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Oceans and fisheries
News announcement26 January 2021Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries

First BlueInvest fund agreements secure EUR 45 million for the blue economy

The European Commission is partnering with the European Investment Fund, to announce EUR 45 million of BlueInvest fund financing into 2 funds targeting the blue economy across Europe.

During the BlueInvest Day conference in Brussels, EIF Chief Executive Alain Godard and Virginijus Sinkevičius, Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, confirmed investments into Astanor Ventures and Blue Horizon Ventures I.

The BlueInvest pilot initiative managed by the European Investment Fund, provides financing to underlying equity funds that strategically target and support the innovative blue economy. This sector can play an important role in the transformation to a carbon-neutral economy by 2050, an ambition announced in the European Green Deal. The programme is backed by the European Fund for Strategic Investments, the financial pillar of the Investment Plan for Europe.

Since its launch last year, EIF has deployed EUR 45 million of the EUR 75 million BlueInvest pilot initiative. Two new funds with established teams have received funding to-date, whose strategies encompass the agrifood tech industry including the blue economy, with an emphasis on food security, health and sustainability. These investments will support start-ups developing innovative products, materials, and services that can contribute to enhance ocean conservation and the sustainability of the blue economy.

Three additional fund investments into specialised blue economy funds, and backed by BlueInvest and InnovFin Equity under Horizon 2020 finance, have also already been approved and are expected to materialise during the course of 2021. It is thus expected that the BlueInvest funds will be signed in the coming months. Through investments into these funds, around EUR 300 million in equity funding will be mobilised for investment in innovative and sustainable ventures active in the Blue Economy.

Virginijus Sinkevičius, European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans & Fisheries, said:

With BlueInvest, the Commission and the EIF have a powerful instrument in place to promote the blue economy as a cornerstone of the European Green Deal. We encourage innovative small and medium companies and start-ups to take advantage of the funds and help us realise a sustainable, carbon-neutral future for Europe.

EIF Chief Executive, Alain Godard, said:

I am delighted that less than a year after launching this new initiative we have already deployed EUR 45m of finance to support the Blue economy via Astanor Ventures and Blue Horizon Ventures. Our ambition is to contribute towards the construction of a well-functioning, deep and comprehensive European equity ecosystem for the blue economy.

Eric Archambeau, Co-Founder and Partner at Astanor Ventures, said:

The oceans are responsible for half of the world’s oxygen production and absorb 50x more carbon dioxide than the atmosphere. Yet overfishing, plastic pollution and degraded sea beds continue to choke this key resource for life. What motivates us are the tech-led solutions that the most ambitious entrepreneurs are developing. They go beyond sustainability and are regenerating the ocean ecosystem through innovation. Ynsect and Notpla are just two of our early investments in this space. It’s thanks to EIF’s forward thinking and capital that we can finance them and many more to deliver positive impact.

Michael Kleindl, Founder and Managing Partner at Blue Horizon Ventures I, said:

We are very happy to see that the EIB / EIF and the European Commission is tackling this so pressing issue of “Sustainability in the Food System including Blue Oceans” and is supporting Venture Funds like us with additional capital /firepower. It is a good starting point and hopefully we will see much more capital from the public and private sector moving into this direction. It is urgently needed.

Details

Publication date
26 January 2021
Author
Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries