Blue Prosperity Entrepreneur Fellowship FAQ

The primary requirement is that grant-supported activities must benefit the blue economy (sustainable utilization of marine resources) in Tonga. The ideal participant is someone with a new or early-stage project and can show measurable results before December 2025, and with plans for how to sustain impact beyond the term of the fellowship.

Initiatives are not required to generate profit or be affiliated with an organization in order to apply.

Applications will be open from October 1, 2024 to November 2, 2024. Applications will be reviewed by Waitt and SOA staff. Qualified applicants will be invited to schedule a Zoom meeting in November 2024. 

Applications will be evaluated by SOA and Waitt staff and scored on the strength of their leadership (experience/potential), project components (location/outputs), impact, sustainability/scalability, finances (budget, traction/other sources of funding), and contribution to advancing justice, equity, and diversity. 

Fellows are expected to participate (either live or through recordings) in a minimum of four training workshops over the course of the fellowship from January 2025 to December 2025. Workshop dates will be shared with applicants upon acceptance. Workshops are 1-2 hours each, including up to an hour of preparatory work. Fellows may also choose to participate in mentorship via email or 1:1 meetings.

The subject of the training workshops will be determined based on the attributes of the selected fellows.

SOA established one of the world’s first ocean-focused accelerators for startups in 2018, and has since nurtured a network of experts and a content library meant to educate entrepreneurs and grassroots leaders on the essentials of creating and scaling sustainable ocean initiatives.

Examples of past expert-led workshops include Value Propositions & Go to Market Strategy, Fundraising, Measuring Impact, Early Stage Company Formation, and more.

Fellows will have access to SOA’s network of mentors, including leaders in business, technology, finance, and more. A community of 330+ professionals (“SOA Mentors”) volunteer their time to provide 1:1 support to SOA grant recipients on an as-needed basis.

Fellows will be introduced to the participating mentors at the beginning of the fellowship and can request their support at any time through December 2025.