Portland, Maine, USA. October 16, 2023 – The Blue Venture Forum (BVF) and the Gulf of Maine Research Institute are pleased to announce the launch of the first Blue Venture Investment Summit-Portland on November 9th, 2023 at the Ocean Gateway in Portland, Maine. This inaugural summit will bring together an international cadre of investors, start-up founders, and policy makers to discuss the major trends that are driving investor interest in the Blue Economy, highlight what the future looks like for blue economy startups, and showcase the activity that is driving Maine’s blue economy sector.

The World Bank defines the Blue Economy as the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods and jobs, and ocean ecosystem health. There has been substantial growth in entrepreneurial innovation as Blue Economy founders work to develop solutions that address complicated ocean challenges due to climate change and increased global market demand for protein, including, species shifts impacting commercial fisheries, aquaculture development, data collection and ecosystem monitoring, naval defense, alternative energy production, deep sea exploration, and more. Driven by a growing global market, investor interest in the sector continues to grow.

“Maine has been making significant contributions to the global blue economy ecosystem so it was only natural that we would hold this program here,” stated Blaine Grimes, Chief Ventures Officer at Gulf of Maine Research Institute. “This summit will bring investors and key stakeholders from around the world to Maine to discuss the current state of investment and what’s needed to grow the sector further to address the major challenges in our oceans.”

The Blue Venture Investment Summit (BVIS) Portland is being organized by the Blue Venture Forum and Gulf of Maine Ventures, the entrepreneurship and innovation arm of Gulf of Maine Research Institute with support from the Consulate General of Canada in Boston, Maine Technology Institute (MTI), and Maine Venture Fund.

The Blue Venture Investment Summit-Portland will have a comprehensive line-up of speakers from the region’s blue economy ecosystem, including key investors, such as Brady Borhmann, Managing General Partner of Bold Ocean Ventures (BOV). “Bold Ocean Ventures invests in the new Blue Economy, where companies are innovating to modernize legacy ocean industries and create new paths forward in the face of climate change. There’s an emerging class of entrepreneurs developing innovative solutions for a more productive, sustainable, and climate-resilient ocean ecosystem and we see substantial opportunities for both profit and positive impact in these nascent ocean climate markets.”

Throughout the day, we will hear directly from other blue economy investment thought leaders, including Steven Fox of Propellor and Ted Janulis of Investible Oceans as part of a panel discussion on blue economy market trends and emerging technologies. The summit will also feature a group of regional founders discussing what it takes to secure capital investment in today’s market, some predictions about the future of the blue economy across various verticals, and a deep dive on the seaweed opportunity. Panels will be interspersed with flashtalks from fifteen different innovative companies.

For more information please visit: www.blueventureforum.org ###

The Blue Venture Forum (BVF) is a non-profit corporation headquartered in Newport, RI. The Blue Venture Forum is a first-of-its kind ocean and marine tech focused venture capital forum that provides programming, mentorship, and matchmaking for founders, investors, and key resource providers. https://blueventureforum.org/

Gulf of Maine Ventures is the entrepreneurship and innovation arm of The Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI), which develops and delivers collaborative solutions to global ocean challenges. Located in Portland, ME, the institute is dedicated to the resilience of the Gulf of Maine ecosystem and the communities that depend on it. For more information, visit https://ventures.gmri.org/.