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The Most Impactful Part of the Ocean Solutions Accelerator, According to Alumni

   

SOA Blog

Sustainable Ocean Alliance is accelerating ocean solutions around the world. Here are their stories.

The best part of the Ocean Solutions Accelerator? A lifelong network of alumni, mentors, and ocean sustainability leaders.

When Daniela and Craig founded the Ocean Solutions Accelerator in 2018, their goal was to build a place for ocean tech entrepreneurs to thrive.

The Accelerator grants access to world-class mentors, investors, and speakers for outstanding ocean-tech startups during an intensive four weeks. We've designed the program structure to support our ambitious goals: to propel a blue economy that heals our ocean and mitigates the impacts of climate change.

Three years later—with three cohorts under our belt—the OSA is proud to have accelerated 29 companies in 12 countries. We're primed to help the biggest, boldest solutions-seekers for our ocean take their work to the global stage. 

OSA Cohort 3!

We’re now recruiting 21 companies to accelerate in our fourth and fifth Cohorts, which will roll out this June and September. We’re seeking trailblazers—future-focused, solutions-oriented entrepreneurs—to join our portfolio and become a part of the global OSA Network of alumni and mentors.

(Interested? Applications are open until April 12—apply here!)

A snapshot of the OSA experience

Kenton Liu joined us for OSA's third cohort as executive director of Trademodo, a global trade platform which redefines the way B2B businesses find and connect with each other.

“The best part of the OSA is the environment SOA has cultivated," he shared. "All the mentors, entrepreneurs, and partners are all willing to provide whatever help they can to see your business succeed—which will in turn make the oceans healthier.”

Among Trademodo's objectives was to reshape the seafood industry to ensure that the most ethical seafood companies are connected with the right business partners. 

“Even if you believe you have a solid foundation, the program will help refine it with the input and help of extremely qualified individuals,” adds Liu.

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Similarly for our alum company Muuse—a lifestyle app to stop single-use waste and marine pollution—the Accelerator solidified the company’s foundation for immediate growth. We caught up with Claudia Guerreiro, the Marketing Manager at Muuse.

“SOA gave us greater clarity over our value proposition, business model, and how to get started in a lean way," she explained. "Since SOA, we launched a project in Singapore, where we work with cafes to provide reusable packaging for takeaway food and drink.”

brian-yurasits-YFiHaY2DVyE-unsplashAs Daniela and Craig envisioned, the OSA four-week virtual Accelerator program and lifelong network continues to create a space for ocean-tech founders to thrive. Marcus Lehman, member of our first OSA cohort and CEO of CalWave has reflected on the longstanding impacts of the accelerator—

“SOA has been critical for our progress at CalWave on all aspects of our growth and development. Especially when it comes to non-product related matters that can be easily neglected in an early product development phase of a company.”

If you've got the burning desire to reverse the damage done to our ocean and climate, the OSA team is excited to hear from you—apply to join this year's cohorts by April 12! We’ll leave you with these parting words from Courtney Boyd Myers, the Founder & CEO of AKUA, home of Kelp Jerky, Kelp Pasta, and more: 

“Without big events happening in the world, it's more important than ever to find creative ways to meet incredible people in your respective industry, and the SOA network is just that— INCREDIBLE!” 

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