Welcome to our January newsletter!
We hope your 2026 is off to a sensational start.
At the end of 2025 we posted
five blue economy highlights
from the year on LinkedIn. To us, these represented tangible
– and encouraging – signs of progress on our shared goal of
creating a sustainable ocean economy, notwithstanding a
variety of formidable headwinds.
A month into the new year, we remain optimistic as we see
continuing vibrant activity in the space. We started with a
positive jolt from the enactment of the High Seas Treaty, a
two-decades-long (!) remarkable effort to protect and
sustainably use the two-thirds of the ocean that lies beyond
any single country’s jurisdiction (Reuters
&
NYT). This monumental win for the ocean is the result of
intense sustained efforts and collaboration. One key person
we’d like to recognize among the many is IUCN High Seas
Adviser Kristina Gjerde, a champion of international ocean
governance who sadly recently passed but will be remembered
as a force of nature in bringing this agreement to pass.
Kristina’s impact endures through the recently established
Ocean Stewardship Award
and the many individuals she inspired, continuing to uplift
future generations of ocean advocates.
Following the High Seas Treaty, another surge of positive
energy came from Blue Davos, which focused on the “blue
thread” of water ecosystems that support global stability,
trade, livelihoods, food systems, and climate resilience.
Sessions like “Velocity of the Blue Economy” gave oceans their moment despite the overarching focus on
geopolitics and AI. Alongside the conference, the World
Economic Forum and McKinsey co-authored a report that
provides valuable perspectives on the trajectory of blue
economy growth (see our friend Ron Tardiff’s post here that
frames and links to the report).
Three of Our Focus Areas for 2026
1. Plastics: We were excited to be a part of The Pew Charitable
Trusts’ Breaking the Plastic Wave 2025
launch webinar
in December, which blended a variety of perspectives – from
food packaging to a global plastics treaty – on this second
edition of their global assessment of the plastic system and
pathways for transformative change. You can read the full
report
here. In addition, peer-reviewed studies have recently shown
tighter linkages between plastics and human health, which we
believe will help broaden and deepen the investor base
participating in this space.
Stay tuned for more on this topic – we’re likely hosting an
event in NYC in the second quarter and welcome all ideas and
input!
2. Materials: We and the 100+ attendees at our NY Climate Week 2025
event, “Unlocking the Ocean Economy: Accelerating
Investments for Economic Growth and Global Security,” were
energized by Iceland Ocean Cluster Founder Thor Sigfusson’s
presentation on the 100% Fish Movement. The idea of using
multiple parts of fish like cod for diverse applications not
only generated the first blue unicorn exit (Kerecis), but also highlights the promise of ocean-derived and
ocean-inspired materials in offering sustainable
alternatives across industry sectors.
3. Blue Foods: We continue to have conviction that aquaculture will play
a vital role in meeting the protein needs of a global
population rapidly approaching 10 billion. This is a dynamic
sector that has grown significantly over the last decade and
is continuing to improve its products and practices as it
reaches meaningful scale.
We’ll of course spend time on other areas including maritime
decarbonization, ocean data/AI, and renewable energy, but
the above three areas are ones we believe will provide a lot
of opportunity in 2026.
As always, we thank you for your support!
The Investable Oceans Team
P.S. An exciting opportunity for next-gens in your ocean
networks: applications for Blue Generation at The Explorers
Club are open until March 1st. Learn more about this
four-day early career program
here.
