BlueInvest

BlueInvest is a European Commission initiative launched in 2019 with the aim to accelerate new ocean-based technologies and solutions to unlock innovation and investment opportunities in the sustainable blue economy. It is funded by the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF).

BlueInvest works closely with start-ups, small and medium-sized enterprises, scale-ups, investors and stakeholders in the blue economy. It works with community-building, organising events, providing investment readiness and fundraising assistance to companies, coaching and matchmaking, investor capacity building and providing market intelligence.

Objectives

The objectives of BlueInvest is to

support investment readiness and access to finance for innovative start-ups, SMEs, and scale-ups in the blue economy
provide a market path through technical assistance, visibility, matchmaking and opportunity-building for investors and companies
guide investors to specialise their investment strategies into blue economy related areas and to maximise their related investments
foster a community and investment ecosystem to help finance the go-to-market and scale-up and to fuel the transition to more sustainable finance and impact investment

Actions

BlueInvest community

BlueInvest is a community of entrepreneurs, investors, corporates and innovation stakeholders interested in the blue economy. It offers concrete help with investment and growth prospects in the sector, network opportunities to meet potential partners and investors, access to exclusive events, market intelligence and learning opportunities.

BlueInvest readiness assistance

BlueInvest readiness assistance is an exclusive coaching programme for high potential EU start-ups and SMEs with innovative products and solutions for the sustainable blue economy.

Businesses and projects selected for the investment readiness assistance will receive coaching packages tailored to their readiness levels and business objectives. The programme is impact-driven, providing business support to help start-ups and SMEs build capacities for growth and attract investment.

BlueInvest fundraising assistance

BlueInvest fundraising assistance is a new coaching programme aiming to support equity rounds closures for 20 high potential EU start-ups with innovative blue economy solutions.

Companies will receive a tailored set of up to 20 days of 1:1 advisory service by investors and investment-readiness experts with a proven track-record of preparing start-ups for negotiations with investors at the seed-level, as well as for A- and B-series financing.

BlueInvest investor capacity building

Limited awareness of market opportunities in the blue economy curbs investment in this sector. BlueInvest aims to address this via an investor capacity building programme. Through a series of four highly structured training sessions, BlueInvest will help investors discover blue economy investment opportunities and develop fundraising and investment strategies to leverage them.

BlueInvest project pipeline

The BlueInvest project pipeline is a showcase of start-ups and SMEs with qualified, innovative sustainable products and solutions for the blue economy.

If you are an investor looking to expand your portfolio with solutions contributing to the healthy oceans and resilient coasts, the BlueInvest project pipeline will help you find your next investment opportunity.

If you are a start-up or an SME with solutions for sustainable blue you can submit your application to establish relationships with investors, corporates and key stakeholders.

BlueInvest events

BlueInvest events are aimed at increasing your business impact. Events feature learning opportunities, knowledge exchange, networking and B2B matchmaking in formats designed to transform your business and identify your next investment opportunity.

BlueInvest knowledge centre

Open to members of the BlueInvest community, the knowledge centre offers capacity-building courses, training events and exclusive webinars to accelerate business for investment, market access and international expansion in the blue economy.