The Ocean Impact Navigator. A new impact measurement framework for the ocean innovation ecosystem.

Creating positive impact for the ocean has never been more urgent. Measuring this impact, however, remains a critical challenge. To support innovators, their investors, and backers in charting these turbulent waters, this report presents the Ocean Impact Navigator, a new KPI impact framework for the Ocean Innovation Ecosystem. Ocean health is in peril. Multiple compounding stressors, including habitat destruction, overfishing, invasive species, pollution, and climate change, pose an existential threat to marine ecosystems and the crucial services they provide. These stressors and their cascading systemic impacts, combined with historic underinvestment in regenerative and nature-positive ocean sectors, are ushering in grave consequences for the 3 billion people worldwide who consume nutritious blue food, for coastal communities at risk of flooding, and for all those whose livelihoods and well-being relies on the ocean. Despite this bleak outlook, hope remains. The ocean holds astonishing potential for regeneration and, crucially, offers solutions that can address not only the threats it faces, but also the world’s broader climatic, biodiversity and social challenges. Capitalising on this potential, new start-ups and innovators are emerging, offering solutions to regenerate ocean health and catalyse the transition to a Sustainable Ocean Economy that unites effective ocean protection, sustainable production, and equitable prosperity. These innovations span a range of interrelated sectors – across food production, energy, biotech, data, transport, tourism, and solutions to pollution – that can drive systemic transformation in the blue economy. In parallel, new private and public capital is being mobilised for investment in the ocean, and incubators, accelerators, competitions, and matching platforms provide innovators with crucial backing and support. Together, these players make up the Ocean Impact Innovation (OII) ecosystem, largely encompassed by the 1000 Ocean Startups coalition