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.

Today, Propeller pushed an update to our website, revealing for the first time the portfolio we’ve been busy building. It’s an exciting day for us because what makes our work so satisfying is backing founders and the important work they’re doing.

Here’s a quick profile on how we invest at Propeller for founders seeking funding or for investors seeking to syndicate with us. Note: We’re speaking generally here. We sometimes draw outside the lines.

As a scientist I’ve spent decades studying how the air and sea communicate with each other. From a whisper to a roar, their sounds roll and ruffle across the blue expanse. Fruits of their joint labor like tropical cyclones dance across the planet and yield some of the fiercest most bellicose noises. So here I categorize the signals emerging in 2023 and their impact in 2024 as a “whisper” or a “roar.” With so many sounds to make sense of, this is a navigation guide to four areas to tune into...

This year’s COP was a sea change for the growing recognition of the role and speed of innovation in climate tech, and especially in the oceans. Multiple pavilions and a “start-up village” in the Green Zone drew attention to the ways private capital is scaling up broader climate solutions. And the opportunity for public-private financing of truly transformative approaches was at its most palpable. A new $250M Ocean Resilience and Climate Alliance (ORCA) fund was announced, encompassing a portfolio vital to planetary stabilization. In addition, hallway conversations featured the concept of a global “Innovation Fund” to match the scale of scope of what is needed to drive tech solutions that partner with the Global South at inception.

Ocean Pavilion Partners Unveil COP28 Dubai Ocean Declaration in Advance of UN Climate Conference