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EarthX Announces 10 Semi-Finalists Competing for Prestigious 2025 EarthX Climate Tech Prize

Selected Startups to Pitch at EarthX’s 9th Annual E-Capital Summit for $15,000 non-dilutive cash prize. Ocean Exchange Returns to Earthx2025 to Host Blue Economy Pitch Showcase.

EarthX has announced the ten semi-finalists for the 2025 EarthX Climate Tech Prize, selected from more than 200 global applicants. These early-stage startup companies span industry sectors including heavy industry/manufacturing, energy, agtech/food, and the circular economy — and will compete for a $15,000 non-dilutive cash prize and the opportunity to pitch before leading global investment, industry, and innovation leaders at the 9th Annual EarthX E-Capital Summit taking place Tuesday, April 22 through Thursday, April 24th in Dallas, Texas.

The 2025 EarthX Climate Tech Prize, powered by Climate Solutions Prize in Montreal, is awarded annually to early-stage ventures with less than $250,000 in revenue and under $500,000 in dilutive funding. Semi-finalists were selected by EarthX and innovation leaders from Austin Technology Incubator, Capital Factory, Greentown Labs, and Unreasonable Group. Last year’s winner was En Solucion, co-founded by Alex Athey, a Texas-based agtech company that produces chemical-free food sanitation. Winners from previous years include an agtech business in Kenya, a materials science business in New York, and an industrial innovator in Texas.

This year’s Semi-Finals will feature 3-minute lightning pitches on Wednesday, April 23 on the E-Capital Summit Investment Forum Stage, with audience members voting live to determine which 3–4 companies will advance to the Finals on Thursday, April 24 at 1:30 p.m. on The TV Stage at Earthx2025.

2025 EarthX Climate Tech Prize Semi-Finalists Include:

  • Aeon Blue (Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada) – Produces sustainable eFuels by combining hydrogen generation with direct air capture of CO₂ in a single clean-tech process.
  • EnnoFlow Technologies (Austin, TX, USA) – Merges edge AI with energy infrastructure to create automated, flexible, and efficient virtual power networks.
  • HighGround Ranch Developers (Plano, TX, USA) – Funds and connects regenerative ranches with tech platforms to scale climate-friendly agriculture.
  • OptiCloud (Jackson, WY, USA) – Optimizes digital infrastructure with AI tools that reduce cloud waste, energy use, and operational costs.
  • Mithril Minerals (Austin, TX, USA) – Develops advanced robotics for low-cost extraction of critical minerals from ocean polymetallic nodules.
  • Petra Power (Solon, OH, USA) – Develops compact, fuel-flexible solid oxide fuel cells that deliver high-efficiency, zero-emission electricity for vehicles.
  • PowerBox Technology (Champaign, IL, USA) – Provides integrated solar and storage systems that ensure uninterrupted industrial power and lower energy expenses.
  • ResonanceX (Santiago de Chile, Chile) – Designs resonant electromagnetic circuits for carbon-free power generation.
  • Venki Energy (Silver Spring, MD, USA) – Creates removable rooftop solar racking to enable a subscription-based solar model and expand rooftop access.
  • Zero Electric (Austin, TX, USA) – Repurposes EV batteries into storage systems to support fast EV charging and enhance grid resiliency.

“EarthX is proud to platform and support early-stage sustainability-focused innovators,” said Vikram Agrawal, Senior Director of EarthxCapital, who helps EarthX curate the event. “These entrepreneurs aren’t just imagining a cleaner, more sustainable future — they’re building it with breakthrough technologies that tackle real-world challenges across energy, industry, agriculture, and infrastructure. We need more leaders like them who are developing pragmatic solutions that benefit industry, our people, and our planet.”

Ocean Exchange Blue Economy Pitch Showcase Returns to Earthx2025
For the second year, EarthX is proud to host the Ocean Exchange Pitch Competition, held as part of the “Brave New Ocean” conference at EarthX 2025. Building on the success and best practices of the E-Capital Summit, Ocean Exchange will spotlight seven cutting-edge blue economy startups working at the intersection of data science, clean water, and ocean intelligence.

Startups participating in the Ocean Exchange Pitch Showcase include:

  • Actea: Applies machine learning to ocean climate modeling to provide insights into the future of ocean climate that will enable long term investment.
  • Atdepth: Provides advanced ocean assessment tools, including their Ocean Digital Twin (ODT) Ari, which enables real-time, high-resolution simulations of ocean processes that maximize operational efficiency and value for maritime industries.
  • Ceretune: Their biodegradable, self-buoyant fabric supports seed-based plant growth on water, converting excess ocean phosphorus and nitrogen into biomass to combat nutrient pollution.
  • Fathom Science: Provides ultra-high-resolution ocean, wave, and weather analytics to enhance safety and efficiency for maritime industries, including ports, shipping, and offshore platforms.
  • Nucleic Sensing Systems: Develops autonomous, field-deployable monitoring tools, such as the “Tracker,” which continuously analyze environmental DNA and RNA to provide real-time data on biological activity, aiding in the detection and mitigation of pathogens and invasive species in aquaculture and other environments.
  • Onvector: Develops a technology that destroys per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) using its proprietary Plasma Vortex innovation, which breaks down PFAS molecules into measurable, harmless components and addresses contamination in groundwater, soil, landfill leachate, and industrial wastewater.
  • Salient Predictions: Salient Predictions leverages ocean and land-surface data, combined with machine learning and climate expertise, to deliver highly accurate subseasonal-to-seasonal weather forecasts ranging from 2 to 52 weeks in advance.

The Ocean Exchange pitch event will take place on Thursday, April 24, during the Brave New Ocean program, which focuses on accelerating ocean enterprise and sustainability innovation. The winner of the competition will be awarded a $25,000 grant to help accelerate their commercialization.

“We’re excited to partner again with EarthX to help spotlight the incredible entrepreneurs who are driving tangible progress on protecting our oceans and untapping the blue economy,” says Millicent Pitts, CEO of Ocean Exchange. “The blue economy represents one of the greatest opportunities of our time—not just for coastal resilience and marine conservation, but for sustainable innovation that fuels economic growth and community prosperity.”

About the E-Capital Summit
The invitation-only EarthX E-Capital Summit convenes investors, entrepreneurs, corporate executives, policymakers, dealmakers, and others in the investment and innovation ecosystem to accelerate industry innovation and investment in clean technologies and resilience. Over the past eight years, innovators who have participated in the EarthX E-Capital Summit have gone one to raise over $5 billion in collective funding. The Summit includes a complementary Family Office Summit which convenes a global group of high net-worth investors, industrialists, and philanthropists interested in exploring investment, innovation, and philanthropic opportunities in environmental sustainability and conservation.

Notable 2025 E-Capital Summit Speakers Include:

  • Christopher Miller, Former Acting Secretary, United States Department of Defense
  • Michael W. Sonnenfeldt, entrepreneur and philanthropist, founder of Tiger 21
  • Rear Adm. Tim Gallaudet, US Navy, former Acting Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Acting Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 
  • Jack Selby, Managing Director, Thiel Capital
  • Dr. Sylvia Earle, National Geographic Explorer at Large; Founder, Mission Blue
  • Bobby Tudor, CEO Artemis Energy Partners; Retired Founder and CEO of Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co.
  • Pablo Vegas, President & CEO, ERCOT
  • Pat Wood, CEO, Hunt Energy Network and former Chairman of the Texas PUC and US FERC
  • General David Petraeus, Partner and Chairman of KKR Global Institute and former Director, US Central Intelligence Agency
  • Sid Miller, Commissioner, Texas Department of Agriculture

For more on EarthX and the full EarthX2025 agenda, which will take place from April 21-25 at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas, TX, visit www.EarthX.org. To apply to attend the E-Capital Summit, visit https://earthx.org/conferences/e-capital-summit/. To learn more about Ocean Exchange, visit www.oceanexchange.org.

ABOUT EARTHX
EarthX is a global environmental non-profit founded to inform, inspire, and drive impact towards securing a sustainable future for the planet. We apply an integrated and interdisciplinary approach, creating events, media, education, and public advocacy initiatives to galvanize awareness and action around key ecological and economic challenges. EarthX was founded in 2010 as Earth Day Dallas in an effort to increase environmental awareness in the local community. From 2010 to 2023, EarthX convened EarthX EXPO, the world’s largest green gathering in the days surrounding Earth Day in April. EarthX’s conferences and events convene governments, business and NGO leaders and a diverse array of attendees to cut across industry and political silos to bridge perspectives, leverage expertise, and foster multi-partisan collaboration that drives progress toward environmental solutions.

About Ocean Exchange
Ocean Exchange is a global ecosystem whose mission is to accelerate the adoption of innovative solutions for healthy oceans and the sustainable blue economy. A 501c3, Ocean Exchange fulfills this mission through a rigorous, multi-level program that includes annual monetary awards, promoting registered Solutions Inspiring Action across multiple communication channels, and facilitating access to the global network comprising its Board of Directors, Delegates, Solutions Review Team, Executive Team and other experts from around the world. Its award finalists have raised $3.1 billion in investment, IPO and exit transactions. Ocean Exchange’s mission is funded largely by private donations including those from Royal Caribbean, Schmidt Marine Technology Partners, Oceankind, Marine Research Hub of South Florida, Angus Littlejohn, Jr. Family, Apollo Opportunity Foundation, and other business and family philanthropic entities who share the passion for healthy oceans.

About Climate Solutions Prize
The Climate Solutions Prize is a unique initiative aimed at accelerating innovation in climate technology by incentivizing researchers and startups to develop groundbreaking technological solutions. The Climate Solutions Prize rewards the developers of the highest-potential projects with financial support, mentorship and collaboration they need to bring their solutions to market. Each year, winners of the Climate Solutions Prize are announced at the Climate Solutions Prize Festival. The Festival offers not only a platform for showcasing competitors’ innovations, but also a unique opportunity for networking and collaboration among all the key players in the climate technology ecosystem: researchers, entrepreneurs, investors, government officials and industry leaders.

E-Capital Summit Innovation Partners
Activate Boston, AREI, ARPA-E, BRITE Energy Innovators, C10 Labs, Cleantech Leaders Roundtable, Cleantech Open, Cleantech San Diego, CleanTX, Cleveland Water Alliance, Climate – KIC, CSU Strata, Current, Energy Tech Nexus, Federal Labs Consortium, Gener8tor, Halliburton Labs, Impact Hub, Innovation Crossroads, Leaders on Purpose, LightWorks, Marine Research Hub, MaRS Discovery District, Maryland Energy Innovation Accelerator, MassChallenge, New Energy Nexus, New Ventures, North Texas Innovation Alliance, NYU Urban Future Lab, Ocean Exchange, SeaAhead, Seaworthy Collective, SMU Hunt Institute for Social Entrepreneurship, Texas Venture Alliance, The Water Council, US India Chamber of Commerce, USGBC.

 

 

 

 

 

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Protected: Sounds of the Ocean: A Journey from Inspiration to Impact

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Tenerife’s Whale Sanctuary and Coastal Ecosystem: Why the Teno-Rasca Marine Reserve Matters for the Atlantic

There are few places in Europe where you can watch a pod of short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) year-round from a small boat, barely twenty minutes from shore. Tenerife is one of them. The waters along the island’s southwestern coast host one of the most biodiverse marine corridors in the Atlantic, a stretch of deep, warm sea that has earned formal protection at both Spanish and European level — and a designation that no other place on the continent shares. Understanding what makes this ecosystem extraordinary is also, increasingly, a matter of understanding what threatens it.

A Marine Sanctuary Unlike Any Other in Europe

The Teno-Rasca Special Area of Conservation (ZEC Teno-Rasca) runs along roughly 80 kilometres of Tenerife’s western coastline, from the Teno Massif in the north to Punta Rasca in the south. It covers approximately 76,648 hectares of ocean, reaching depths of around 2,000 metres at its farthest southern point, and it forms the largest Special Area of Conservation in the Canary Islands within the European Natura 2000 network. [1]

What sets this stretch of water apart is geography. The island rises steeply from the ocean floor, and the deep underwater trenches close to shore create conditions that would normally only exist far out to sea: cold, nutrient-rich upwellings meeting warm surface waters, producing a dense food web that supports an exceptional concentration of marine life. Up to 28 species of cetaceans have been recorded here. [2] Most remarkable among them are the short-finned pilot whales, a resident population that does not migrate and can be reliably observed on almost any given day of the year, making Tenerife one of the very few places on Earth where this is possible. [3]

Alongside the pilot whales, bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) maintain a permanent presence, while Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis), striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba), and occasional transient species such as fin whales, sperm whales, and orcas are recorded seasonally. Loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) and green turtles (Chelonia mydas) inhabit the waters throughout the year, and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) and leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) are occasional visitors. [1]

Beneath the surface, the seabed is equally rich. The reserve contains sandbanks, rocky reefs, marine caves, and extensive meadows of seagrass known locally as sebadales — underwater prairies of Cymodocea nodosa that function as nurseries for juvenile fish, feeding grounds for sea turtles, and significant carbon sinks. These habitats are listed under the EU Habitats Directive as priority ecosystems requiring active conservation. [1]

In January 2021, the World Cetacean Alliance formally designated the Tenerife-La Gomera marine area as Europe’s first Whale Heritage Site, and the third in the world, recognising not only the ecological richness of the zone but also the island’s commitment to responsible marine tourism practices. [2] Mission Blue, the ocean conservation organisation founded by marine biologist Sylvia Earle, has also declared the area a Hope Spot in support of further protection efforts. [1]

Why the Coastal Crisis Threatens What the Reserve Protects

Recognition and legal protection do not automatically translate into good environmental outcomes, and the Teno-Rasca reserve exists within a broader coastal context that is under serious pressure. Tenerife welcomed 16.3 million visitors in 2025, and the strain that level of tourism places on the island’s infrastructure is becoming visible in its waters. [4]

The same coastline that contains Europe’s whale sanctuary also borders one of Spain’s most troubled wastewater management systems. Environmental NGO Ecologistas en Acción documented that approximately 57 million litres of wastewater are discharged into Canary Islands seas every single day, and the Court of Justice of the European Union formally condemned Spain in late 2025 for failing to adequately treat urban wastewater, identifying at least 12 critical locations on Tenerife alone. [5] While the worst contamination has been concentrated in the north and south of the island rather than in the heart of the marine reserve itself, discharges of this scale and consistency create cumulative effects across an interconnected ocean system. Microplastics, pharmaceutical residues, and nutrient pollution from sewage all move with currents, affecting the entire marine corridor.

The EU-funded OCEAN CITIZEN project, which selected Tenerife as its primary pilot site for marine restoration in 2024, has documented what decades of compounding pressures have already done: once-thriving fish populations have declined significantly, rocky reefs have been damaged, and seagrass meadows have retreated in several areas of the island due to a combination of pollution, overfishing, and rising ocean temperatures. [6] The project is working to address these losses through seagrass replanting, coral restoration including gorgonians and black coral populations, drone-based monitoring, and community engagement programmes designed to connect local residents to the conservation process.

There is also a contested infrastructure question. For several years, plans have existed to construct a new commercial port at Fonsalía, a location that sits within the Teno-Rasca conservation zone. Critics, including the international marine conservation organisation OceanCare, argue that the project was only made possible because the relevant coastal section was cut out of the protected area designation, not because it was less biodiverse. Local civic groups have organised in opposition under the name Plataforma Ciudadana Salvar Fonsalía. [7] The outcome of this dispute will have direct implications for the ecological integrity of Europe’s flagship whale sanctuary.

The Bigger Picture

Tenerife’s marine environment represents something genuinely irreplaceable in a European context. A resident population of pilot whales, 28 recorded cetacean species, seagrass meadows, deep-water reefs, and sea turtles, all within 12 nautical miles of a major tourist island, is a combination that exists nowhere else on the continent. The Teno-Rasca designation, the Whale Heritage Site status, and the OCEAN CITIZEN restoration programme all reflect a serious scientific and institutional recognition of what is at stake.

What is needed now is the political and economic will to match those designations with real infrastructure investment, consistent enforcement, and honest public communication about the health of these waters. The sea does not lie. And the pilot whales, whose ancestors have made this coastal channel their home for longer than any human record, are paying attention.

Sources

  1. Teno-Rasca Marine Strip Special Area of Conservation overview, TenerifeDolphin.com and TenerifeWhaleWatching.com
  2. AD Boat Rental: Tenerife — Europe’s First Whale Sanctuary, adboatrental.com
  3. Whale Watch Tenerife, whale watching season data 2023-2025, whalewatchtenerife.org
  4. Timeout: Tenerife Is Investing €81 Million Into A Massive Coastal Clean Up, timeout.com, March 2026
  5. BritBrief: Health alert for Canary Islands — tourists warned about beach water pollution, britbrief.co.uk, January 2026
  6. OceanCitizen EU: Reclaiming Tenerife’s Ocean, oceancitizen.eu, September 2024
  7. OceanCare: Whales and Dolphins Off Tenerife in Danger, oceancare.org
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Seaworthy Collective Announces Cohort 7 of the Ocean Enterprise Studio & Incubator

Seaworthy Collective Cohort 7 startups selected for The Continuum Ocean Enterprise Studio and Incubator 2026

Miami, FL, February 24, 2026 — Seaworthy Collective, a Miami-based non-profit that supports current and aspiring entrepreneurs in BlueTech (ocean innovation), is excited to announce its next wave of startups and founders selected for Cohort 7 of its flagship Startup Program, The Continuum Ocean Enterprise Studio and Incubator.

The 2026 program will once again support US-based startups developing ocean data technologies and services, in alignment with the priorities of the NOAA Ocean Enterprise Initiative. This is a result of Seaworthy’s expanded role in its $14 million NOAA partnership, The Continuum, a coordinated network of ocean enterprise accelerators that fast-tracks startups getting to market by making support for BlueTech solutions more scalable, efficient, and interconnected. The Continuum partners include Braid Theory, Ocean Exchange, Seaworthy Collective, St. Pete Innovation District, Tampa Bay Wave, World Ocean Council, and the University of South Florida.

“We are so proud of this latest wave of startups and founders to not only represent Seaworthy Collective’s seventh cohort, but our second under the umbrella of our NOAA partnership, The Continuum,” said Daniel Kleinman, Seaworthy Collective’s Founder and CEO. “Altogether, these businesses and entrepreneurs are driving forward the future of the Blue Economy and Ocean Enterprise; addressing the critical need for data and AI-driven solutions across ocean mapping and survey, water quality monitoring and reporting, fisheries and ecosystem health, and overall ocean intelligence; enabling improved decision-making and emerging markets to grow.”

The seven startups selected to be part of the Spring Ocean Enterprise Studio & Incubator are:

BathyLab – Brookfield, NH; Founded by Shannon Hoy and Patrick Cooper. BathyLab develops AI-powered tools that help seafloor mapping teams collect better data and scale their operations. Their solutions provide real-time operational intelligence for both crewed and autonomous vessels, supporting the critical seafloor mapping work that drives the blue economy and advances our understanding of the planet.

BeachLens – Gainesville, FL; Founded by Ja’Rell Felix. BeachLens brings together real time coastal, safety, and tourism data and turns them into simple, actionable insights for users. The core product is a mobile application that acts as a centralized hub for beach safety and logistics, moving far beyond basic weather apps to offer highly specific data.

Envara Scientific – Sterling, VA; Aspiring founder Marianne Dietz and her emerging venture, Envara, will leverage intelligence-informed thinking to help organizations better navigate and act upon high-stakes environmental data.

H3 – Miami, FL; Aspiring founder, Rachel Bobich, joins Seaworthy as she looks to build a collective Intelligence and resourcing platform to support the scientific community that propels the Blue Economy.

iCatch – Bozeman, MT; Founded by Dr. Mariah Meek and Dr. Nadya Mamoozadeh. iCatch is taking the guesswork out of species identification. Combining predictive AI technology with precision genomic testing allows species verification by anyone, anywhere, all along the seafood supply chain.

Marnova – San Diego, CA; Founded by Andrew Barrows and Dr. Forest Rohwer. Marnova converts harmful sargassum blooms into productive fisheries through a nature-based feeding system that strengthens the marine food web. They pair it with real-time tracking hardware and software so fishers can find these fishing grounds faster, while reducing sargassum washing ashore and disrupting coastal livelihoods.

Project Neptune – Hermosa Beach, CA; Founded by Maxwell Lynch and Ethan Young. Project Neptune provides localized beach water quality data, forecasts, and decision-ready insights to help people safely plan their time at the coast. They aggregate and interpret water quality testing, environmental conditions, and risk indicators into simple dashboards that show whether it’s safe to enter the water, and why.

“This cohort marks a pivotal moment for Seaworthy Collective as we scale the solid foundation built over the last five years supporting our first 100 founders and 50 startups. By integrating these next seven early-stage startups into The Continuum, we are proving that our model for founder success is not just repeatable, but highly scalable. We aren’t just launching startups; we are building a streamlined pipeline for the next generation of ocean intelligence,” Tamara Kahn Zissman, Director of Founder Success at Seaworthy Collective.

Join Seaworthy Collective’s community via its home page at www.seaworthycollective.com to stay updated on details of its upcoming Spring slate of events featuring the members of this latest cohort, including the upcoming Spring Sea Change Makers Panel Series and Startup Showcase, Seaworthy’s biggest event of the year, at The LAB Miami on May 20, 2026.

Sponsorship opportunities are currently available, and general inquiries are also welcome via email at Info@SeaworthyCollective.com.

About the Organizations

Seaworthy Collective is a Miami-based 501c3 nonprofit that supports current and aspiring entrepreneurs driving innovation for ocean impact (AKA BlueTech). Our mission is to bring all hands on deck for BlueTech, via programs to co-create and grow early-stage startups, build regional capacity, and educate our community. We empower Sea Change Makers, founders of all backgrounds leading profitable and planet-positive businesses. Since 2021, we’ve supported 100 founders across 50 BlueTech startups, who have raised over $34 million since graduating. Altogether, our local and global community generates scalable solutions for 71% of the planet (our ocean) to regenerate 100% of the planet. Learn more at SeaworthyCollective.com

The Continuum is a coordinated network of ocean enterprise accelerators that fast-tracks startups getting to market by making support for BlueTech solutions more scalable, efficient, and interconnected. The Continuum partners include Braid Theory, Ocean Exchange, Seaworthy Collective, St. Pete Innovation District, Tampa Bay Wave, World Ocean Council, and the University of South Florida. Learn more on our website at: TheContinuum.blue

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