A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to participate as a judge at the Ocean Exchange in Fort Lauderdale, FL. The Ocean Exchange’s mission is to help advance adoption of solutions in the field of sustainability. They focus on solutions with working prototypes that reduce waste and the use of nature’s resources while increasing productivity and respecting cultures around the world. The event was held in conjunction with the Fort Lauderdale International Boat show for the first time. It was held near the marina and there were spectacular boats arriving throughout the week.

The Ocean Exchange gives away three awards over the course of the two days. The first is a collegiate award, the Broward College Innovation Award of $10,000, given to one of eight teams pitching at the event. This year’s prize went to Celise BioProducts for developing affordable plant-based disposable product solutions like straws and cups. What is incredible about the Ocean Exchange audience is that it includes several investors who are committed to help all the finalists succeed – not just those that ultimately win the prizes. As a result, lots of follow-up opportunities are created for many of the presenters with innovative solutions to ocean challenges.

The other two non-dilutive awards, the Neptune award and the Orcelle award, are funded through sponsorships at a value of $100,000 each. The Neptune award is given to the company that advances our understanding of the ocean resulting in more resilient bodies of water. The winner this year was Opus 12, a solution that recycles CO2 emissions into chemical products. The Orcelle award, sponsored by Wallenius Wilhelmsen, is awarded to the company that advances high-efficiency or zero emissions technologies. This year’s winner was Noon Energy Inc for developing a new technology for low cost energy storage.

Throughout the two days, past participants also presented on how their companies are progressing and growing. These included ECOncrete, offering environmentally friendly concrete solutions, and Onvector, building water treatment capability leveraging plasma technology.

The awards were presented at a gala event on the final night. What was amazing to me, other than the strong attendance and the celebration of the success of the winners of course, was the centerpieces which included live jelly fish. This was a fitting choice, given the same warming and acidification of the ocean that is leading to a general decrease in fish biomass, is also causing jellyfish to thrive. Funded by the European Union, a project called GoJelly is currently underway to develop new applications for jellyfish including using them as a source of food and as a potential solution to efficiently recover microplastics.

My takeaways:

❶  There is tremendous passion for building solutions that address the many challenges in the ocean, particularly amongst the many students I met at this event. These presentations and discussions reinforced the importance of understanding what is already happening before building a solution that already exists somewhere else.

❷  Being connected is critical. The world is increasingly becoming a global market and the participants at this event demonstrated that. It is important for our Canadian companies to engage not only with others in Canada but also in the rest of the world to identify collaborators and opportunities.

❸  There were no Canadian finalists this year (although there have been in the past). This stands out as an opportunity – and I really hope to see a change in that next year!

Last week, I had my first ever trip to Oslo. It was a busy ocean-focused week. I first attended the High-Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy Advisory Network meeting. The High-Level Panel is led by 14 world leaders who recognize that economic production and ocean protection are interlinked and are developing solutions that address both the health and wealth of the ocean. We were provided with updates from various committees including an update on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Cryosphere report, which includes devastating findings around CO2 absorption and ocean acidification, warming water temperatures and sea level rise. There is still much to be done and not a lot of time to reverse the current trajectory of the ocean. The High-Level Panel’s report: The Ocean as a Solution for Climate Change was also discussed. In that report, five key measures could contribute up to a 21 per cent decrease in the impacts of climate change. The panel encouraged the audience to think about the ocean as an active part of the solution, not just as a victim, and even more importantly, to listen to the science.

 

On Wednesday and Thursday, I attended Our Ocean, a conference that was organized to build partnerships and knowledge to learn, share and act for a clean, healthy and productive ocean. The conference included government leaders, large and small businesses, research institutions and NGOs sharing the steps they are taking to protect the ocean including the Prime Minister of Norway, Erna Solberg and the Crown Prince, Haakon Magnus. Many discussed the trade-off between ocean productivity and protection, and humanity’s responsibility to consider both if we want to bring our ocean back into balance.

There were several innovation talks throughout the two days. Companies from around the world presented their solutions to help protect the ocean, leveraging new technologies, and the business opportunities they represent. These included:

·      Aquaii – United States company saving the seas through fish-as-a-service.

·      Corvus Energy – Energy storage company started in Vancouver 2009 and moved head office to Norway in 2019.

·      Ocean Sun – Norwegian company that builds solar power on floating membranes.

·      Ellipsis – UK company using machine learning for plastics tracking.

·      Ocean Visuals – Norwegian company with lasers in the subsea to detect hydrocarbons and phytoplankton.

There were several other events happening in tandem as part of the conference. The first was jointly organized by Bloomberg Philanthropies and REVOcean. The CEO of Bloomberg Philanthropies spoke about her understanding that only one per cent of philanthropic spending is on ocean despite that fact that it covers two-thirds of the planet. Bloomberg announced that it will be leveraging its tracking capability in conjunction with Global Fish Watch through the Bloomberg Terminal to allow more transparency around the location of fishing vessels and climate change information with the intent of driving more investment towards responsible actors.

REVOcean also asked me to participate in a financing panel to share the OSC approach and the opportunities in Canada. It was a panel of five women, a relatively rare event in the ocean space. The panel included Nordea and Asia Development Bank who talked about sustainable finance as well as the current trends and opportunities in ocean. In addition to myself, the panel also included RevOcean and the Katapult Accelerator, an accelerator focused on investing in impact-driven companies aiming to solve global challenges.

Friday, I spent the day meeting various organizations and gaining a greater understanding of the Norwegian ecosystem. I was very lucky with the weather that allowed me to walk around the city and explore the beautiful architecture as I moved between events.

My key takeaways:

❶  There are lots of similarities between Canada and Norway. Several I met commented on the easy cultural fit between organizations in the two countries. There is definitely more opportunity for organizations to work together and lots of interest in doing so.

❷  Governance when it comes to the ocean is a challenge for many countries. No one government department typically overseas all ocean activity which makes it difficult to develop coordinated solutions to ocean challenges. The OSC is working to help align ocean initiatives where we can to maximize impact while minimizing duplication.

❸  There are tremendous opportunities for Canadian companies to build solutions to produce and protect ocean resources, but the time is NOW. The ocean economy is growing fast and we need to be part of the solutions that impact our coastline; with the longest coastline in the world, we have much to gain but also much to lose.

In early October, I had the opportunity to participate in the first-ever SeaAhead conference in New York. SeaAhead is an organization launched in May 2018 to catalyze the intersection of innovation, sustainability and the ocean. Based in Boston, their focus is to work with startups and help them find financing, as well as increase the overall interest in the ocean by multiple domains to ensure the most diversity of thought possible to challenges and opportunities. One of the members of Canada’s Ocean Supercluster, Ashored, is currently participating at SeaAhead and Innovacorp is one of their partners. This is a clear example of how new connections with Atlantic Canada are already starting to grow!

One of the key objectives of the conference was to help the investor community see the incredible opportunities in Blue Tech as, currently, the industry does not have a sufficient investor base to be as successful as it could be. This aligns with one of the challenges of the OSC – access to smart capital, and we were certainly happy to weigh in on this discussion.

We had a great warm-up to the conference with a visit to NewLab where we toured the space and heard presentations from several companies in various stages of development. NewLab was established in 2016 and is based in a repurposed building from 1902 in the Brooklyn Navy Yard – the machine shop for every major ship constructed during World War I and II. The space includes over 100 companies and 700 entrepreneurs, and while it does not focus exclusively on ocean, its location attracts many ocean companies. Beyond its incredible history, NewLab has created a place that inspires innovation with several designers as early tenants who helped create amazing spaces. When it comes to testing technology, the Navy yard provides opportunities that would require permits anywhere off Navy grounds. And, for transportation and ease of access, there is an autonomous shuttle service that runs from NewLab to the ferry terminal regularly.

Back at the conference, things kicked off with a presentation from Victor Vescovo, an American Entrepreneur who ran the five-deeps project, the first manned expedition to the deepest point of the five oceans. In August 2019, he completed his mission. Each descent included a scientist who collected various specimens as well as significant amounts of data throughout the water column. His plan is to provide the data he collected open source on the website, once available, to allow others to build on his work.

Ayana Johnson, Founder of the Ocean Collectiv spoke about her work and focus on solutions for a healthy ocean. More specifically, she spoke on coastal resiliency and the importance of planning ahead for the challenges we face with sea level rise. Today, there are 2.4 billion people in the world living within 100km of the coast, and it’s critical to help those not living in coastal communities understand this is an issue that will impact us all.

Key areas of expected growth in Blue Tech were a focus of discussion including examples of the regulatory changes that are impacting the shipping industry: air emissions, invasive species, and noise reduction. A great deal of discussion was also centered on the significant expected growth in offshore wind with a projected $300 billion in investment and an increase of 10GW to US wind energy capacity in the next decade.

The SeaAhead conference also provided companies with the opportunity to present 5-minute innovator flash talks, and included:

·      Marauder Robotics – the Roomba for ocean restoration.

·      Ocean Hugger Food – replacing sushi tuna and eel with plant-based alternatives.

·      Seatrec – creating electricity from temperature differences.

·      Knip Bio – high quality protein for sustainable aquaculture.

In addition, several panels throughout the day focused on the need and importance of increasing investment in Blue Tech and we heard from those with various ocean investment portfolios including Everhope Capital, Schmidt Marine Technology Partners and Closed Loop Partners.

Finally, I had the opportunity to participate on a panel with US-based Cambridge Innovation Centre and Singapore-based Heron Advisory discussing international perspectives on how clusters and accelerators can support new ventures. While all models are not the same, the importance of collaboration and multiple perspectives was a common theme throughout. This panel was facilitated by UN Global Compact who also spoke briefly about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. While the main focus on ocean falls under Goal #14: Life Below Water, ocean is a critical component to success in achieving many of the other goals outlined and shown below:

In the evening, there was a wonderful cocktail reception on the Peace Boat, a Japanese based organization promoting peace, human rights and sustainability since 1983. They have a single passenger ship that travels the world immersing their passengers in an understanding of sustainability issues and providing education at the various ports they visit. They are currently working on their vision of the Ecoship, pushing the cruise ship industry to a more sustainable design.

This was a very busy but tremendous 48 hours in NYC, and here are my key take-a-ways:

❶  The number of players in Blue Tech is increasing fast.

For Canada to be the leader it wants to be in the Ocean Tech space, we need to move fast, too.

❷  The investment interest in Blue Tech is also increasing.

Now is the time to build a technology company with an ocean focus! There is still work to do on education, but the interest is there and so is the understanding of how important it is to build our ocean economy in a sustainable way.

❸  It takes all of us.

We need to bring non-traditional domain expertise to the challenges and opportunities facing the ocean and continue to work together in new ways. This will not just take collaboration across Canada but with partners throughout the world.

I recently had the honour of being invited to participate in the Royal Canadian Navy’s (RCN) Canadian Leaders at Sea program. This program is designed to help Canadian civilian leaders gain a greater appreciation for life at sea and all that the RCN does to serve and protect our country. As the daughter of military parents, with both an uncle and grandfather who were in the Navy and a father who served as petty officer on a Navy ship, this was not only a rare opportunity for a civilian but one that was near and dear to my heart. The fact that I had the opportunity to experience this program in the Artic made me feel that much luckier.

On August 17th, I boarded the plane to Iqaluit and then to Pond Inlet, Nunavut, a small community at the northern tip of Baffin Island. Given a last minute scheduling change that resulted in a lack of accommodation, the RCMP were kind enough to let us use one of their houses for a couple of nights while we waited for the HMCS Ville de Quebec to arrive. I was on site safe and sound, had a place to stay, but one thing was missing – my luggage! And while my stress level was on the rise wondering how I was going to stay warm on a ship in the Arctic without my clothes, I was well taken care of until I was finally reunited with my luggage.

I was terribly mistaken when assuming I would be sitting idle for two days while waiting for the ship to arrive. Our Navy hosts had organized a full ground tour for us to experience Pond Inlet before boarding the ship. We met with the municipality, the park ranger, the RCMP, dined at the Sauniq Hotel and had the opportunity to watch a local cultural show. One of the highlights for me was meeting a group of young people that are part of a group called Ikaarvik – which means “bridge” in Inuktitut. This group is committed to leveraging both Inuit Knowledge and science to solve local challenges in their community. It was a true inspiration to learn more about their ideas and their demonstrated commitment.While I have heard of the challenges of living in the North, you don’t quite appreciate their impact until you experience it first-hand. I was lucky to be there in 24 hours of daylight, and I can only imagine what life is like in 24 hours of darkness. The challenges of food security and high infrastructure costs, accessibility to good education and medical care as well as the impact of climate change on day to day living are all a part of reality in this part of the country.Increased traffic from cruise ships and leisure craft as well as other commercial activity present opportunities that also come with challenges for communities like Pond Inlet. With growing activity by several foreign nations along our borders, this reinforces the important role played by both the RCN and the Canadian Coast Guard. I got just a glimpse into life in Pond Inlet but was touched by the sense of community, shared struggles and connection to place.

On August 19th, we boarded the ship. There were nine of us participating in class #4 and two of us were women. We were taken to our room. There were a couple of personnel already asleep, so we worked very hard to stay quiet and get our stuff into our lockers. There were three bunk beds on either side, and we were assigned the middle bunks. I will say it has been a long time since I was in a bunk bed and don’t believe I mastered the art of getting in and out by the end of my five days – I likely banged just about every part of my body on the top, bottom or sides at some point. I admire all those aboard the ship that are able to make it their home – I spoke to several who had been at sea over 200 days a year on average for over a decade. This takes a toll on family life and the commanding officer and leadership team work hard to create a sense of family on the ship. It is certainly a lifestyle that is not for everyone but all I spoke to were very proud to serve.
For the next five days, we experienced life aboard the ship. We were treated to a royal tour of the ship’s activities. The group was lucky to be able to spend so much time on the bridge where the commanding officer and crew were extremely accommodating in explaining the purpose of the tasks they were performing and reminding us of little things like closing the doors behind us so they did not slam back and hit anyone. We fired guns (ensuring we avoided whales and other wildlife), tried the scuba gear (which weighed over 80 lbs.), and avoided getting lost in the smoke room in full firefighting gear through the use of an infrared scanner. The crew explained how they board other ships, the engineering room, the operations room, the sick bay and many other areas. I even participated in Tai chi and one physical training session on the back of the ship – there was no need to embarrass myself a second time but certainly a unique experience to be jogging on the flight deck of a warship looking at icebergs on both sides.We were very well fed. The galley staff ensure a steady flow of good food: breakfast, soup, lunch and dinner. Our menu included ribs, steak, chicken cordon bleu, poutine, fish, salad, shepherd’s pie and many other dishes that would satisfy even the heartiest of appetites. I will admit that I did not always choose them, but there were healthier options for every meal.

We also had several presentations on the future of the Navy fleet, the Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships, the various roles the Navy plays at home and abroad, the challenges in the North, and the need to both innovate and focus on recruiting differently for a new generation. One of the highlights for me was a fireside chat with a few of the women onboard. Kudos to the Navy as we heard stories of opportunity and amazing experiences despite women representing only 13 per cent of those on the ship. The commanding officer has clearly created a supportive environment where many feel they can excel. There were few stories of challenges although it is clear that some bias still exists in the Navy overall, not unlike elsewhere that can impede a woman’s ability to reach her maximum potential.If you can adapt to the lifestyle, the Navy provides unique opportunities for individuals and they train you with amazing skills while traveling around the world. I was perhaps most amazed by those that had chosen the Navy as a second career. An opportunity to develop themselves in a way that their first career perhaps did not.

We spent most of our time at sea and we were blessed with very calm seas. Our experience of significant movement of the ship was only when it was performing exercises, so we were all lucky to avoid motion sickness. We did have the opportunity to stop for a few hours in Nuuk, Greenland, and had both a presentation from a Danish commander on the increased activity and new challenges in the arctic and a small tour – such a large land mass to protect with a small population. We finished our trip in Iqaluit with one final reminder of the challenges and blessings of life in the North before we boarded our planes home.

While Navy life is certainly not for me, I appreciated the opportunity to learn and to experience life at sea and particularly in the North. The dedication and hard work of those aboard RCN ships as our Canadian ambassadors around the world was humbling to see. We have a beautiful country and we need to do all that we can to keep it safe and this includes from environmental threats which are increasing as the Arctic continues to experience higher temperatures – receding glaciers and melting permafrost are of high concern as a result.

This is not an adventure I will soon forget. A huge thank you to the Royal Canadian Navy for the unforgettable experience I had in the Arctic aboard the Ville de Quebec and for all that you do to protect our country.