and Norway, which will undertake training in growth, investor readiness, leadership development and exponential tech, plus benefit from introductions to the Norwegian and global ocean tech ecosystem.

Backed by investors from Norway, Sweden, Germany, The Netherlands and Singapore, Katapult Ocean invests in and supports startups with a positive impact on the oceans, including illegal fishing, aquaculture, plastics pollution and reduction of emissions in shipping. The initiative has more than 80 dedicated mentors globally.

Valuable developments

Startups include Evoy, which eliminates emission from the maritime sector by offering a reliable and affordable solution, through the electrification of boats for both private and recreational use; and Undersee, which combines satellite data with sensor data to make it possible to get a local and global view of the state of the water quality in the ocean.

Also in the programme is Brim Explorer, which develops next-generation ships with emission-free and noise-free sightseeing; and SubseaX, which offers a software that allows you to control underwater drones over the internet using video streaming. This makes exploration of the ocean, inspections of ships and other installations less expensive and more environmentally friendly

Applications are now open for the next round of the Katapult Ocean Accelerator, which starts in Autumn 2019.

By Rebecca Jeffrey