Each year, our friends at CTVC release the iconic “climate market map”—a crisp snapshot of where innovation and capital are flowing across seven key sectors: Energy, Transportation, Food and Ag, Industry, Built Environment, Carbon, and Climate Risk. It’s a roadmap for founders, funders, and policymakers navigating the fast-moving world of climate tech. But climate is redefining these industries. The lines between sectors are fading, the tech is more advanced, and one critical resource is still flying under the radar: the ocean.

In part one of this series, I explored how we're rethinking sources of ocean energy — from thermal gradients to nuclear SMRs to currents. But understanding energy in the ocean means looking at both sides of the equation. This time, I want to talk about uses: where energy is being consumed in ocean and coastal environments today, where demand is shifting, and where new opportunities are emerging. Because reimagining energy infrastructure only matters if it maps to real demand. And in the ocean, that demand is not only changing — it’s being reshaped by concerns about energy security and shifting cost curves.

When most people think of energy from the ocean, four primary sources typically come to mind: offshore wind, offshore oil and gas, wave, and tidal power. And for good reason — these are the legacy sectors that have absorbed decades of capital and engineering focus.

“In the ocean, no two waves are the same, and no two days are the same.” Wise words from professional big-wave surfer Greg Long and that was just one of many lessons learned from a life in the ocean that are extremely relatable for what it means to be a leader in today’s climate. Greg went on to discuss risk-taking, ego, near-death and resurrection, and how he now acts with greater intention in and out of the water. So many gems in there for all of us to relate to… I’m still reflecting on his talk, my time at SF Climate Week – and the tone and tenor of the broader #climatetech ecosystem – but above all, it was a real privilege to co-host this discussion on behalf of Propeller and in collaboration with my friend Scott Atkinson and his team at Heidrick & Struggles. It is so special and so rare to gather together with such a great crew of smart, committed founders, investors, and operators working toward a collective planetary good. Thank you again to our excellent panelists for your insights and inspiration -- Founders Panel: Kelly Zheng of hum.ai, Jess Adkins of Calcarea, and Stuart Landesberg of Grove Collaborative. Investor Panel: Colin le Duc of Generation Investment Management, Saloni Multani of Galvanize, Suzanne DiBianca of Salesforce, and Steven Mandel of TPG Rise Climate. And most importantly, thank you to all who attended. Time is precious, and we’re grateful to the folks who spent some of their time with us last week. We hope you’re all back at it this week, as inspired as I was from the discussion.

We're hiring an Operations Leader! This is a broad role with a lot of opportunity for impact, most notably making moments like the one above happen, featuring our 2024 Ocean MBA cohort. Overview: As our Operations Leader, you’ll be the go-to person for all things operations, offering support across Partners, Limited Partners (LPs), portfolio companies, and service providers. You’ll help ensure the smooth running of our day-to-day tasks, and occasional events and gatherings. We’re looking for someone with high EQ, strong organizational skills, and experience in operations or project management. Our preference is for this person to live in the Greater Boston area with a hybrid in-person/remote schedule, though we'll consider fully remote candidates as well.

Inspired. That’s the feeling we get from working closely with a room full of ambitious, climate-tech entrepreneurs during our most recent Ocean MBA.

If I asked you to pick three US cities with the strongest “ocean” vibes, you would probably name San Diego, Miami, LA, maybe even Boston. New York likely wouldn’t cross your mind - but that may be changing. In the past few years, NYC has emerged as a rapidly growing leader in climate and ocean tech. From its early origins as a major port, to the thriving regional aquaculture industry, to its pole position in the national push for offshore wind (not to mention year round surfing in Far Rockaway), the city has numerous factors contributing to its history and growth as an ocean hub.

Reducing “launch costs” for ocean tech will unlock the blue economy, the same way the private space sector led to a boom in orbital observation and communications.

In the last 60 years, natural disasters, driven by climate change, are punishing coastlines at a far greater rate than inland disasters (see graph). Furthermore, the extremes of these events will worsen and may likely increase in frequency. Not to mention the fact that 40% of the world’s population lives in, commutes through, works around, and is otherwise part of this impact zone.

Last week, we splashed down at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) to host another fun Ocean MBA, which featured over 30 WHOI researchers, engineers, staff, and students, along with scientists from Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences. Dozens of mentors and instructors joined us to share their knowledge and learn more about the WHOI teams’ work. The feedback from all teams was overwhelmingly positive, emphasizing the entrepreneurial insights gained and the invaluable support from our mentors.