An Alliance of Entrepreneurs Is Driving Investment in Ocean Conservation

Daniela Fernandez was a freshman at Georgetown University when she found herself at a United Nations conference on ocean health. "At 19 years old, I was at the edge of my seat waiting to see what these leaders would say about their plan to create healthy, sustainable oceans,” Fernandez said. “Then I realized that nobody there had any solutions — just problems.” 

That moment was a turning point. When she returned to her dorm room, Fernandez founded the Sustainable Ocean Alliance, determined to mobilize young people to create real solutions.

What started as a college club soon became a global endeavor. After graduating, Fernandez moved to the Silicon Valley region of California to expand the alliance. She discovered that young entrepreneurs were eager to develop ocean-focused businesses but lacked the resources to bring their ideas to market. 

"At the time, there were no ocean accelerators or incubators,” she said. “So we created a platform for ocean entrepreneurs to receive mentorship, funding, and an entryway into the market to create a sustainable and profitable business." 

Today, Sustainable Ocean Alliance operates in 186 countries and supports 64 startups tackling ocean-related challenges, from marine reforestation to sustainable materials and renewable energy. Its Ecopreneur Network provides lifetime tailored support — like mentorship, strategic guidance and networking events — for the entrepreneurs and their ventures. Members of the network also have the chance to receive up to $100,000 in investment from the alliance itself alongside potential funding from investors. 

"We have an entire generation ready to step up, but they need the tools and support to succeed," Fernandez said. "We’re not just an organization. We’re a movement that empowers young people to take charge of ocean conservation and innovation."

One major focus of the alliance is building a circular economy for plastics to address pollution. "We’re seeing studies that show the troubling intersection between microplastic accumulation and human health,” Fernandez said. “Microplastics are coming from washing our clothing, from inadequate waste management, and they’re ending up in our bodies." 

The alliance addresses this issue in two ways: supporting companies that remove plastic from the ocean and investing in companies that develop sustainable alternatives. One such company, Phycolabs, creates biodegradable fibers from seaweed to replace polyester. Another, Cruz Foam, produces a Styrofoam alternative made from shrimp shells. And the startup Sway is developing seaweed-based plastic film for packaging and construction.

"We need systemic change, and that requires innovative business solutions," Fernandez said. "It’s not enough to clean up pollution. We must also prevent it from entering the ocean in the first place."

In addition to tackling plastic pollution, Sustainable Ocean Alliance supports wave energy as a renewable power source and works to restore marine ecosystems. "We need solutions like this to reforest the ocean and preserve the ecosystems that billions of people rely on for food and livelihoods," Fernandez said. "The pace of environmental degradation is accelerating, and we must act quickly."

Despite promising innovations in the space, ocean-related industries remain underfunded, likely due in part to a lack of awareness of the ocean’s key role in regulating the climate and the business potential in the field. "The blue economy is set to grow into a $3 trillion industry by 2030, but investors still hesitate to enter the space," Fernandez said. "People don’t realize how much economic potential there is in protecting our oceans."

To change this perception, the alliance launched its Accelerator at Sea program in 2019, taking investors, entrepreneurs, and youth leaders on a voyage to Alaska to show them what they are fighting to protect. "The investors met with entrepreneurs, heard their pitches, and started asking, ‘How can we do more?’” Fernandez said. “That trip led to the creation of Seabird Ventures, a $10 million venture capital fund that pools investor capital to support ocean startups.” 

It’s also looking to expand its efforts to bring investors into ocean conservation by connecting them with hands-on learning opportunities as part of a new initiative it is launching called The Ocean Collective. “We want to engage the next generation of stewards who will continue this work," Fernandez said.

One of the biggest challenges is proving the impact of these investments. "Tracking and measuring impact in the ocean is difficult because it’s a shared resource," Fernandez said. "If you plant a mangrove, you can’t measure its impact in the same way you can measure a tree’s carbon absorption." 

That’s why the alliance created the Ocean Solutions Label, a certification for companies that proactively track and measure their environmental impact. 

For Fernandez, it’s hard to overstate the role of corporations in ocean conservation. "Companies need to facilitate pilot projects and be early adopters of new technologies. Too many entrepreneurs spend their time chasing down clients instead of developing solutions. We need to close that gap," she said. "We also need governments to remove bureaucratic hurdles. One of our companies faced 16 months of permitting delays just to deploy a single buoy in a United States port. By the time they got approval, they had lost momentum and had to seek partners elsewhere. We need policies that encourage innovation, not stifle it."

Despite the challenges, she remains optimistic. "We’ve already proven that the blue economy is investable,” Fernandez said. “Now we need more capital to scale these solutions. With the right investment, innovation, and policies, we can create a thriving blue economy that benefits both people and the planet. The solutions are there — we just need to act on them."