The world’s oceans are under increasing pressure from climate change, plastic pollution, and biodiversity loss, compounded by outdated maritime systems and energy inefficiencies. Coastal communities, shipping companies, regulators, and environmental stakeholders all face mounting pain points, including:

• Lack of access to real-time ocean data for decision-making and regulation enforcement
• Inadequate tools to monitor and combat illegal fishing and overfishing
• High costs and technological barriers to adopting clean energy in marine operations
• Limited infrastructure for marine plastic waste collection and processing.

Modern maritime operations need digital transformation, affordable renewable energy, and sustainable resource management to overcome these critical bottlenecks. Katapult addresses these urgent needs by funding and accelerating early-stage, high-impact ocean-tech startups aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14 (Life Below Water).

Founded in 2016 by impact investor Tharald Nustad, Katapult has grown into “the world’s most active ocean impact venture fund manager.” Leading the charge is Jonas Skattum Svegaarden, CEO & General Partner, a seasoned sustainable-investing expert in aquaculture, energy, and transport. The Ocean team also includes Dr. Dennis Fritsch (Marine Biologist & Investment Lead), and Anthony Bellafiore (Investment Manager), among others.

Since its inception, Katapult has successfully invested in over 169 impact-driven tech startups across 47 countries, with a strong focus on ocean-related ventures. For each startup in its Ocean Accelerator program, Katapult typically invests between €150,000 and €500,000, with follow-on funding rounds ranging from €1.5 million to €4 million as startups mature. In 2024 alone, Katapult selected 11 companies from over 2,000 applicants, reflecting the program’s competitiveness and investor confidence. Katapult’s unique investment strategy combines capital with hands-on support, attracting co-investors and funding partners across Europe, Asia, and North America further amplifying the financial and strategic backing for its growing ocean impact portfolio.

Katapult’s ocean technology investment model works by identifying, funding, and accelerating early-stage startups that develop scalable solutions for ocean sustainability. Through its Ocean Accelerator program, Katapult provides each selected startup with capital investment, tailored mentorship, pilot access, and exposure to a global network of industry experts, scientists, and investors. The program runs over three months and helps startups refine both their business and impact strategies, conduct due diligence, and prepare for growth and follow-on funding rounds.

Technologies backed by Katapult often involve AI, robotics, IoT, and clean energy applications designed for maritime environments such as autonomous surface vehicles for data collection, subsea wireless communication systems, or vessel fuel efficiency tools.

Notable Maritime Portfolio Companies:

• Pascal Technologies (Norway) – Develops electric hydrofoil maritime propulsion systems to reduce energy consumption and emissions in vessels, enabling the future of clean maritime transport.
  
  
• Remora XYZ (Norway) – Offers AI-powered underwater vehicles and autonomous inspection tools for ports, offshore energy, and subsea infrastructure.
  
  
• SmartOcean (Norway) – Provides real-time ocean intelligence platforms to monitor vessel traffic, environmental data, and marine biodiversity, improving decision-making for regulators and conservation bodies.
  
  
• ShipReality (USA) – Specializes in 3D digital twin and augmented reality technologies for ship design, retrofitting, and maintenance, streamlining operations in the shipbuilding sector.
  
  
• Triton Anchor (USA) – Designs sustainable mooring solutions to minimize seabed disruption, supporting eco-friendly anchoring for marine energy, aquaculture, and conservation installations.
  
  
• Wsense (Italy) – A pioneer in subsea wireless communication networks that enable real-time data transfer in underwater monitoring and inspection, critical for offshore energy and marine research.
  
  
• Ichthion (UK/Ecuador) – Builds river and ocean technologies, including AI-driven systems, to intercept and remove plastic waste before it enters marine ecosystems.
  
  
• Coral Vita (Bahamas/USA) – A global leader in coral reef restoration using land-based farming and climate-resilient coral species to revive degraded reef ecosystems.
  
  Katapult VC reputable portfolio also including 12 Tides, ACUA Ocean, Algae-C, Algaeing, arcmarine, ATLAN Space, Better Packaging Co., BioFeyn, Brayfoil Technologies,Brim Explorer, Carbon Ridge, Carbonwave, Desolenator, ecoSPEARS, Evoy, Fishency Innovation AS, FLASC B.V. , ForeLight, Inc, Fortuna Cools, Freepower ,GBM Workss,Full Circle Biotechnologyy,Gazelle Wind Power Limitedd,Hooked Foodss,Gigabluee,GKinetic Energyy,Hullbott,Marimetricss,Nautix Technologiess

Note: Katapult’s full maritime portfolio is extensive. For more companies and details, visit Katapult Ocean’s portfolio page to explore additional innovators shaping the future of the blue economy.

By integrating financial investment with strategic support, Katapult enables these innovations to address critical maritime challenges like emissions reduction, illegal fishing, and ocean data scarcity, contributing meaningfully to the blue economy and global climate resilience. By leveraging strategic capital, deep domain expertise, and global connectivity, Katapult is catalyzing the ocean-tech startup scene. Their accelerator model equips founders with tools to build scalable, impactful solutions to help maritime industries navigate the transition towards cleaner, smarter, and more sustainable oceans.