The ocean economy is at an inflection point. With mounting pressure from climate regulation, supply chain vulnerabilities, and environmental degradation, industries are actively seeking solutions that deliver both measurable impact and commercial returns. 

“The Katapult Ocean team reviewed a record number of companies for this year’s cohort, and we’re thrilled with the result,” said Ross Brooks, General Partner at Katapult Ocean. “This year’s cohort brings together a diverse group of founders leveraging everything from molecular engineering and AI-guided automation to nature-based innovation — all with the clear aim of scaling solutions that drive impact without sacrificing economic performance.”

Over the next three months, the 2025 cohort companies will engage in Katapult Ocean’s award-winning accelerator. The program offers direct investment, tailored workshops, intensive leadership development, and access to a world-class network of mentors, customers, and investors. Roughly a third of the curriculum is devoted to impact strategy, measurement, and ESG, helping founders embed rigorous impact management alongside commercial growth.

Since 2018, Katapult Ocean has accelerated over 90 companies across themes including maritime decarbonization, aquaculture and food systems, renewable ocean energy, circular materials, and ocean data and robotics. 

For decades, environmental solutions have faced a fundamental challenge: the companies best positioned to solve large-scale sustainability problems often lack business models that make such solutions economically viable. The 2025 Katapult Ocean cohort rises to this challenge, featuring companies from four continents with a strong focus on blue food, water, sustainable transportation, and circular resource solutions.

With an average valuation of €25 million, this is Katapult Ocean’s most mature and market-ready cohort, with the vast majority of participating companies preparing to scale implemented solutions with customers worldwide. 

“What emerges from this varied collection of companies is a coherent investment thesis around what might be called ‘impact-as-a-service,’” explained Anthony Bellafiore, Investment Manager at Katapult Ocean. 

“Rather than asking customers to choose between profitability and sustainability, these companies generate revenue directly from their environmental benefits: captured methane becomes energy, PFAS destruction clears regulatory liabilities, flood intelligence reduces downtime and enables new insurance models, algae-based materials improve product performance while reducing environmental risk.”

The 2025 cohort also exemplifies Katapult Ocean’s growing systems-level approach, which moves beyond isolated solutions to consider how changes in one area can positively influence the entire ocean and its related industries. 

While some cohort companies operate directly in marine environments, others influence ocean health by transforming adjacent industries — such as plastics, fuels, and manufacturing — that have significant indirect impacts on marine ecosystems. By driving these industries toward more sustainable practices, the portfolio aims to catalyze positive ripples throughout interconnected ocean systems.

As regulatory demands intensify, these founders are proving that environmental responsibility and economic growth can — and must — advance together. The result: a blueprint for the next era of industrial innovation, where profit and a thriving ocean are fundamentally linked.