Rising Tides: Surfboards, Food Waste, and Shrimp

Welcome back to Rising Tides!

This LinkedIn-exclusive newsletter is brought to you by Sustainable Ocean Alliance (SOA), featuring the latest news and highlights from our growing network of 480+ ocean-based solutions and the innovative changemakers behind them.

This month, we learn about how:?

?? Two surfers went from making eco-friendly surfboards to solving the global packaging problem

?? A company diverting hundreds of thousands of food containers from waste streams

?? Wastewater from shrimp aquaculture can be used to create nutrient-rich fertilizer for produce

And more!?

Plus, discover exciting new opportunities, upcoming events, and more.?

Let's dive in…

Co-founded by two surfers John Felts and Marco Rolandi , Bay Area startup Cruz Foam was recently featured in SURFER Magazine for its inspiring founder story.?

Cruz Foam was launched with the vision of making eco-friendly surfboard blanks to offer an alternative to the fossil fuel-based polyurethane foam that most boards are made from. But, after developing their proprietary foam product, Felts and Rolandi pivoted to address a bigger issue: the global packaging problem.?

Today, Cruz Foam’s products are primarily made of nontoxic, compostable materials sourced from upcycled food waste—particularly discarded shellfish shells.

Read the full SURFER feature here.

Seaweed materials startup Sway Co-Founder & CEO Julia Marsh has been awarded as a top Women in Climate by Fin-Erth for her groundbreaking work in advancing seaweed as a solution to petroleum-based packaging.?

This prestigious list shines a spotlight on 101 women from across the globe focused on unlocking climate and sustainability solutions.

View the full list of awardees here.

In partnership with Stanford Health Care , Dispatch Goods has now diverted 177,971 containers from Stanford’s dining services through their reusable container program. This number contributes to the total 8 million items Dispatch has saved from the waste stream since the startup’s inception.

Dispatch Goods is now offering their reusable container services in California, New York City, DC, Philadelphia, and Baltimore.

If you are interested in learning more and partnering with Dispatch Goods, contact their team here.?

French startup Agriloops is pioneering innovative and sustainable solutions to redefine shrimp production and vegetable farming thanks to its cutting-edge saltwater aquaponics technology and the support of BlueInvest, an EU Commission initiative that accelerates new ocean-based technologies and solutions within the sustainable blue economy.

With the help of BlueInvest, Agriloops is actively building its first industrial-scale saltwater aquaponic production site in France, called Mangrove #1—a circular system that utilizes the nutrient-rich wastewater from shrimp aquaponics to grow high-quality vegetables in adjacent greenhouses. With this system, the startup aims to produce over 100 tonnes of shrimp and vegetables annually.?

“Thanks to BlueInvest, we were able to finalise our fundraising and secure investments, including support from the European Union, allowing us to launch Mangrove #1,” shared Jérémie Cognard , Agriloops Co-Founder & CEO.

OCEANIUM has been featured on The Earthshot Prize Launchpad, an online matchmaking platform that connects scalable environmental solutions with like-minded investors and philanthropists eager to support their innovations.?

The Earthshot Prize Launchpad was created to catalyze greater investment in pioneering climate solutions, making it easier for funders to discover and back promising ventures.

If you are an investor on the Launchpad platform, OCEANIUM invites you to learn more and join them on their mission to Kelp the World?.

Apply to the SOA Ocean Leaders Fellowship – Due February 23

Sustainable Ocean Alliance and Dona Bertarelli Philanthropy are actively recruiting eligible applicants for the Ocean Leaders Fellowship—a brand-new annual program designed to prepare young professionals in the ocean-climate sector to lead with confidence and champion meaningful, lasting change for our planet.?

40 selected Fellows will be given career advancement opportunities such as participation in skill development workshops, expert mentorship, collaboration opportunities with peers, and sponsored attendance at the 2025 Our Ocean Youth Leadership Summit in Busan, South Korea and the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France.

Learn more and apply here by February 23, 2025.?

Please note: Applications are open for individuals aged 18-35. International applicants of diverse identities, geographies, and backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Apply to the Monaco Ocean Protection Challenge – Due March 6

The Monaco Ocean Protection Challenge 2025 is now open for applications to join its annual competition for students, recent graduates, and young entrepreneurs to support the successful creation and development of startups and organizations that demonstrate a positive impact on ocean preservation in a short or medium term.

Learn more and apply here by March 6, 2025.?

Please note: Open to students and entrepreneurs. All undergraduate, graduate, and MBA students can join the challenge as well as young professionals who are creating or have created a company after January 2022.

Join rePurpose Global’s Strategic Advisory Network – Rolling Deadline

rePurpose Global , the world’s leading Plastic Action Platform, is looking to grow their Strategic Advisory Network—a community of leaders from all sectors of the Consumer Goods industry to provide their invaluable input to rePurpose’s work and leverage their influence to enable more brands to fight plastic.?

Benefits include networking opportunities with some of the world’s most impactful brands and businesses, an invitation to rePurpose’s annual Plastic Reality Project, and more.?

Learn more and apply here.

Apply to the SOA Ocean Solution Label – Rolling Deadline

Sustainable Ocean Alliance and Solar Impulse Foundation are eager to accept applications for the SOA Ocean Solution Label—a certification label recognizing ocean-positive businesses for their efforts to deploy business practices that protect and preserve the ocean.?

Learn more and apply for the Label here.

Investment Opportunities in SOA's Ecopreneur Network

If you are a mission-driven investor interested in connecting with and supporting any of the SOA’s startups, please contact Camila Vega ([email protected]) or Matthew Mulrennan ([email protected]).

February 24-28: 6th Ocean Innovation Africa Summit – Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

Ocean Innovation Africa is hosting the 6th Ocean Innovation Africa Summit to drive transformative, nature-positive, climate-resilient, and community-centered ocean solutions across Africa and beyond.

The Summit will convene a dynamic community of 500+ researchers, entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, community leaders, and other vital stakeholders to collaboratively design ambitious strategies that accelerate the growth of the regenerative blue economy.

Register for the in-person event here.?

Email Forbi Perise Eyong. N ([email protected]) to connect with SOA in person.

February 26-27: Ocean Decade International Coastal Cities Conference – Qingdao, China

Hosted by the Qingdao Municipal People’s Government in collaboration with IOC-UNESCO, the first Ocean Decade International Coastal Cities Conference is a two-day, in-person conference to address the challenges and opportunities in generating and using ocean science for sustainable development ahead of the 2025 UN Ocean Conference.?

Learn more about the in-person event here.

March 12-13: Economist 12th World Ocean Summit – Tokyo, Japan

Economist Impact is hosting the 12th World Ocean Summit with a focus on transitioning to a sustainable ocean economy, ocean stewardship, strategies to restore ocean health, advancements in marine technology, and collaborative efforts to address ocean pollution.?

Register for the in-person event here.

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