World Economic Forum Uplink - final round of Ocean Solutions
Published on by Trudi Schifter, CEO and Founder AquaSPE in Business
On Monday 01 June we held the final round of the Ocean Solutions Sprint with 6 finalists, a prestigious judging panel and the entire UpLink community for a virtual event & pitch competition.as part of the Virtual Ocean Dialogues - a unique online event hosted by the World Economic Forum.
Awards were made in 3 categories :
- Ocean innovations : Cubex Global - Reduces emissions by buying and selling unused shipping container space
- Tackling ocean plastic : Recyglo: Providing waste management and data analytics to businesses
- The People's choice (selected by participants online) : Oceanium: Food and packaging made from sustainably farmed seaweed
All Finalists :
Ocean innovations
Oceanium: Food and packaging made from sustainably farmed seaweed
Unseenlabs: Monitoring illegal fishing and tracking vessels at sea
Cubex Global - Reduces emissions by buying and selling unused shipping container space
Tackling ocean plastic
Life out of Plastic: Empowering citizens to take action against plastic pollution
Recyglo: Providing waste management and data analytics to businesses
Pinovo: Sandblaster which prevents rust and microplastics polluting the ocean
All Ocean Solutions Sprint semi-finalists:
Tackling ocean plastic
The FlipFlopi Project: Leading a zero waste and plastic revolution in Africa
Madiba & Nature: Protecting fisherman and marine life by upcycling plastic
Plastic Loop: Working with waste pickers to improve livelihoods and prevent plastic waste
Life out of Plastic: Empowering citizens to take action against plastic pollution
Recyglo: Providing waste management and data analytics to businesses
Pinovo: Sandblaster which prevents rust and microplastics polluting the ocean
Ocean innovations
Oceanium: Food and packaging made from sustainably farmed seaweed
Unseenlabs: Monitoring illegal fishing and tracking vessels at sea
Seafood Commons: Tracing seafood sustainability from bait to plate
Cubex Global - Reduces emissions by buying and selling unused shipping container space
OLSPS - Improving the quality, quantity, and transparency of fishing data
Background to the Ocean Solutions Sprint
The Ocean Solutions Sprint is a pilot framework for UpLink; a contest to surface and scale the best innovations for ocean challenges. We have invited entrepreneurs and changemakers to submit their ideas and solutions for the ocean issues featured on UpLink, such as plastic pollution and illegal fishing.
The competition in 3 phases:
Phase 1: Collecting solutions (31 March - 19 April)
Ocean innovators were asked to submit their solution or perspective and help shape the contributions of their peers
Phase 2: Developing ideas (20 April - 26 May)
All submissions were received, with 11 shortlisted for the Semi-Final event, to be held on 26 May. A virtual workshop and pitch competition will narrow the field to 6 finalists, who will represent UpLink at the Virtual Ocean Dialogues, hosted by the World Economic Forum and Friends of Ocean Action.
Semi-final judges:
- Georgie Benardete, Co-Founder & CEO, Align17
- Asha de Vos, Founder and Executive Director, Oceanswell
- John Duncan, Global Initiative Lead: No Plastics in Nature, WWF
- Kristin Hughes, Director Global Plastic Action Partnership, World Economic Forum
- Ted Janulis, Founder, Investable Oceans
- Rob Jones, Global Aquaculture Lead, The Nature Conservancy
- Ingrid Kylstad, Chief Operating Officer, Katapult Ocean
- Molly Morse, Project Scientist, Benioff Ocean Institute
- Barkha Mossae, Co-Founder, #SeeingBlue
- Kristin Rechberger, CEO, Dynamic Planet
- Enric Sala, Explorer-in-Residence, National Geographic Society
- Kristian Teleki, Director, Friends of Ocean Action, World Economic Forum
Phase 3: Sharpening pitches (26 May to 29 May)
The 6 finalists will receive additional support from the UpLink community of experts, investors, fellow entrepreneurs and activists to refine their final pitch for the final event at the Virtual Ocean Dialogues. 3 winners will be chosen by the panel of judges, with awards in three categories:
- The Changemakers Award
- The Innovators Award
- The People's Award - selected by participants online
Taxonomy
- Environmental Conservator
- Environmental Engineers & Consultants