OceanHub Africa

OceanHub Africa (OHA) is on a mission to enable African-based ocean ventures with the express aim of nurturing an environmentally conscious and profitable economy for a sustainable and equitable ocean.

OceanHub Africa was launched in July 2019. It is an "ocean-impact catalyst", supporting ocean-impact ventures through acceleration programs and coordinating an international ocean-minded enabling ecosystem. Our mission is to inspire and assist innovative impact start-ups and nurture an environmentally conscious, equitable and profitable economy that would effectively mitigate the oceans' overexploitation, pollution as well as the effects of global warming on the oceans. We are based in Cape Town, at virtually the crossroads of three oceans but operate pan-African, virtually and through a network of local stakeholders. The first acceleration programme was successfully completed in 2020 despite the global pandemic and saw 6 startups of different stages (prototyping to growth stage), technologies (digital and hardware) and industries (aquaculture/fisheries, shipping/ship-building, marine renewables /biotechnologies, coastal tourism/ ocean-sports, awareness/ education, data/ exploration) graduating during the Ocean Innovation Africa Summit in Nov 2020 (see more on the startups here, their feedback here and video of the event here). Two other cohorts have since followed to date, resulting in a tripleline impact: social (e.g. more than 60 jobs created), economic (e.g. more than $7million raised) and environmental (e.g. reduction of plastic and chemical inputs into the oceans, reduction of GHG emissions, reduction of marine biodiversity loss).

These impacts and advances are the result of a collaborative approach initiated and orchestrated by OHA with many partners such as IUCN, WWF, Mission Blue, 1% for the Planet, Dassault Systèmes, Amazon, V&A Waterfront, European and African diplomatic corps, the UN Decade of the Ocean, DFIs, UCT and other selected international universities - all united because we believe in the considerable and untapped potential of the sustainable blue economy in Africa. By working to inspire more entrepreneurs, entice more private investors and catalyze more partnerships, we strive to increase the development and adoption of new sustainable technologies and policies to place the continent at the forefront of a decidedly more sustainable ocean economy.

OHA has accomplished the following milestones and (co-)leads the initiatives listed below as the first entrepreneurial support organisation in Africa dedicated to ocean-impact:

• Three acceleration programs and with more than 20 ocean-impact startups in our portfolio. www.oceanhub.africa
• Cofounded a convening platform with the World Economic Forum for stakeholders of the ocean innovation space in Africa 
• Co-leads an international coalition of incubators and VCs focusing on Sustainable Development Goal 14 (Life Below Water) responding to the Transformation paper of the Ocean Panel and in line with UN's Ocean Decade recommendations: www.1000oceanstartups.org
• Actively participate in the Great Blue Wall initiative aiming at replicating the Great Green Wall initiative and raising $1.5bn to connect and protect a chain of seascapes in the Western Indian Ocean to further Blue Economy Growth, to stand against biodiversity loss and fight climate change
• Hosts a large annual African summit to continentally inspire entrepreneurs, entice private investment and catalyze partnerships in the Blue Economy here - with reach and recognition internationally. www.ocean-innovation.africa
• Organised the first Ocean Hackathon in Africa in collaboration with Campus Mondial de la Mer, now held annually in Cape Town
• Delivered the first Coastal Community Incubator in the Western Indian Ocean, and now scaling the program’s footprint (thanks to you possibly!)