There are many reasons to believe the ocean is the next economic frontier. Innovation and investment are two sides of the coin that is galvanising economic activity in the ocean. To help meet the growing global demand for more energy, greater efficiency, resilient supply chains, and other expanded commercial opportunities, the future of the blue economy is crucial. Along with the risks come new opportunities to reimagine what modernisation and growth looks like for our oceans.Economist Impact’s World Ocean Tech and Innovation Summit, hosted by Canada’s Ocean Supercluster in collaboration with the Province of Nova Scotia and the Halifax Partnership, will convene innovators, business leaders, thought leaders and investors to learn about and engage with the latest “blue economy” innovators and technologies, and identify solutions that will form the roadmap to a sustainable, thriving ocean economy.Taking place in Halifax, Canada, the two-day programme will showcase local innovations that have the potential to be scaled globally, and welcome international business leaders, investors and scientists to share learnings and unleash new opportunities for cross-border partnership and investment.

  Topic: Blue Tech Investment, a Roundtable Discussion When: October 3, from 10-11:00AM, coffee to follow Where: Innovate Newport, 513 Broadway, Newport, RI. Join the Blue Venture Forum at 10:00AM on October 3, at Innovate Newport, for a panel discussion on the state of investment in blue technology. Southern New England has long been the epicenter for marine technology startups. Many of these startups have spun out of the research being developed at key institutions like the US Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC), the University of Rhode Island (URI), and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). Until recently, the only path to funding for most of these startups was bootstrapping or government funding, particularly through the SBIR program. However, today, institutional investors, including Venture Capital and Angels, along with corporates are now making strategic investments which are fueling the development of innovations to address the major challenges in ocean exploration, aquaculture, traditional fisheries, defense, undersea communications, climate monitoring, and more. During this discussion, we will hear directly from investors about why they’re investing in blue technology firms, discuss the companies and technologies they’re investing in, learn what it takes to secure an investment from one of these investors, and hear what they see as emerging opportunities in the sector.  This event is being held in partnership with Innovate Newport as part of RI Startup Week. Panelists: - Thorne Sparkman, Managing Director, Slater Technology Fund, Inc., https://slaterfund.com/- Neil Hamel, Head of US Ventures and Open Innovation, Orsted, https://openinnovation.orsted.com/- David Ford, Investor, Blue Angels, https://www.sea-ahead.com/blue-angels- Adam de Sola Pool, Investor, https://www.linkedin.com/in/adampool- Jeffrey Smith, Vice President and General Manager, Unmanned Undersea Systems, SAAB, Inc., https://www.saab.com/products/security/underwater-systems Panel Moderator: Toby Stapleton, Director, Blue Venture Forum

Discover Global Markets business development forum is the U.S. Department of Commerce’s flagship event series for U.S. exporters. The forum features a dynamic mix of plenary sessions, topical round-tables, prescheduled one-on-one meetings with U.S. commercial diplomats, buyers and ministry officials from key markets around the globe, and plenty of networking!