OceanHub Africa

OceanHub Africa was launched in July 2019 with a mission is to inspire and assist innovative impact start-ups and nurture an environmentally conscious 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 online and through a network of local supportive stakeholders.

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, Dimension Data, European and African diplomatic corps, the UN Decade of the Ocean, DFIs and 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.

Over the past two years OHA has accomplished many milestones and co-led the initiatives listed below as the first (and only) entrepreneurial support organisation in Africa dedicated to ocean-impact:

• Completed 3 acceleration programs with now 16 ocean-impact startups in our portfolio - and informally supporting 4 times more. www.oceanhub.africa
• Launched a convening platform with the World Economic Forum for stakeholders of the ocean innovation space in Africa
• Cofounded 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
• Cofounded the IUCN-led 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
• Hosted 3 editions of the largest annual African summit dedicated to ocean-impact innovation in a bid to continuously inspire more entrepreneurs, entice more investment and catalyse more partnerships in the Blue Economy in Africa - with reach and recognition internationally."